If the season ended today, the Orioles would be a playoff team.
Yeah, you read that right. This weekend, Baltimore swept the Rays, the preseason darling of the abbreviated season, to pull into second place in the AL East. That would be good enough in 2020, when for the first time ever eight teams from each league, including the top two teams in each division, qualify for the postseason.
The purpose of the expanded postseason was to make pennant races more competitive. More playoff spots available means teams that otherwise would be rebuilding might play for the current season, too.