Possible clinches in the AL: The Yankees and Mariners are all but guaranteed a playoff spot, and today's games could remove the "all but" qualifier from that phrase. If the Yankees beat the White Sox, they'll clinch a playoff spot for themselves and also open the door for the Mariners to clinch a spot with a win over the Rockies later in the evening.
That aside, though, it's at least marginally interesting to think about final win totals that will or won't be sufficient to make the playoffs this year. 86 was the magic number last year for both the Tigers and Royals; the Diamondbacks somehow made the playoffs with 84 wins in 2023. In the inaugural season of this stupid playoff system, it was again 86 wins, in benefit of the Rays.
Well, the Braves didn't do much to upend the Cubs' playoff chances, rolling over for a standard series loss earlier this week. This weekend, though, they really have a chance to create some foul-smelling soup as far as the AL West goes. The Braves are set to play the Mariners this weekend. The Mariners are four back of the Astros in the AL West, but just 1.5 games ahead of the Rangers for the final Wild Card spot.
The Mariners have agreed to a minor league contract with right-hander Guillo Zuñiga, per the team's transaction log at MLB.com. The former Cardinals and Angels reliever had been with the Phillies on a minor league deal but was granted his release earlier in the week. Zuñiga, 26, has pitched in the majors in each of the past two seasons, totaling 19 2/3 frames between St. Louis and Anaheim. He's allowed 11 earned runs (5.03 ERA) on 16 hits and eight walks with a dozen strikeouts.
