The margin for error is shrinking by the day. Some teams are stretching their division leads, while others are watching their playoff hopes slip away. With the dust now settled after the MLB trade deadline, here’s how the top teams are stacking up as we near the final push toward October.
10. Cleveland Guardians (61-56, 2nd AL Central)
What a weird season it’s been for the Cleveland Guardians. One of their players got placed on leave amid a betting investigation, then they endured their longest losing streak in over a decade, and then another player was sidelined for the same betting investigation. And yet, they remain just half a game behind the New York Yankees for the third Wild Card spot. What are the odds?
9. Houston Astros (66-52, 1st AL West)
Houston’s division lead is shrinking by the day — but for old time’s sake, their bats came alive in the Bronx. Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa each homered into a sea of 40,000 boos at Yankee Stadium, while Jason Alexander tossed six innings of one-hit ball to power a 7-1 win and a series victory over the Yankees on Sunday afternoon. Then again, a series win over New York just doesn’t mean what it used to.
8. Detroit Tigers (68-51, 1st AL Central)
Detroit isn’t beating teams like it used to, and they just dropped a series to the Minnesota Twins — a club whose post-deadline mentality is bordering on “let’s just have fun.”
The Tigers still hold a commanding six-game lead over the AL Central, but given their recent form, things could start to get interesting real soon. Detroit is 4-5 since the turn of August with a middling offense and the seventh-worst ERA in the majors (5.13).
7. Chicago Cubs (67-50, 2nd NL Central)
Chicago closed out July with a series loss to the Brewers — their scorching hot division rival who leapfrogged them in the standings just over a week earlier. So what did the Cubs do at the deadline to stay in the race? Virtually nothing.
They head into August essentially the same: a great team, but not built to keep up with the Brew Crew. Chicago still holds the top NL Wild Card spot, but their failure to land a frontline starter at the deadline could come back to haunt them.
6. San Diego Padres (66-52, 2nd NL West)
The most aggressive spenders of the trade deadline are officially in “win now” mode — and that’s exactly what they’re doing. Riding a five-game win streak into August, the new-look Padres have taken three straight series and trimmed the division gap to just two games.
San Diego saw an immediate return on investment Saturday night, when Ramon Laureano delivered a walk-off single in the 10th inning against the Boston Red Sox.
5. Seattle Mariners (66-53, 2nd AL West)
Houston, you have a problem. The Seattle Mariners have won seven straight games — the longest active streak in the AL — and nine of their last ten, catapulting them to the top of the AL Wild Card race.
The AL West has become more of a two-team race after the M’s took three out of four from the Rangers — now just half a game back from the division-leading Astros. Oh, and Cal Raleigh is hot again.
4. Toronto Blue Jays (69-50, 1st AL East)
Coors Field is a magical place — just ask the Blue Jays. Toronto put up MLB The Show-type numbers during a three-game thrashing of the Rockies from August 4-6, setting a franchise record with 45 runs in the three-game series. Their 63 hits were the most by a single team in a three-game set in the modern era (1901).
In just Wednesday’s finale alone, the AL East-leading Jays racked up 20 runs on 24 hits, crushing five home runs in the process. No matter the opponent or the altitude, that’s a statement.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers (68-50, 1st NL West)
The Dodgers have managed to stay atop their division despite a pitching staff hanging on by a thread. But now, Blake Snell is back — and he just hurled five shutout innings with three hits and ten strikeouts against the Blue Jays on Saturday. Still, the Padres are within striking distance, and Los Angeles is feeling the heat.
It’s tough to criticize a guy like Shohei Ohtani — but when every win matters, mistakes are magnified. Getting thrown out on the basepaths and striking out on a ball in the dirt with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth? That’s going to earn a word from the manager.
2. Philadelphia Phillies (68-49, 1st NL East)
On Sunday, holding a one-run lead in the bottom of the fifth, trade deadline acquisition Harrison Bader hunted down a deep fly ball, leapt at the wall, and casually robbed what would have been a game-tying home run. As if there was ever any doubt.
The Mets deserve some credit for the massive swing that’s seen Philadelphia build a comfortable 5.5-game lead in the NL East. But while New York spirals, the Phillies continue to handle business while making it look easy
1. Milwaukee Brewers (73-44, 1st NL Central)
The Milwaukee Brewers found themselves in a 5-0 hole through three innings against the Mets on Sunday afternoon. That didn’t last long.
The Brew Crew chipped away and tied the game at six in the eighth, setting the stage for Isaac Collins to crush a walk-off home run off Edwin Diaz in the ninth — sealing their ninth consecutive win and 12th of their last 13. Milwaukee remains the only team to eclipse 70 wins, and they did that almost a week ago.
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