The MLB trade deadline is far behind us. And while we’ve seen some teams looking like they could fall out of the playoff race, you just never know in mid-August — a franchise could reel off 10 straight wins and be right in the thick of it again.
So it’s a good time to take a snapshot now that it’s mid-August — the divisional races are FAR from over, and the same goes for the Wild Card, which we’ll include below as we look at the playoff picture. And THAT race has so many teams vying for the three spots in both the National and American Leagues.
Let’s jump in:
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AL East
Division leader: Baltimore Orioles
Right there: Tampa Bay Rays (3 games behind)
Probably out: Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees
All five teams are above .500 … but the O’s and Rays (the latter of whom has been up and down of late) are the cream of the crop.
AL Central
Division leader: Minnesota Twins
Right there: Cleveland Guardians (4.5 games behind)
Probably out: Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals
A meh division all over the place. The Twins could win it, but they’ve got to be better on the road (29-34).
AL West
Division leader: Texas Rangers
Right there: Houston Astros (3.5 games behind)
Probably out: Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Angels, Oakland A’s
The fact that the Rangers are holding off the Astros proves Texas is legit. Worth noting: The Angels appear to be done here, which is rough given what they tried to do at the deadline and now face with Shohei Ohtani’s free agency this winter.
NL East
Division leader: Atlanta Braves
Right there: … no one.
Probably out: Philadelphia Phillies, Miami Marlins, New York Mets, Washington Nationals
Yawn. The Braves and their 76-42 record can coast to the postseason.
NL Central
Division leader: Milwaukee Brewers
Right there: Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds (both 3.5 games behind)
Probably out: Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals
Now THIS is fun. The Cubs have come on strong and the Reds are one of the most fun teams in baseball.
NL West
Division leader: Los Angeles Dodgers
Right there: … No one.
Probably out: San Francisco Giants, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies
The Giants are the closest … but they’re nine games out.
AL and NL Wild Cards
AMERICAN LEAGUE: The Rays, Astros and Blue Jays all have spots at the moment. The Mariners, Red Sox, Yankees and Angels are all within seven games.
NATIONAL LEAGUE: The Phillies, Giants and Marlins all have spots at the moment. The Cubs, Reds, Diamondbacks and Padres are all within 6.5 games.
