A lot of teams made deals. A lot of teams got better. But are all playoff teams a real risk to win it all? I don’t think so. Some teams in first place currently, might not make the playoffs. It happens. A few on this list might not make the playoffs, that’s baseball. Here are they not in any particular order.
New York Yankees – They will find their way in. Aaron Judge will be back soon, and the Yankees fortified the bullpen enough to get in. They have enough but nothing else can go wrong. I don’t think they’re as deep as they have been in previous years.
Philadelphia Phillies – Bryce Harper’s numbers aren’t great, but they can improve and probably will. Getting Jhoan Duran ensures them getting into the playoffs. That was a huge weakness that was corrected. Harrison Bader is just a defensive replacement, so let’s not get crazy about that.
Houston Astros – Josh Hader is the best closer in the sport and they filled in some holes and Jesus Sanchez was a great add. Brown and Valdez are as good a 1-2 combo as there is in baseball.
New York Mets – Imagine if Juan Soto, Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor all hit at once. They filled a need at center field with Cedric Mullins and rebuilt the bullpen which had become their kryptonite. They will make it.
Los Angeles Dodgers – The Dodgers have it all and still made improvements at the deadline. They have a great pitching staff, Ohtani and I think they can hit better as a team down the stretch.
Detroit Tigers – Tarik Skubal is a pitcher you don’t want to see in the playoffs. Greene and Torkelson can thump the ball. I did love their acquisition of Chris Paddack.
Milwaukee Brewers – The Brewers have surprised me. Christian Yelich is the man there and they’re winning while Rhys Hoskins has been injured. Let’s see what Andrew Vaughn does longer term and their starting staff is among the weakest of this group probably tied with the Mets.
Texas Rangers – Jacob deGrom is healthy and dealing. Their hitting has been underwhelming but Marcus Semien is waking up. Their starters are ok, and they built up their bullpen. I think they have a chance to catch fire.
