At the deadline, I scoffed at the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays being such aggressive buyers, since, when the deadline hit, the Yankees were 3.5 games back of Oakland for the second Wild Card spot, 7 games back of the Rays for the first Wild Card spot, and 9.5 games back of Boston for first place in the American League East, while the Jays were a game behind the Yankees. These teams had no chance at catching up with Boston or Tampa, so they were both essentially fighting what was likely a losing battle to catch Oakland for the WC2 spot.
BoSox/Yanks Wild Card Game Poll
