AL Wild Card standings by remaining strength of schedule

We're more than two weeks removed from the MLB trade deadline, yet the standings remain incredibly tight pretty much everywhere you turn, particularly in the American League. All three divisional races are within 4.0 games, and somehow, the race for the third Wild Card spot is even more competitive.

Given how close the race is, something like the remaining strength of schedule could be the difference. The teams with the easiest remaining schedules might have the likeliest shot of making the playoffs, while those who face the toughest competition will have their work cut out for them in September.

AL Wild Card standings as of Aug. 21

As you can see, the AL Wild Card standings entering play on August 21 are almost as competitive as they were on Opening Day. The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox sit comfortably in the top two spots, and the Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels and the Athletics are all but out of contention, but there're seven teams within 3.0 games of the final spot.

Again, the team that wins that race for the third Wild Card spot could very well be the team that gets to face the easiest competition down the stretch. One in particular sticks out.

AL Wild Card standings by remaining strength of schedule

The Cleveland Guardians, as has been the case the entire second half, have the easiest remaining strength of schedule the rest of the way. This hasn't mattered much, as the Guardians have dropped a pair of series to sub-.500 teams this month alone in the New York Mets and the Detroit Tigers, but if they can take advantage of their soft schedule, making up their 1.0-game deficit shouldn't be much of an issue.

Another team worth highlighting is the Seattle Mariners. Arguably MLB's most disappointing team this season, the Mariners have fallen to eight games under .500, partly due to a gauntlet of an August schedule, but they have an opportunity to make up ground against some of the league's bottom-feeders. We all know they have the talent to go on a special run, as evidenced by last season's run to Game 7 of the ALCS.

The sneaky team to keep an eye on is the Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays were an afterthought after selling at the deadline and playing poorly for much of the year, but they've won seven straight series (not including their one make-up game in Chicago during that stretch) and, of course, have proven they can win big games. If Vladimir Guerrero Jr. looks more like himself down the stretch, why can't they go on a run, particularly given how easy their remaining schedule is?

While the Tampa Bay Rays sit comfortably at the top of the AL East, the Baltimore Orioles have their work cut out for them down the stretch. Owners of MLB's second-hardest remaining schedule the rest of the way, the O's not only trail in the Wild Card race by 2.0 games, but they also have series against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Rays and the Yankees they'll need to survive in order to clinch a Wild Card spot. Baltimore still has a shot, especially with how well Pete Alonso has been swinging the bat of late, but they'll need to play their best baseball the rest of the way.

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