With the MLB season entering its final stretch, the standings remain crowded—but does that mean baseball has compelling playoff races or simply too many mediocre teams still in contention?

In Episode 722 of Almost Cooperstown, Mark and Gordon Kolier examine the American and National League playoff pictures, the teams building momentum and the supposed contenders beginning to fade. The expanded postseason keeps more fan bases interested deep into August, but it can also create a path to October for teams that have barely played winning baseball.

Which clubs are legitimate World Series threats? Which teams are hanging around only because the playoff field has grown? And how much should one strong postseason run erase five months of ordinary regular-season baseball?

The discussion also covers the continuing uncertainty surrounding MLB’s next collective bargaining agreement, the owners’ interest in greater payroll controls and whether baseball can avoid another damaging work stoppage before the 2027 season.

Plus, Mark and Gordon consider late-season injuries, pitching concerns, surprising performances and the players and teams worth watching as September approaches.

Almost Cooperstown is a weekly baseball podcast featuring a father and son talking—and frequently arguing—about Major League Baseball, baseball history and the players who belong in Cooperstown.

The 2026 Mets have been a mess—but are they actually better positioned for 2027 than their record suggests?

Mark and Gordon, two Mets fans who have suffered through the season firsthand, look at what went wrong, why a brutal 12-game losing streak essentially destroyed the season, and why the emergence of young players may give Mets fans legitimate reasons for optimism next year.

Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing could be part of a young outfield alongside Juan Soto. Nolan McLean and Christian Scott are emerging as potential rotation anchors. Kodai Senga may have found a new role in the bullpen. And despite plenty of questionable decisions, the Mets may finally be developing enough young talent that free-agent signings can become luxuries rather than necessities.

Before getting to the Mets, there’s plenty happening around baseball.

The American League wild-card race has become a dogfight, with Toronto making an unexpected charge and several teams packed together in the standings. Cal Raleigh’s dramatic offensive decline is hurting Seattle, while the entire AL West continues to struggle.

We also remember Tommy John, who passed away this week. John finished with 288 career wins—the most ever by a pitcher outside the Hall of Fame other than Roger Clemens—and his death immediately renews the debate over whether Cooperstown has waited far too long.

There’s also a remarkable MLB debut: Cardinals rookie Joshua Baez homered on the first pitch he saw, then homered again—and again—becoming the first player in Major League history to hit three home runs in his first game.

Plus: Paul Skenes’ declining fastball velocity, what 100-mph pitching may be doing to starting pitchers, the sale of the Dodgers, the competitive advantages created by baseball’s revenue structure, Hunter Greene’s injury, and whether Cincinnati should rethink its direction.

It’s another week where today’s baseball collides with history, statistics and plenty of opinion on Almost Cooperstown.

Almost Cooperstown is a weekly baseball podcast featuring thoughtful conversations about the Baseball Hall of Fame, baseball history, current MLB topics, player comparisons, statistics and the stories that connect today's game with its rich history.

Thanks again to Mercury Maid for the Intro & Outro music.

Visit AlmostCooperstown.com for original baseball articles, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and follow Almost Cooperstown on YouTube.

With roughly 40 games remaining in the 2026 MLB regular season, the postseason picture is beginning to take shape—but there’s still plenty of time for everything to change.

The Boston Red Sox have come roaring back into the American League race after a remarkable stretch of winning baseball. Would you rather be a Red Sox fan right now—or a Dodgers fan? Los Angeles has suddenly hit a rough patch, but is this really cause for concern, or is a veteran championship team simply waiting for October?

We look around baseball at the contenders, pretenders and teams hanging onto the edges of the playoff race. The Rays continue to prove us wrong, the Yankees are waiting for reinforcements, and with only about a quarter of the season remaining, one terrible week could effectively end a team's postseason hopes.

We also discuss Yankees prospect George Lombard Jr. and the pressure that comes with playing shortstop in New York; the remarkable extra-inning Red Sox-White Sox game that produced scoring in five consecutive innings; and why games like that make a pretty good argument for MLB's regular-season extra-inning rule.

Then there's Tommy John. With news about John's health prompting renewed discussion of his Hall of Fame candidacy, we debate a fascinating question: Is his 288-win, 26-year pitching career worthy of Cooperstown on its own—or are people inevitably giving him extra credit because the revolutionary surgery bears his name?

Plus, Jacob Wilson sets a Major League record for consecutive errorless games by a shortstop, Matt Olson reaches 900 consecutive games played, and we consider whether Cal Ripken Jr.'s 2,632-game streak may be the most unbreakable record in baseball.

Finally, there's actually a reason for optimism about MLB's looming labor confrontation. Every owner lockout in MLB history has ended before costing baseball a regular-season game. Could history—and the enormous amount of money now at stake—make a 2027 work stoppage less likely than many fans fear?

We finish with Craig Kimbrel joining his 12th MLB franchise and a Chicago Cubs defense that isn't merely good—it has a chance to rank among the best defensive teams we've ever seen.

It's another week of baseball history colliding with the game we're watching right now on Almost Cooperstown.

Almost Cooperstown is a weekly baseball podcast featuring thoughtful conversations about the Baseball Hall of Fame, baseball history, current MLB topics, player comparisons, statistics and the stories that connect today's game with its rich history.

Thanks again to Mercury Maid for the Intro & Outro music.

Visit AlmostCooperstown.com for original baseball articles, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and follow Almost Cooperstown on YouTube.