The American League wild card race is getting, well, wild.
Entering Monday, 5.5 games separated six teams fighting for the three AL wild card spots, with the Yankees now in the thick of that muddled mix.
The red-hot Boston Red Sox (62-51) began the day in the first wild card position and were 1.5 games ahead of the Yankees (60-52), who held the second spot.
Sitting in the third and final wild card slot were the retooled Seattle Mariners (60-53), who were two games behind Boston and only a half-game behind the Yankees.
But the Texas Rangers (two games out of the final spot), Cleveland Guardians (three games) and Kansas City Royals (3.5 games) were all within striking distance, while the Tampa Bay Rays (five games) and Los Angeles Angels (5.5 games) could not be counted out.
Envisioning the Yankees in this position would have been difficult on May 28, when they led the AL East by seven games, or on June 12, when they boasted a 42-25 record.
But the Yankees entered Monday having lost 27 of their previous 45 games, including a three-game sweep in Miami over the weekend.
“I wouldn’t say there’s concern, but I would say I think a little sense of urgency would be good for us, just going forward, to continue to do what we can to win ballgames,” first baseman Ben Rice told reporters after Sunday’s 7-3 loss.
To varying degrees, the Yankees, Red Sox, Mariners and Rangers were all buyers before last week’s MLB trade deadline.
The busy Yankees added a new starting third baseman in Ryan McMahon; overhauled their bullpen with the additions of David Bednar, Camilo Doval and Jake Bird; and revamped their bench.
They did not acquire a starting pitcher in what proved to be a weak market at the position. Despite the struggles of Bednar, Doval and Bird in their team debuts on Friday, the Yankees hope their new-look bullpen can be a game-shortening weapon down the stretch and into October.
The Mariners made two separate trades with the Arizona Diamondbacks to dramatically enhance their offense, first by acquiring Josh Naylor, then by adding Eugenio Suarez, whose 36 home runs through Sunday ranked fifth in baseball.
Suarez and Naylor, both of whom are impending free agents, join a lineup headlined by Cal Raleigh, whose 42 homers led the majors.
The Rangers were one of the few teams to acquire a marquee starting pitcher, trading three well-regarded prospects to the D-Backs for veteran right-hander Merrill Kelly.
Kelly, who is also poised for free agency this winter, bolsters a Rangers staff that entered Monday with the best rotation ERA (3.24) in baseball. Texas has struggled offensively, however, averaging only 4.1 runs per game.
The Mariners just took three out of four from the Rangers, including a win in Sunday’s series finale.
Boston, meanwhile, was the least active of the bunch, bringing in starter Dustin May and reliever Steven Matz in low-key deals the deadline.
But the well-rounded Red Sox have been on a tear since trading disgruntled star Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants, going 25-15 since that stunning mid-June blockbuster.
After Sunday’s loss, the Yankees were closer to being out of a playoff spot (2.5 games) than they were to the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays (4.5 games).
The good news for the Yankees is that, going into Monday, they had the third-easiest remaining schedule among AL teams, according to Tankathon,
The Yankees’ remaining opponents had a combined winning percentage of .489, with seven more games against the Baltimore Orioles, seven against the Chicago White Sox, and six against the Minnesota Twins, who just broke up their team with a deadline fire sale.
“It’s getting to be real gut-check time,” manager Aaron Boone said after Sunday’s loss. “It’s getting late. It’s certainly not too late for us, and I am confident that we’re gonna get it together, but that’s all it is right now. It’s empty until we start doing it.”
The Mariners (.483) had an easier remaining schedule than the Yankees, but the Rangers’ (.518) was the fourth hardest in baseball. The Red Sox (.500) had the 16th-hardest remaining schedule.
Also working in the Yankees’ favor is that head-to-head record serves as the tiebreaker for wild card spots.
The Yankees won the season series over the Mariners, 5-1, and swept the Rangers in May. One win in Arlington this week would clinch the tiebreaker over the Rangers, too.
However, the Yankees are 1-5 against the Red Sox. The Yankees have seven games remaining against Boston, including four in the Bronx from Aug. 21-24.
Entering Monday, FanGraphs gave the Yankees an 88.4% probability to make the playoffs, including a 24.8% chance to win the division.
“We have really high expectations,” center fielder Cody Bellinger said Sunday. “I have full confidence in this group of guys. Love this group of guys. I think we have, really, a lot of talented baseball players in here. Ultimately, we’ve just got to play better.”
