BOSTON — The Yankees last year won the AL East by seven games.
The last time they were within seven games of first place this season was June 4, spending the rest of the season looking way up at the Rays and then Orioles — and now trying to avoid a last-place finish for the first time since 1990.
There is no quick fix for much of what has plagued the Yankees this season, and in the meantime, the Orioles and Rays look especially well-positioned to continue being a force at the top of the division in the years to come with a mix of youth and talent.
All of which begs the question: When, and how, do the Yankees get back on top?
“No reason to expect it’s not going to be a great division again next year,” manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday at Fenway Park. “You kind of sign up for that in the American League East anyway. It forces you to get better.
“The cream is gonna rise to the top. It’s on us to get better and figure it out and try to put ourselves in position to be competitive with these teams that have clearly come of age.”
Since their last losing season in 1992, the Yankees have finished first or second in the AL East in 27 of 30 years.
That will become 27 of 31 this season, but they have not gone back-to-back years not being one of the top two teams in the division since 1987-1992.
It will be a battle to ensure that is not the case next year.
After going 47-29 against the AL East last year — including winning records against all four teams on the way to their second division title in four seasons — the Yankees entered Wednesday 18-26 against the AL East.
The new balanced schedule means that the Yankees won’t have to face their division brethren as often as they used to, but the AL East figures to remain a gauntlet they will have to fight through moving forward.
“It was really tough for us this year,” Gerrit Cole said. “It’s the best division in baseball this year. It’s hard to say how in the future — you never really know what’s going to happen. But I anticipate it being pretty much just as tough. It’s always been really tough. So I don’t see that changing, that generalization of the AL East really changing in the future. So, kind of more of the same.”
The Orioles entered Wednesday 91-53, good for the second-best record in all of baseball.
They have a strong young core centered around 25-year-old catcher Adley Rutschman, 22-year-old infielder Gunnar Henderson and 23-year-old pitcher Grayson Rodriguez, with more talent coming in the pipeline.
The Rays were three games behind the Orioles at 89-57, continuing to thrive despite having plenty of holes to fill, especially in their rotation.
They have lost Cy Young contender Shane McClanahan, plus Drew Rasmussen and Jeffrey Springs to injuries — not to mention shortstop Wander Franco to administrative leave — and yet they still have a chance to win the division.
The average age of their hitters was 27 and their pitchers was 28.2 — both the youngest marks in the AL East — and like the Orioles, they still have a top-10 farm system.
That’s not to mention the Blue Jays and Red Sox, who both boast their fair share of young talent, especially offensively.
The Yankees, meanwhile, could certainly use a boost from their young guns to get back in the thick of the division next year.
Anthony Volpe will have a year of big-league experience under his belt, Jasson Dominguez could return by midseason from a torn UCL and perhaps one among Austin Wells, Oswald Peraza or Everson Pereira takes the next step to join them.
Of course, having the 32-year-old Gerrit Cole and 31-year-old Aaron Judge continue to be among MLB’s best at their positions wouldn’t hurt, regardless of their age.
Whenever he is asked about the AL East, Boone usually says to “pack a lunch.”
But with the rest of the division only getting younger and better this season, the Yankees may need to pack a couple to get back on top in the future.
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