The Orioles, Angels and Nationals have run away with their divisions, with double digit leads going into the final stretch of the season.
The Angels have had a big comeback year. But the story is that the A's went "all in" and got crushed by a surging Angels team. Oakland revamped 3/5ths of their starting rotation at the trade deadline as a means to spark the bullpen since the offense was putting up huge run differentials. But the Angels quickly closed the gap in the summer.
The Nationals pulled away from the Braves, who did not make any significant changes during the season. As with any team, some high profile players failed to meet expectations.
The one team that was supposed to run away with their division was Detroit. The Tigers both spent on talent and traded for an ace, David Price, to sew up the AL Central. But the pesky Royals are still in reach of the lead.
It is interesting to note that the breakdown of small market vs. big market teams is pretty even. The Orioles, A's and Royals are clearly not the big spenders compared to the Tigers, Angels and Nationals. But the small market teams clearly have been just as competitive for most of the season.
It gives other small market teams pause to hope, as well as big market teams pause to spend less going forward.
