Yankees Keeping Slim Playoff Hopes Alive

Even after selling off many of their best veteran players, the New York Yankees have somehow managed to stay within striking distance of a playoff spot.

Coming into Sunday’s games, the New York Yankees playoff odds according to FanGraphs are the highest they’ve been since trading away two of their three 2016 All Stars at the August 1st trade deadline.

Although those moves seemed to signal that the club was giving up on making a postseason run this season, the Yankees have played some of their best baseball of 2016 in the month of August. They have gone 11-7 since the trade deadline, with a .611 winning percentage that is better than any other month this season.

Much of this success is a direct result of the promotions of top prospects Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge, and Tyler Austin, which has rejuvenated the offense. With six home runs in his first 15 games, Sanchez in particular has been a major difference maker. Yankees manager Joe Girardi has rewarded him with the starting catching job and the three spot in the regular lineup, and it looks like he’ll hold down both for a long time. 

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If New York is going to sustain this success going forward, they will depend heavily on rookie starting pitchers Luis Cessa and Chad Green. Green pitched six shutout innings with 11 strikeouts in his last start against the Blue Jays, while Cessa also put up six scoreless innings with five Ks in Saturday’s 5-1 win over the Angels.

The field for the two American League Wild Cards remains extremely crowded, with seven teams within 4.5 games of the second spot. At four games out, the Yankees remain near the back of the pack.

Not only will they have to hold off the red-hot Astros and Royals, but they will need to leapfrog the Tigers, Mariners, and Orioles if they want to slip into the postseason. And even then all that is guaranteed is a one game playoff.

At 5.1% to make the playoffs according to FanGraphs, the Yankees remain an extreme longshot to play in October. Their odds are well below the three AL East clubs they will need to topple to fight their way in.

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Still, the Yankees hold their own destiny in their hands this season. They have nine games remaining against Baltimore, seven against Boston, seven against Toronto, three against Kansas City, and three against Seattle.

In total, 29 of New York’s 40 remaining games are against clubs they are directly competing against for a playoff spot. They will still have plenty of chances to make noise in this race.