AL Teams Might Clinch Postseason with Sub-.500 Record
In the AL, a team below .500 may not only clinch a wild card but win a division, altering playoff scenarios. Has the playoff expansion exposed mediocrity?
Video Transcript
If we look at the American League numbers, and you and I were just talking in the break, and I'm saying it, is it even possible, and I think it is, it's very possible, that we are going to have a team in the American League lock up that third wild card spot and not have a winning record?
Yeah.
And I mean, Houston right now, who by tiebreaker is currently leading the American League West, is 65 and 66.
I, I We could have a, a team with two games under 500, Tom, that ends up winning a, a post-season berth, which is just gross on so many levels, is it not?
It, it really is.
And, you know, Houston's going through it right now.
Not, not only on the field.
Yeah.
They got off-the-field stuff, the GM.
They're not sure if The GM's gone.
We're not sure if the manager's gonna be back.
There's a lot going on for Houston.
But to see a team in the AL or multiple teams in the AL make the postseason with a sub 500 record is actually really viable this year.
Could not only come from the AL West, but also could come from the wild card spot.
And, you know, we're talking about to make the playoffs, the odds for that are really, really interesting.
And, you know, the one team I keep coming back to in the AL to make the playoffs, especially at these odds, would be the Rangers at plus 142.
They have a chance to make it in, in two directions really.
It's either they could just outright win the AL West because Houston's not great right now, and then we have a chance to get them into the wild card, and they could easily win that because, you know, we're not sold on the Guardians, we're not sold on the Twins.
Now granted, you could also say the same thing about the Astros since they're at plus money, but a plus 104 price is, is pretty different than plus 142, and frankly, with the way the Astros are playing, I'm not really sold on them.
Now granted, Joe, if they, you know, three weeks from now, if they rattle off seven straight wins, the Astros is, they could lock up the division before you know it, but I, I'll take the plus 142 with the Rangers.
Yeah, th- A- and I hate them all, because I just think it's terrible baseball, but somebody has got to end up making it.
And some of those odds there, eh, the team that was the most active at the trade deadline was the Guardians.
Can you Any idea- Mm-hmm on what happened to them, T- I mean, I look at this roster, I look at the lineup, I look at the pitching, and I'm going, "They, in a mediocre year, how are the Guardians not running away right now?"
Is, is head-scratching to me.
It is.
I, I think they, you know, they're, what is it?
They've rattled off four straight wins.
They're tied for the American League third wild card spot.
They're only three and a half back of the AL Central.
I, I think most people would agree that, you know, the White Sox have put together a great season.
It's obviously far higher than what most people would have anticipated, but, you know, it, it's not like they're running away with it.
And the Guardians have certainly shown, as we saw last year, coming back from 10 down against the Tigers to win the division.
You know, the Guardians at least have kind of been here before, and I think they were or are in this spot because they got a little bit behind the eight ball to start the season, so they're kind of clawing their way back.
But that top of the rotation I think is awesome, and I'm just always worried about their offense.
It's never their pitching I'm worried about.
Yeah, I, you know, the bullpen has been hot or cold.
Kate Smith is great, but man- Yeah that offense is, eh.
You, you gotta be able to You gotta put better efforts, together on a nightly basis.
Yeah.
But listen, I still think they have, at that price to make the playoffs at plus money, I still think they have as good a shot as anybody else, on that list here.
By the way, we learned, of course, Yankees, put Weathers on the IL.
Another injury going on here.
S- I mean, it was nice that they got Rodon back, but what, what are they doing now here?
Where, what happens to the Yankees rotation now here, Tom?
So I think the Weathers thing is, like he has dealt with a ton of injuries.
The volume of innings that he's- Yeah pitched this year is very, very high.
You know, all the reports about Freed and what Aaron Boone has said about Freed, if you want to take it with a grain of salt, is like, "It's just precautionary.
They want to ease off of him.
They want him ready for the postseason."
Like all these verbiage or, you know, alluding to these things.
I think the Freed thing i- is fine.
And really for the rotation overall because Rodon came back, you still have Cam Schl- or Gerrit Cole, Rodon.
You know, you still have Will Warren in there.
And then frankly, I think it's just gonna be bullpen and/or, you know, they have to do it by committee.
When Ryan Yarborough and Paul Blackburn, those have been starters in the past for previous teams, like they can eat innings.
Those guys can go out there and give you three, maybe four innings, and you bring someone else in.
So ultimately I think the rotation will be fine.
If Freed comes back in late September, gives you a start.
Going into the postseason with Schlittler, Cole, Rodon, and Freed is pretty darn good, and I think they'll be, they'll be set with that.
