CAN THE YANKEES BLOCK THE O'S FROM CONTENTION?

Waiver Wednesday is upon us folks as MLB teams get to increase their rosters to 40.  And with that the answer to today's headline is undoubtedly yes.  According to ESPN's Buster Olney the Yankees, "have been aggressive on the waiver wire."  And with this aggression and place in the standings, they may just keep the Orioles from picking up who they need to thrust themselves into this year's post season.

"The Yankees—who are lower in the standings—have priority on waiver claims. That means that any player put on waivers—including revocable ones—must first pass through every team lower in the standings than the Orioles in order for the Orioles to be able to work out a deal," writes SB Nation.  I guess the Orioles could pick up Brian McCann, who the Yankees put on waivers earlier this month, but the Yankees could play spoilers to all the other picks.

The other way the Yankees have hurt the Orioles chances for the playoffs is their performance this weekend in the Bronx against the birds. "The weekend’s run-scoring orgy, while statistically impressive and a boost to the lineup’s confidence, nevertheless came at the expense of a terrible Orioles’ staff. They’re 13th in the American League in ERA since the All-Star break, unable to correct a flaw that just might keep them out of the playoffs," reports The Record.  

And now the Birds play first place Toronto Blue Jays coming off a losing series with the left for dead Yankees who have risen at the hand of what John Sterling is calling "The Sanchize."  "In less than a month, Yankees rookie catcher Gary Sanchez has taken over the baseball universe, getting off to one of the hottest starts in MLB history and re-energizing a fan base without much to cheer about recently. A Sanch-sation? Oh, you better believe it," writes Newsday's Laura Albanese.  

So not only have the Yankees shown a resurgence in August, they could also keep their AL East rivals from Baltimore at bay.  As NJ.com reports, "...if Baltimore wants to work out a deal—something they've been known to do around this time in recent years—the Yankees are going to have something to say about it." 

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Senior Staff Writer
BYB Hot Stove Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof