Yankees: a very difficult (and very easy) schedule between now and the end of the season

By the end of the month, the Yankees and Red Sox will be trying to catch up with the Blue Jays in the standings.

All three clubs, who should be able to make the playoffs if there's no catastrophe, need to understand the importance of the division title. And that's even if, in the playoffs, it's not everything.

Right now, when you look at it, the Toronto Blue Jays have the best chance of winning the division. They have (before today's games) a three-game lead over the Yankees and a 3.5-game lead over the Red Sox. They also have the tiebreaker against both clubs.

If the series were to start today, the Blue Jays would move directly into the division series. The Bombardiers and Bas Rouges, meanwhile, would battle it out for the right to take on Detroit afterwards.

But ultimately, what chance do either team have of surpassing the Blue Jays?

When we look at the difficulty of the schedule in September, we see that the Yankees have the 21st toughest schedule in the league between now and the end of the season. The Blue Jays and Red Sox, meanwhile, are in the top-11 toughest schedules in the league.

In reality, when you look at it, the Yankees have a two-part schedule. In the next two weeks, the Astros, Blue Jays, Tigers and Red Sox are on the menu.

After that? It'll be a lot easier (on paper): Twins, Orioles, White Sox and Orioles.

The Red Sox? Guardians, Diamondbacks, A's, Yankees, A's, Rays, Blue Jays and Tigers. As for the Blue Jays, it'll be the Reds, Yankees, Astros, Orioles, Rays, Royals, Red Sox and Rays.

Currently, the Blue Jays have a 68.8% chance of winning the division. And we note that in the event of a tie between the Bombardiers and Sox, the Boston club has the advantage in the tie-breaker.

https://twitter.com/Brandon_N_Wile/status/1962305880113688952

Of course, it's on the pitch that it's going to come down to the wire. The ugly sequences won't be ideal for the three division rivals… especially on the heels of the series against the direct rivals.

Happy September to all.

• Dillon Tate and Isiah Kiner-Falefa are added to the club's 28-player roster, but Trey Yesavage is not. Reminder: in September, the line-up is 28 players.

I'll clarify this, as a few questions arose: Players currently not on Toronto's 40-man could still easily join the Jays' playoff roster with the CO petition – that's how Jobe made the Tigers' roster last year.

But being on the 40-man on Aug 31 creates direct eligibility.

– Mitch Bannon (@MitchBannon) September 1, 2025

• Andrew Heaney signs with the Dodgers. He is playoff eligible.

Heaney will begin in AAA Oklahoma City where he lives. Has signed in time to be playoff eligible. https://t.co/QS2eIaDnOp

– Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) September 1, 2025

• Harry Ford recalled to Seattle.

https://twitter.com/Mariners/status/1962544459247440246

This content was created with the help of AI.