The American League has been rather lackluster for most of the 2026 season, with the exception of the AL East, which has produced the three top teams in the league in the Rays, Yankees and Red Sox. Entering Tuesday, those three teams had all won at least 84 games but were the only teams in the American League to have clinched a winning record. In fact, the Rangers and Astros are tied atop the AL West despite being a game below .500 at 78–79.
That means there will likely be at least a couple of American League teams that end the season scarcely above .500 but still qualify for the postseason. For reference, the Astros missed the postseason last year after finishing the season 87–75, and there wasn’t a single AL playoff team with fewer than 87 wins.
