Sometimes, it seems like the best teams in a given sport will remain that way forever — just ask anyone who’s not a fan of the New York Yankees or Los Angeles Lakers or New England Patriots. But when that status quo changes, it can change quite dramatically.
That’s what appears to be happening in MLB’s 2023 season, already one where pitch clocks have altered the way the game is played. Great empires have been toppled, underdogs now seem unstoppable and anything seems possible.
Don’t believe us? Just check out these numbers:
Yankees and Cardinals in last place
The Baltimore Orioles have a precarious grip on first in the AL East. It’s the first time they’ve had a share of first entering August since 2016.
They’re doing this with a payroll more than $200 million less than the Yankees are spending.
Speaking of payrolls …
Mo’ money, mo’ problems
The New York Mets, Yankees, San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies have the top four payrolls in baseball. None of those teams are in playoff position, and the Mets and Padres both have losing records. Only one time in the wild-card era (since 1995) have the teams with the top three payrolls all missed the playoffs (2008). If these teams continue their current trajectories, it’ll be the first time the top four have all been denied a playoff spot.
Welcome to the new age
In all this chaos, some teams have returned to the top of the standings for the first time in quite a while. Aside from the Orioles, the Cincinnati Reds have a share of first place in August for just the second time in the past 25 years and the first since 2012. The Texas Rangers haven’t had to wait quite as long, but they haven’t had a share of first place in August since 2016.
And even with Mike Trout out with an injury, the Los Angeles Angels (due in large part to Shohei Ohtani making a case for being one of the greatest players of all time) are only three games out of a playoff spot. It’s the first time they’ve been this close to a playoff berth since September 2017.
Statistics from ESPN Stats & Information were used in this article.
