The wild cardrace in the American League is getting, well, wild.
Six teams vying for the three AL wild card places were separated by 5.5 games as of Monday, with the Yankees currently in the middle of that confusing mix.
Starting the day in the first wild card berth, the Boston Red Sox (62-51) were 1.5 games ahead of the Yankees (60-52), who were in second place.
The retooled Seattle Mariners (60-53), two games behind Boston and only a half-game behind the Yankees, were in the third and last wild card slot.
The Tampa Bay Rays (five games) and Los Angeles Angels (5.5 games) could not be ruled out, but the Texas Rangers (two games out of last place), Cleveland Guardians (three games), and Kansas City Royals (3.5 games) were all within striking distance.
It would have been hard to see the Yankees in this situation on May 28, when they were seven games ahead of the AL East, or on June 12, when they had a 42-25 record.
However, the Yankees have lost 27 of their last 45 games going into Monday, including a three-game sweep in Miami over the weekend.
First baseman Ben Rice told reporters following Sunday’s 7-3 loss, “I wouldn’t say there’s concern, but I think a little sense of urgency would be good for us, just going forward, to continue to do what we can to win ballgames.”
Before last week’s MLB trade deadline, the Yankees, Red Sox, Mariners, and Rangers were all buyers to differing degrees.
The busy Yankees redesigned their bench, adding David Bednar, Camilo Doval, and Jake Bird to their bullpen, and promoted Ryan McMahon as a new starting third baseman.
Due to a weak market at the position, they were unable to acquire a starting pitcher. The Yankees hope their new-look bullpen can be a game-shortening tool in the final stretch and into October, despite Bednar, Doval, and Bird’s troubles in their team debuts on Friday.
The Mariners acquired Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez, whose 36 home runs through Sunday were fifth in baseball, in two different transactions with the Arizona Diamondbacks to significantly improve their offensive.
Future free agents Suarez and Naylor join a lineup lead by Cal Raleigh, who led the majors with 42 home runs.
The Rangers traded three highly regarded prospects to the D-Backs for veteran right-hander Merrill Kelly, making them one of the few teams to acquire a marquee starting pitcher.
Kelly, who is also set to become a free agent this offseason, supports a Rangers staff that had the top rotation ERA (3.24) in MLB going into Monday. However, Texas’ offensive output has been poor, averaging only 4.1 runs per contest.
The Mariners just defeated the Rangers three times in a row, including in the series finale on Sunday.
The least active team was Boston, which made quiet trades at the deadline to acquire starter Dustin May and reliever Steven Matz.
However, after sending irate sensation Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants, the well-rounded Red Sox have been on a roll, going 25-15 since that incredible mid-June deal.
The Yankees were 2.5 games away from missing a postseason berth after Sunday’s defeat, compared to 4.5 games away from the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays.
The Yankees had the third-simplest remaining schedule among AL teams heading into Monday, which is good news, according to Tankathon.
With seven games left against the Baltimore Orioles, seven against the Chicago White Sox, and six against the Minnesota Twins—who recently dismantled their squad with a deadline fire sale—the Yankees’ remaining opponents had a collective winning percentage of.489 overall.
After Sunday’s defeat, manager Aaron Boone declared, “It’s getting to be real gut-check time.” It’s growing late. That’s all there is to it at the moment, but it’s definitely not too late for us, and I have no doubt that we will pull ourselves together. Until we start doing it, it is empty.
The Rangers (.518) had the fourth-hardest schedule in baseball, while the Mariners (.483) had an easier remaining schedule than the Yankees. The remaining schedule was the 16th hardest for the Red Sox (.500).
The Yankees also benefit from the fact that the tiebreaker for wild card slots is head-to-head record.
The Yankees swept the Rangers in May and defeated the Mariners 5-1 in the season series. Additionally, a victory in Arlington this week would guarantee the tiebreaker against the Rangers.
But the Yankees have a 1–5 record versus the Red Sox. The Yankees still have seven games left against Boston, four of which will be played in the Bronx from August 21–24.
The Yankees had a 24.8% chance of winning the division and an 88.4% chance of making the playoffs going into Monday, according to FanGraphs.
Cody Bellinger, a center fielder, stated on Sunday that we have very high standards. I have complete faith in this set of men. I adore these guys. There are a number of really good baseball players here, in my opinion. In the end, we simply need to play better.
