Yardbarker
x
MLB teams with the most at stake this postseason
Francisco Lindor has reached superstar status for the white-hot Indians. Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

MLB teams with the most at stake this postseason


The Cubs will lean on sluggers Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Ian Happ in their title defense. Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

As the final week of the Major League Baseball regular season ends, the stakes are about to get much higher for the survivors of the first round of cuts from the regular season. Perhaps more than any recent year, there is as wide open a field of legitimate World Series contenders. With seven of the 10 postseason slots already locked up, it is a fair time to assess exactly what this year’s road to the Fall Classic truly means.

On both sides of the MLB league battle lines, there is no shortage of pressure to get the job done this year. There is a fascinating cocktail of storylines each contender carries into an October that could be just as easily defined by finishing previously unfinished business as it could be by unexpected attendees crashing the party.

Whether it be making good on supersized expectations from a regular season well-lived or making it to the mountaintop to finally meet expectations, the stakes are unusually high — and wide-spanning — this year. Here is what these teams have to gain and lose in the upcoming postseason.

Arizona Diamondbacks 

At risk: Opportunity cost: The D-backs made the biggest turnaround in the National League from a year ago and are now presented with a huge opportunity to cash in on their rebound season. With a potent lineup built around three 25-homer, 90-RBI producers in Paul Goldschmidt, J.D. Martinez and Jake Lamb, as well as a powerful pairing of arms in Zack Greinke and Robbie Ray, Arizona is more than equipped to either go blow-for-blow or compete in a pitchers' duel.

Arizona's window to compete is immediate, as Martinez is headed toward free agency, Greinke headed into his mid-30s, and a decision looming regarding the contracts and futures of A.J. Pollock and Goldschmidt. But as for now, the Diamondbacks are the team that nobody wants to pit home-field advantage against.  

Boston Red Sox 

At risk: Falling short of expectations — again: From the $217 million handed to David Price to the treasure trove of prospects paid to bring Chris Sale and Craig Kimbrel to town, Boston is neck-deep in "win now" mode and has been for the last handful of seasons. Despite an oft-fearless approach to fortifying the roster at any cost, the team has not moved past the AL Division Series since its World Series victory in 2013, a maddeningly underwhelming dry spell.

With every new big-name pitching addition and every young sensation season who emerges from Boston's ranks, those expectations continue to intensify. The stakes are always high for the perennially invested and contending Sox, and they will be faced with the toughest road to make it over the hump and out of the American League. To reach the World Series, they'll have to go on the road to face the Astros before potentially having to go through Cleveland or their biggest rivals in the Bronx, in which all rules are off.

Chicago Cubs 

At risk: Lost potential: The Cubs have roared back to life over the last month and are baseball’s fastest-rising commodity as the postseason gets under way. Although they will not have the luxury of everything absolutely running through Wrigley this year, they do have more experience than any other team in the NL postseason scene this year.

Although their uneven start to the year dampened expectations as an unstoppable dynasty in the variety of the '90s Yankees and Braves somewhat, they still carry the expectation of defending their championship and doing so with a roster that still largely resembles the one that won it all just a year ago — even if they have not always performed as such this summer.

Cleveland Indians 

At risk: Making good on the best bounce-back seasons ever: There is unfinished business on the table for the Tribe, and the Indians still have the taste of blood in their mouths from a year ago. After playing at a consistently higher level than any team in the last century, the Indians look ready to make good on the opportunity to end the game’s longest championship dry spell.

Undeterred by the disappointing end to their best World Series run in over 60 years, the Tribe has matured in baseball's most well-rounded unit. No injury has been too big to overcome (Michael Brantley, Andrew Miller and Jason Kipnis have all missed substantial time), while every part of the roster has taken its turn as the guiding light for its success. Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez have continued to emerge as elite players, while Corey Kluber has not relented from the elite level he lived at last fall. As a result, they have won 29 of their last 31 games and are close to locking in home-field advantage throughout the fall.

A year after crashing the party, the Indians are now hosting it. As such, they rightfully carry heightened expectations of completing a World Series run that they pushed to the brink just a year ago.

Houston Astros 

At risk: Fumbling a massive lead: Everything surrounding the Astros at this point is about making the most of a year that has gone slightly awry after a dominant start. After losing grip on home-field advantage after a lackluster second half, Houston has just recently reached full strength again and begun to stabilize its product daily. The returns of Dallas Keuchel and Carlos Correa, as well as the addition of Justin Verlander, have played huge roles in this, but it remains to be seen if they will have their footing underneath them enough to make good on the potential shown earlier in the year.

After reaching 30 games above .500 in June, it is fair to expect anything less than a strong showing in the AL Championship Series as a failure for what is still the most talented young roster in the American League.

Los Angeles Dodgers 

At risk: Falling short of heightened expectations, again: No team in baseball has stayed at the competitive level of the Dodgers over the past half-decade, but winning their fifth consecutive NL West title was of minor note in comparison to the historic heights they reached earlier this season. At their peak this summer, they lost 10 games over a two-month span and increased their lead in the division to 21 games over a Diamondbacks team that had the third best record in the National League.

Although their improbable losing streak in early September brought them back to Earth some, it did not evacuate the expectations of this team as one of the most special collectives of the past quarter-century. Simply put, just making the postseason isn't good enough. After proving to be capable of the type of dominance they showed along the way, the Dodgers carry more expectations than any other team.

Washington Nationals 

At risk: Proving the glass ceiling is breakable: Although they have arguably been the best-looking team on paper for the past half-decade, no team has more reliably underwhelmed than the Nationals. Despite being one of baseball’s most aggressive roster builders and winning the NL East in four of the last six seasons, they are yet to reach the NLCS.

Time is as sensitive of an issue for the Nats as any team in the game. Bryce Harper’s days in D.C. could be numbered, as his much-celebrated date with free agency is a year away. At the same time, Max Scherzer is performing at his peak powers in a career that is increasingly becoming Cooperstown-worthy. Likewise, having a healthy Stephen Strasburg, Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman together this late in the season is a rarity as well. The time is now for the Nationals to get over the hump, and surviving the Division Series is just a start.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.