One quick look at the American League standings shows that there is very little room and I mean, very little room for any mistakes. It is clearly a tougher league than the National League, from top to bottom.
The American League East is a monster of a division with all five teams over .500, the only division in both leagues that can say that. The Central Division is very similar to the NL Central, mediocrity could very well be good enough to win a flawed division. In the AL West, the two Texas teams are leading the way, while the other teams continue to spin their wheels in, well, mediocrity.
Six postseason spots are up for grabs in the AL, but unlike the National League, it’s going to take a strong four months to get one of those spots. If you’re in the AL East, it’s going to be a long summer where a significant losing streak can be the difference between playing October baseball to watching it from home. It’s not out of the question that four of the five teams could find themselves in the playoff field. Yes, it’s a long shot, but not impossible.
The two teams from Texas, the Texas Rangers, and Houston Astros, will have a say in that, but the Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners are two teams capable of making a move for a berth. Both teams face a big stretch coming up in June. With that said, here are three teams that need to have a strong June to avoid being sellers at the trade deadline on August 1.