With the MLB trade deadline now in the past, we can start to envision just how the playoff race is going to look over the next several weeks. Teams in both the American and National Leagues made some key moves, with some unexpected teams getting better -- and one notable AL East team improving through addition by subtraction. You can look at all of the moves that brought us to this point here.
Sportsline's Stephen Oh ran projections on which teams got better at the deadline and which ones got worse.
Here's a look at the teams that saw an improvement in their win totals:
- Red Sox 108.9 to 109.5
- Dodgers 93.4 to 94.0
- Brewers 89.3 to 90.0
- A's 90.6 to 91.2
- Mariners 91.7 to 92.4
- Rays 80.1 to 81.7
Oh noted in his simulation that Rays actually improved by dealing Chris Archer, with Archer showing up poorly in projections. The Pirates barely improved, going to 81.1 wins from 80.7.
Then, there are teams that saw their win total projections get worse.
- Orioles 52.3 to 51.2
- Angels 81.7 to 81.1
- Twins 81.2 to 79.2
- Padres 61.1 to 60.6
- Giants 80.5 to 79.4
- Cardinals 82.9 to 82.2
- Blue Jays 73.5 to 72.5
For the Orioles, of course, this makes sense. They emptied the cupboard to start a full on rebuild.
What is there to make of these projections? For starters, the wild-card race in the AL is going to be a dogfight, as is the race in the AL West. One of the wild-card spots will very likely come out of the AL East, and it could well be the Yankees. The Athletics, Mariners, and Astros are all in a fight in the West. The Athletics and Mariners both improved in Oh's projections, while the Astros didn't move the needle -- nor do they particularly have to.
The common thread is that the teams that got better are in grinding races. The Brewers are moving in on the Cubs in the NL Central, the Red Sox are trying to stave off the Yankees and get in a position for a deep playoff run, and the Dodgers are trying to get back to the World Series while holding off the Diamondbacks in the NL West.
The Angels may be throwing in the towel, now 9 1/2 games back in the wild-card race, and the Cardinals still have playoff hope but are looking up in the standings at a number of teams, including the Brewers.
