Analyzing The Playoff Picture A Week Before The Trade Deadline
Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times
We are one week away from the MLB trade deadline, which is set for next Tuesday, August 1st at 6 PM EST and this is a time where teams have to decide whether they should buy or sell at the deadline. Buying would mean that you are going all-in for a championship or trying to improve your team to keep or get into a playoff spot. On the other hand, selling means that you are basically giving up on the season and are trading away players to plan ahead for next season and the seasons after that. So now it’s time to look over the current playoff picture and see which teams can still make the playoffs and which teams should throw in the towel and start making some players available.
American League:
Most teams in the American League are still within reach of a playoff spot as the only teams that seem to be out of it are Oakland, Kansas City, and Chicago. Even Detroit and Cleveland, who are both under .500 teams, are still not completely out of it because of their weak division led by the 54-48 Twins. The Wild Card spots are where most of the remaining teams will have their attention towards since the last place Yankees and injury riddled Angels are only two and a half and four and a half games out of a playoff spot respectively.
Speaking of the Angels, they seemed to be sellers about a week or two ago but now after a solid week, they might not be so sure on what to do with Shohei Ohtani. The Yankees will also be buying most likely along with other teams in the hunt like the Red Sox, Mariners, and Blue Jays. Then, there are the up and coming Rangers and Orioles that look good right now in the standings so a big move or two can make them possible World Series favorites. The reigning champion Astros, who are getting Yordan Alvarez back from injury soon, cannot not be forgotten about either.
Carmen Mandato / Getty Images
The Astros have been hovering right above the playoff cutline and now the Rays are also near this spot after being passed by Baltimore so will the low payroll Rays make a big splash at the deadline too? This season has been very competitive in the American League and this is great for the sport but only six teams will make it out of the AL to play postseason baseball so it should be a battle until Game 162.
National League:
As for the National League, the Atlanta Braves seem to be the clear favorite to win the pennant as every other team in contention is in a close battle for their division or a wild card spot. The Dodgers are finally heating up as they just took over first place so they might cruise to another NL West division title from here and in the NL Central, the Brewers and the surprising Reds are neck and neck. Whichever team is in second place in the NL Central, will be in the Wild Card race along with other surprising teams like the Marlins and Diamondbacks and with the reigning National League Champion Phillies and the Giants are also in the mix too.
Like the American League picture, one big move by a fringe playoff team can make all the difference and then there’s talented teams outside the picture like the Padres and Mets who do not seem to be selling much at the deadline. However, rebuilding teams such as the Rockies will be selling off players for sure and the reigning NL Central champion Cardinals, who are in a rare down year, will most likely sell as well. Both league playoff pictures are very close right now and as I mentioned earlier, it will probably come down to the final weekend and this drama would be great for the league.
In most years, the trades do not start rolling in until the last few days before the deadline and it seems to be going this way again this year. With one week to go, the time is now for front offices to make crucial decisions that could alter a team’s trajectory for seasons to come.
