Sure, it’s not even the middle of August.
Weird things can happen in baseball, whether it’s a team with a large lead in the division dropping eight of nine games and suddenly seeing a squad behind them catch up (ask New York Mets fans about that), or a franchise you thought was out of it making a run (hello, 2023 Chicago Cubs!).
But taking a snapshot of the standings now will tell you a lot about who’s a contender or who’s a pretender. And we’re here to focus on the latter — if these five teams don’t do something in a hurry, it’s no postseason for them:
1
Los Angeles Angels
As of publishing this, the Angels — who made a ton of moves at the trade deadline to help Shohei Ohtani — have dropped seven straight. They’re 11.5 games out of first in the AL West and eight games out of the AL Wild Card. NOT GOOD.
2
New York Yankees
They didn’t do much at the trade deadline. They’re 12.5 out of first in the AL East, but a manageable 5.5 games out of the AL Wild Card. Can they turn this thing around before it’s too late?
3
Boston Red Sox
See the Yankees above: Boston’s right next to them in the standings.
4
San Diego Padres
Tricky, because they’re four games back in the Wild Card right now, but 11 games back in the NL West. They could put together a run, though.
5
Arizona Diamondbacks
They’ve fallen to Earth after a hot start, now nine games back in the NL West. The Wild Card is within reach, but the way they’ve been playing of late? Don’t count on it at the moment.
