MLB standings by remaining strength of schedule: Cubs, Yankees primed to surge

We're nearly two weeks past the trade deadline and some teams still can't get on a roll, making fans panic in the dog days of summer. However, there could be some relief on the way for struggling playoff contenders based on their remaining strength of schedule.

Division races have drastically changed within the past month, while the Wild Card races are tightening, especially in the American League. A handful of teams who were once in comfortable spots for the postseason are now fighting to keep their place in October, and while fans may have little to no confidence that their team will hold on, looking ahead could provide some much-needed hope. Let's take a look at which teams have the easiest schedules left in the final seven weeks of the regular season, which can ultimately determine whether they make it to the playoffs or not.

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AL East standings by remaining strength of schedule

The Toronto Blue Jays have the best record in the American League and have a three-game lead in the AL East. However, out of all six division leaders in baseball they have the toughest remaining schedule, which could open the door for the New York Yankees, who in turn have one of the easiest schedules left.

Head-to-head games within the division will play a big part in how the teams settle into the playoff bracket, but the Yankees have the clear advantage with easier opponents down the stretch. Aaron Boone's team will end the regular season with 13 consecutive games against teams below .500. That includes seven against the Baltimore Orioles and a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox.

Those last few weeks could end up giving the Yankees a lot of breathing room in the Wild Card race. New York is currently the third Wild Card team in the AL, only a half-game ahead of the Cleveland Guardians.

AL Central standings by remaining strength of schedule

The Detroit Tigers are 8-12 since the All-Star Game and things were already looking shaky heading into the Midsummer Classic, as they lost four in a row heading into the break. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Guardians have suddenly gotten hot, winning 20 of their last 27 games to get within six games of first place in the AL Central. Both teams have six head-to-head games remaining, and Cleveland will have to win most of those to have a realistic shot at catching Detroit, because the Tigers only have 12 other games against teams with winning records to end the season.

The Guardians' best shot at reaching postseason play is currently through the Wild Card, and they have a real soft spot in their schedule the next three weeks before playing back-to-back series against the Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox.

AL West standings by remaining strength of schedule

The Houston Astros are in first place in the AL West, leading the division by 1.5 games, and this should be a battle right down to the wire. The Seattle Mariners loaded up at the trade deadline with Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez to try and chase down the Astros and they'll have a chance to put pressure on Houston early in September, when Seattle plays 16 straight games against average or below-average teams. That leads up into a huge three-game series between the Astros and Mariners on Sept. 19-21.

Houston does have an easier end to their schedule, finishing the season with series against the Athletics and Los Angeles Angels, while the Mariners play the Dodgers in their final three games.

NL East standings by remaining strength of schedule

New York Mets fans won't love to see this. The Mets were 21 games above .500 after June 12, and are now 63-53, trying to hold off the Cincinnati Reds for the third Wild Card in the NL. The Philadelphia Phillies are 3.5 games ahead of the Mets in the NL East and have a fairly middling slate of opponents left that should give them an edge over New York.

However, there are still seven head-to-head games left between the Phillies and Mets, so if New York wants any shot at getting back atop the division, then they have to win at least five of those contests.

Don't look now, but the Miami Marlins are closing in on a .500 record. They're still a long shot to gett a Wild Card spot, but with the 22nd-toughest schedule remaining maybe they can make some noise in September. The Marlins are 6.5 games out of the third Wild Card spot and could be a huge annoyance to the Mets, with seven games against them in the final month of the season.

NL Central standings by remaining strength of schedule

At this point it doesn't seem like it matters how difficult the Milwaukee Brewers' remaining schedule is compared to the Chicago Cubs, yet if fans at Wrigley Field want some comfort the team does have the third-easiest strength of schedule remaining.

The Brewers have erased a 6.5-game deficit from June and now lead the NL Central by five games over the Cubs. Both teams will have one more intense matchup this year as Chicago will host the Brewers from Aug. 18-21 at Wrigley Field in a five-game series that includes a doubleheader. That could either be the final nail in the coffin for the Cubs or make the division race compelling in September.

As for the Reds, they haven't quite been able to build on their momentum coming out of the All-Star break, playing .500 ball during the past three weeks. They're within striking distance of the third Wild Card spot, but they now have the hardest schedule left in all of MLB. Cincinnati will really have to earn their ticket to the playoffs down the stretch.

NL West standings by remaining strength of schedule

MLB really screwed up its schedule here because we won't see the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres go head-to-head at all in September. The Dodgers and Padres have six games against each other remaining, but they all come within the next two weeks. We should see these teams continue to stay close in the standings as they have the two easiest schedules in baseball in the final two months of the season.

You can thank the Colorado Rockies for that, as the Dodgers and Padres both play the worst team in baseball seven more times this year. Still, a shame that a tight division race won't feature a single series between the Dodgers and Padres in September. Los Angeles currently has a three-game lead.