Blue Jays AL East Recap: A tight race brewing

Yankees out with the old, in with the new
New York Yankees: 56-55

The New York Yankees are fresh off a series win against the Cleveland Indians and just removed from splitting the Subway Series with the Mets. Despite being significant dealers at deadline, the Yankees have not fallen into obscurity. They are only 7.5 games out of the division and 5.0 games out of the final Wild Card seed. While their odds are not great, if they catch fire they can very much force the question of whether they could make it.

The Yankees biggest news came off the field this week. On Friday it was announced that veteran Mark Teixiera would be retiring at seasons end. Then on Sunday it was announced that Alex Rodriguez’s final game would be played on Friday and then he’d transition to an advisory role. This comes just a week after Carlos Beltran was dealt to the Texas Rangers. The Yankees have now trimmed some significant age off of their team and cleared up room for some young stars to take over.

Final Takeaway:
The New York Yankees have now cleared room for their significant farm system to get sufficient audition time. With Teixiera out at seasons end and with Beltran and A-Rod now gone, the Yankees will be able to play around with some young pieces when rosters expand.

Rays getting quality production
45-65

The Rays season is all but over, but their rebuilding efforts are beginning to pay dividends. Matt Andriese has been solid since returning to the rotation, aptly filling in for the recently traded Matt Moore. Logan Morrison and Andrew Miller both had strong weeks at the plate, pacing the Rays offensively. Veteran closer Brad Boxberger closed to help their bullpen as well. The Rays are once again seeing glimmers of their season’s dream, just much to late in the season.

The Rays should be encouraged by what they’ve seen. By not making blockbuster trades, they have ensured that they will have the core of their team ready to go for 2017. With an offseason to augment their team, the Rays will should easily be able to revive their hopes for next season. If their players continue to perform this well, the Rays will get a good glimpse of what they can expect for the future.

Next: Saunders Down, Martin Up since ASG

Final Takeaway:
The Rays are long out of competition for this season, but with solid productivity from the core of their team, they could return in 2017 back and better than ever.