Blue Jays: Which teams do they have to worry about the most?

The Blue Jays are right in the thick of the AL Wild Card race. Which teams are they competing with for a playoff spot, and also for home-field advantage in the first round?

With 33 games left in the regular season for the Blue Jays, there’s still a chance that the playoff race in the American League could change. That said, lately it feels like the field is starting to narrow a bit for the Jays and the rest of the American League contenders, and the picture is starting to become a bit more clear.

At this stage the Blue Jays are highly unlikely to catch up to the Yankees in the AL East, as they are 8.0 games back of the division leaders as of this writing on Wednesday evening. It’s not completely out of the realm of possibility, and the Yankees haven’t been the same team at all in the second half, but they’d really have to falter to give up the division crown.

Assuming that’s the case, they will have to settle for a Wild Card spot, which won’t be a given at all when you look at the field. It not only matters that they secure one of those three spots, but it also matters where they finish among that group. As things stand right now the Jays hold the third Wild Card position with a 2.0 game lead on surprising Orioles.

It’s not just the Orioles that the Blue Jays will have to keep an eye on, especially if their realistic goal might be to shoot for that top Wild Card spot. Let’s have a look at the field of contenders.