MLB standings ordered by division (AL East, AL Central in perfect order) must continue

Wait -- WAIT. Stop right where you are. The Yankees are allowed to gain, but the Red Sox and Blue Jays have to stay an inch over .500 as the Twins continue to underwhelm in the AL Central.

The longer the American League standings look like one big division, the better.

While the Yankees and Orioles have been climbing recently to attempt to catch the streaking Rays, what's been going on at the bottom of the division has been much more interesting to the average baseball fan.

As Minnesota continues to underperform their pythagorean record and the Guardians search for some sort of salvation in singles hitting, the literal entire division has slotted into the MLB standings behind all five teams in the AL East.

As recently as May 23, the East and Central existed in perfect standings harmony. After Blue Jays and Red Sox losses on Wednesday night (shame), the two teams plummeted to a "tie for last" with the Twins in the mega-division we wish could truly exist.

MLB Standings: Yankees need to climb up AL East, Twins better stay where they are

And, to put the cherry on top, MLB's current playoff format would send the Yankees to play the Twins in the Wild Card Series in Minnesota. If the league would only listen to us and make this whole mess one big division, though, those games would be played at Yankee Stadium. Really makes you think.

If you enjoyed the Big, Thick Division, you'll love keeping track of the divisional run differentials this season, too. There's nothing ... quite like it.

Can the Yankees track down the Rays? Yes. It's possible. Will they? That's a different question; Tampa's unsustainable offense will slow down, at some point, but they are getting Tyler Glasnow back and could hold on.

Hopefully, as the Yankees surge, the Red Sox and (miraculously) the Blue Jays continue to fall back, leading the Twins to eventually pass them.

For now, though, we're having fun.