As we approach the July 31st trading deadline, we have to look ahead to the playoffs. The New York Yankees are poised to make a deep run. But even though the Yankees are favorite, there are several challengers who are a tough challenge. For this piece, we will look at some serious threats to the Yankees 2019 World Series aspirations.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers have been playing like a team possessed this year. And they show no signs of letting up anytime soon. The World Series matchup could very easily be the Yankees versus The Dodgers. So when looking at what these two teams are for their respective leagues, you understand the threat the Dodgers pose. At the time of this writing, the Dodgers are 67-37 with +163 run differential. If the Yankees want to win the 2019 World Series, they may need to take down the Dodgers.
Houston Astros
The Astros have been a serious force in the American League since 2017 as evidenced by their World Series victory. From Superstars like Justin Verlander to Jose Altuve to Carlos Correa, this team is stacked. When you factor in what the Yankees also have on their roster the likes of Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Gleyber Torres the Yankees also have a power pack team. The Astros will likely be able to run away with the American League West because the rest of the teams are struggling. And when it comes to playoff time, the one-two punch at the top of the rotation has to be feared. Verlander and Gerrit Cole are two legitimate aces and in a short playoff series that is something to game plan.
Minnesota Twins
As we saw with the recent Series in Minnesota, the twins are a tough team this year. The amount of home runs that the twins are hitting this year is something that has to be considered. The back-and-forth contest that we saw throughout the three-game set is something that you have to be wary of during a short series. The Yankees were able to take two or three because of timely hitting. The playoffs become entirely about timely hitting and good pitching. The Yankees and Twins have faced off several times in the playoffs, with the Yankees coming out on top. This year could be a similar matchup, and we hope for that similar results.
Atlanta Braves
The battle for the teams of the 90s is reoccurring, the Atlanta Braves and the New York Yankees are two storied franchises. The Braves have dominated the NL East the last two seasons. So the Braves will likely be an active participant in the trading season. Atlanta already has a really good lineup, and if they can add more to the pitching side, they become more dangerous.
Boston Red Sox
Even though Boston is ten games behind in the AL East, they’re just a game and a half out of the second wild-card spot. This makes Boston a serious threat. Even though the Red Sox would have to jump a couple of other teams to make it to the playoffs, once they are there all bets are off. This rivalry has raged on for years and shows no signs of stopping. And if the massacre last night was any indication Boston still wants to take New York down.
There’s still a long way to go to finish out the 2019 regular season. But at present moment these clubs pose the biggest threat to the New York Yankees. These clubs will likely be the close the Yankees will have to contend with in order to accomplish their ultimate goal, winning the 2019 World Series.
