The Long Shots
Tampa Bay Rays (32-43) (13.0 GB)
The Rays have completely fallen off the map in recent weeks. Having lost 11 in a row and being swept in four games by the first place Orioles, Tampa Bay’s season has clearly been defined. They just do not have the roster to compete with the rest of the teams in the division. Outside of Evan Longoria and Steve Pearce, the Rays do not really have anything more than average players in their lineup. Pieces like Logan Forsythe, Brandon Guyer and Steven Souza Jr. are quality supporting, but they shouldn’t be forced to be the main threats in any lineup.
The Rays rotation has been slightly disappointing, in particular, 27 year-old lefty Matt Moore has been a real letdown in 2016. Moore was supposed to be the next top of the line rotation starter for the Rays when David Price inevitably left, but he has regressed mightily after an injury-riddled 2015 season. Promising starters such as Drew Smyly and Jake Odorizzi have not been as good as expected as well. I haven’t even mentioned that Chris Archer, who was thought to be a Cy Young contender coming into the year, has been one of the most disappointing starters in all of baseball, currently sitting at a 4.70 ERA.
The bullpen has been a slight bright spot for the team with the likes of Alex Colome, Matt Andriese and Erasmo Ramirez establishing themselves, but that has not been enough for the Rays to stay relevant.
New York Yankees (37-38) (8.0 GB)
The Yanks are certainly not in as poor position as the Rays currently when looking at the standings. However, in some ways they actually have more questions. It is clear that New York’s core is breaking down and the team’s age is showing. Despite a slight resurgence from CC Sabathia and a great year from Carlos Beltran, former cornerstone pieces like Mark Texiera, Alex Rodriguez, Brett Garnder and Brian McCann are showing their age. This is something that was expected at some point, and even though everything clicked for the Yankees last year, it seems like that year was somewhat of a finale for many of the team’s core players.
In terms of the team’s youth, the Yankees have had a hard time passing the mantle. While promising young pieces Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Rob Refsnyder and Luis Severino sit in the minor leagues or don’t get as much playing time in the majors, the team is still relying on their veterans to stay competitive, which has led to average results.
Now if the Yankees play out their season, they will probably end up close to around .500 because the talent on this team isn’t awful with the back end of their pen being truly dominant. They just wouldn’t have much of a chance to compete with younger, more dynamic teams.
New York should seriously consider trading away someone like Miller or Chapman to help push that youth movement forward instead of just simply being mediocre with a small chance at the postseason. While the Yankees numbers wise are still very much involved in the wild card, this does not seem like a team that will play well through the dog days of summer because of their aging core.
Next: A Hopeful Third