There is less than a month to go in MLB's regular season. Playoff pictures are becoming clearer, but there are still plenty of spots up for grabs. So, what are standings looking like in the American League on Sept. 3, and which teams are battling it out for the final postseason spots?
AL division leaders
Toronto Blue Jays, AL East: 80-59
Detroit Tigers, AL Central: 80-60
Houston Astros, AL West: 76-63
The AL East is and always seems to be stacked. Every year is championship or bust for the New York Yankees, and the Boston Red Sox always seem to be in championship contention. The Tampa Bay Rays are great at player development, and even the Baltimore Orioles were expected to compete for the World Series with a young roster this year. It is the Toronto Blue Jays who lead the division, though. In fact, they have the best record in the entire AL.
The team is hot right now largely because George Springer is having one of the best stretches in MLB history. Springer has 66 hits, 50 runs, 39 RBIs, 16 home runs, and nine stolen bases over his last 45 games, which are marks only Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig had over that amount of time.
The Tigers are firmly in control of the AL Central. They have 10 more wins than the second-placed Kansas City Royals. The Astros lead the AL West, but there might be turmoil within the clubhouse. Framber Valdez seemingly intentionally hit his catcher, Cesar Salazar, out of frustration for a home run he had just given up.
American League Wild Card
New York Yankees: 77-61
Boston Red Sox: 78-62
Seattle Mariners: 73-66
While the Blue Jays do have the best record in the AL, the Yankees and Red Sox are right on their tail for the division crown. Both teams are well primed to make the postseason. The Seattle Mariners will need to finish strong if they are to hold off the Texas Rangers from clinching the final Wild Card spot.
The Mariners were one of the biggest winners from the MLB trade deadline because they added both Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor, but the Rangers have won eight of their last 10 games.
In the hunt
Texas Rangers: 72-68
Kansas City Royals: 70-68
Tampa Bay Rays: 69-69
Cleveland Guardians: 68-69
As mentioned earlier, the Rangers are just on the outside looking in of the playoff picture as of now. However, they are well known for picking up their play in the fall, evidenced by their World Series run two years ago. The Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Rays, and Cleveland Guardians form the next tier of teams, all of whom linger around .500. These teams would need to get and stay hot to finish out the season, and they'd likely need a Wild Card team to struggle significantly late in order to make the postseason.
All but eliminated
Los Angeles Angels: 65-73
Athletics: 64-76
Baltimore Orioles: 63-76
Minnesota Twins: 62-76
Chicago White Sox: 51-88
The Chicago White Sox are the only team statistically eliminated from making the postseason in the AL, but the odds are significantly stacked against the Los Angeles Angels, Athletics, Orioles, Minnesota Twins, and the Chicago White Sox. The Orioles are the biggest disappointment this year. A slow start led to them blowing things up at the trade deadline, but they weren't nearly as big of sellers as the Twins. Minnesota has rapidly tumbled down the standings since trading nearly their whole team.
