MLB Standings: Yankees & Rangers Hold AL Wild Card Spots; Blue Jays, Astros, Royals Lead Divisions

By Damon Salvadore Sep 02 2015, 12:10 PM EDT

The Major League Baseball season is in the final quarter of play, and the playoff races in the American League couldn't be more exciting. We have teams who are thriving at just the right time, others who are plummeting before our very eyes, and a few who are just on the cusp of the playoff chase.

The American League East has been close this entire year. Despite the New York Yankees leading the division for the majority of the year, it is the Toronto Blue Jays who are currently on top. The Blue Jays haven't made it to the playoffs since they won the World Series back in 1993, but an incredible trade deadline may very well change that.

The Blue Jays acquired ace pitcher David Price and power hitter Troy Tulowitzki at this year's trade deadline, and it's paying off. The Blue Jays have by far the best offense in the league this season scoring nearly 100 more runs than the next team. The Blue Jays also lead the majors in home runs hit. Dominican infielder Edwin Encarnación recently had his hit streak end at 26 games. That's a far cry from Joe DiMaggio's 56 game record, but still a tremendous accomplishment.

Josh Donaldson is the favorite to win the AL MVP this season.

The Yankees have been struggling a little bit since the All-Star break. Alex Rodriguez isn't playing anything like he was at the beginning of the season, and Mark Teixeira is out with an injury. The Yankees are just two wins behind the Blue Jays, but inconsistent pitching has many worried on whether or not they can catch them and retake the division lead.

At 73-58 the Yankees hold the top wild card spot with the Texas Rangers trailing by three wins. The Rangers are a wild card team because of the surging Houston Astros. The Astros have a great offense, but pitcher Dallas Keuchel is the favorite to win the CY Young award this season. Keuchel recently pitched a no hitter, and his ERA is an impressive 2.24 this season.

The third division leader at the moment is the Kansas City Royals. The Royals, who are after all the defending AL Champions, have a commanding 12-win lead in the American League Central over the Minnesota Twins. The Royals are out to prove they're no fluke team. As it stands now, the Royals have the best record in the AL, and many are predicting a 1985 World Series rematch with the St. Louis Cardinals. Johnny Cueto has been struggling a bit in his last few starts, but he knows this is his best chance at a championship.

The Los Angeles Angels hold the No. 7 seed in the AL, but they are spiraling downward in a hurry. The Angels had a terrible August, which is mostly contributed to Mike Trout's wrist injury. Having lost seven of their last 10 games, the Angels no longer even have a winning record. They are now an even 66-66. Albert Pujols, who led the league in home runs, is showing signs of age and fatigue, which is somewhat reminiscent of Rodriguez with the Yankees. The Angels are now third in the American League West behind the Astros and Rangers.

The Minnesota Twins have been on a roll lately winning eight of their last 10 games. The Twins are just one game behind the Rangers for the second wild card spot.

If the season were to end today, the Blue Jays and Astros would face each other in the second round with the Yankees and Rangers playing each other in the wild card game.