Fans still believe the Yankees will finish above .500

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across Major League Baseball. Each week, we send out questions to the most plugged-in New York Yankees fans, and fans across the country. Sign up here to join Reacts.

At long last, the Yankees have been eliminated from playoff contention after their loss to Zac Gallen and the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday. They fell to 78-77 on the season and have seven games left to play. Now that they improbable run is over, there is only one thing left to determine when it comes to the 2023 Yankees: will they finish with a positive record?

The last time the Yankees have finished a season worse than .500 was in 1992, when they went 76-86 with a .469 winning percentage. After that, they have won 15 division titles, seven pennants and five World Series. Yet here we are, with New York struggling to win more games than they lose in a season in which every other AL East team has taken a step forward either contending for a playoffs spot or with their farm system, which is clearly the Boston Red Sox’s case.

We asked the people, and they answered: will the Yanks finish with a winning record this year? Let’s see:

Despite the evident inconsistencies of the 2023 team, most fans (48 percent, to be exact) still feel the Yankees have what it takes to keep the streak of consecutive years with a winning record alive. Meanwhile, 37 percent of the fans think the Bombers will finish below .500, and 15 percent are unsure. The Yankees have one game with the D-Backs, three with the Toronto Blue Jays and three with the Kansas City Royals, so anything can happen.

Now, to question number two: how will the AL Wild Card race finish? Fans believe that the Rays will finish first, the Seattle Mariners will finish second, and the Blue Jays will sneak into the postseason with the third and last WC spot.

Kyle Thele

At this point, sticking with the Rays as the first Wild Card team is logical, unless you think they can overtake the Baltimore Orioles for the AL East lead (possible, but unlikely).

The second and third Wild Card spots are where things get interesting. As of Sunday night, the Blue Jays had a two-game advantage over the Houston Astros for the second spot, with the latter holding the third. On the outside looking are the Seattle Mariners, half a game behind Houston. The Texas Rangers have built a 2.5-game lead in the AL West and look likely to make the playoffs one way or another.

We are facing real chances of the reigning World Series champs, the Astros, being left out of the party altogether. For that to happen, the Mariners would have to surpass them in the standings.

Things are equally tight in the National League. Let’s see what fans think about that race:

Kyle Thele

People have voted, and they believe the Philadelphia Phillies (87-69), the D-Backs (82-73) and the Chicago Cubs (82-74) will be the Wild Card teams. The Cubs were on an ugly stretch, winning just three of their last 13, before sweeping the Colorado Rockies over the weekend and injecting some life to their pursuit. Now, Chicago has a one-game lead over the Miami Marlins and a 2.5-game cushion over the Cincinnati Reds for the last spot.