Nearly the entire American League is within striking distance of each other

KANSAS CITY, MO - JUNE 26: Empty stands prior to the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Tampa Bay Rays on June 26th, 2025 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by William Purnell/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Very recently, I wrote an article here talking about the opportunity presented to the Yankees in 2026, competing for the top spot in an American League that lacked standout clubs. Some of their potential biggest adversaries were dealing with more than their fair share of issues in the Blue Jays and Mariners.

Since then, the Yankees have continued to establish themselves as the best team in the AL, and at the moment their closest opponent is a largely anonymous Rays club that—while just a half-game behind New York at 24-12—no one is entirely sure what their ceiling might be. Now, we’ll address how this particular outlook affects other teams besides the Yankees. A significant number of teams that fought at the top last season are off to forgettable starts in both leagues.

The Phillies and Blue Jays could’ve very easily won the championship last season, for instance. The difference between these two is that although there are powerhouses in their respective divisions, they face battles of different levels trying to play their way back into playoff contention. While we can make all the remarks about it still being early, the Junior Circuit is setting up in a pool of mediocrity, incapable of punishing a team’s slow start.

This is the jumbled mess as of the morning of May 7th. The Yankees and Rays are, in fact, literally the only teams with winning records. The Astros and Angels are tied for the worst record in the AL, and they’re three games back of the last Wild Card spot.