In both the American and National Leagues, one could make an argument for several teams on each side to make a deep run into October. It's not as top heavy as the narratives had suggested early on. In the AL, the Seattle Mariners have the longest active postseason drought in sports as they have not made the playoffs since 2002 but are in great position to nail down a spot and maybe even make a run, especially after acquiring the best pitcher on the market at the trade deadline. You still have the Astros and Yankees (despite their recent nosedive), the Twins made some pitching moves at the deadline, as well as a dangerous Blue Jays team who have played better since firing their manager.
In the NL, the New York Mets could be scary in a short series if both Max Scherzer and Jacob DeGrom are healthy as the team is playing as a unit led by a great baseball guy in Buck Showalter. The Dodgers have been the league standard and have already run away with the NL West but the Padres made power moves at the deadline acquiring Juan Soto, Josh Bell, Josh Hader, and Brandon Drury..however they still have not proved they can beat LA. Can't forget about the Cardinals either who have won 7 straight and the veteran presences of Wainwright, Molina, and Pujols who are at the tail end.
Stefan and I discuss some of the teams that have won us over in the podcast clip below.
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