It is funny how the tides transform in MLB. One moment, a team is sitting pretty atop the AL, basking in the glow of assumption. Next, whispers began to swirl that someone else could just have the inside track. The early days of the 2025 season have already stirred the pot. And we can just say, not every individual is clinging to the usual favorites anymore.
On a current episode of Baseball Tonight, insider Buster Olney surprised all. Instead of backing the usual Yankees to dominate the AL, the insider rallied behind a $1.55 billion team that has been quietly sharpening its claws. Yes, it is a snub that one large contender did not see to come.
Nobody assumed the Yankees, capturing the top rank of the AL East with a 15–11 record, to identify themselves in second place. Yet at the period of a chat with David Schoenfield, Olney made it clear: the Tigers, currently 15–10 and guiding the AL Central, are his top pick. “Right now, the Tigers are the best team in the American League”, he said firmly. The Yankees, despite a large payroll and big stars, were pushed to the No. 2 slot. It was not just a random hunch either — Tigers’ back-to-back wins over the Yankees earlier this month established the tone.
Looking forward, the stats do not lie. The AL Central team’s rotation has been tough for competitors, with Casey Mize, 2-0 and Skubal, 1-2, challenging Yankees bats and stars in the first two games of April, winning 6-2 and 5-0. In addition, while Rodon and Carrasco stumbled for the Yankees, Tigers young stars flexed their power, stacking elite starts like poker chips.
It is no wonder the insiders praised a team that is firing on all cylinders instead of the team still analyzing its pitching inconsistencies. As the AL race in MLB continues, such an unexpected snub of the Yankees is adding more fuel to the fire.
Yankees’ internal troubles
While outer perception matters, the Yankees’ real fights are happening inside their team. Cody Bellinger was assumed to be the steadying left-handed bat, specifically, after losing Soto. However, instead, he is hitting a .195/.258/.317 with a 23.7 percent strikeout rate. In addition, Aaron Boone, basically the king of patience, finally dropped a subtle hint after another rough outing by saying, “we will see… You can always tinker with things”. Translation? Cody Bellinger’s time in the base of the team could be winding down — quickly. For a $27.5 million addition, that is a ticking time bomb the team can not afford.
However, Bellinger is not the only crack coming out. Anthony Volpe and Jazz Chisholm Jr. are going through a tough time to identify consistency at the plate. This is forcing Boone into uncomfortable decisions. In addition, with Aaron Judge’s tear and Goldschmidt’s surprising rebound, the offense of the team is not as bulletproof as it needs to be. Friday night’s team against the Jays could become a defining moment — one in which the manager could finally shuffle the deck. In a period where every game matters, hesitation is a luxury the Yankees can not afford anymore.
The Yankees could still be sitting atop the AL East, however, the cracks are beginning to show. As force mounts from inside and out, transformation feels inevitable. Will the manager of the team pull the trigger in time? Stay tuned — because currently, patience could be the Yankees’ biggest enemy yet.
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