We've arrived at the final week of the 2016 MLB regular season.
Baseball feels unimportant after the news early Sunday morning that Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez had died in a boating accident, but the pennant push continues on.
The Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers have all clinched their respective divisions on the National League side, leaving a three-team race between the New York Mets, San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals for two wild-card spots.
On the American League side, the Texas Rangers have clinched the AL West, and the Boston Red Sox have clinched a playoff spot, while the Cleveland Indians' magic numbers sits at one to claim the AL Central crown.
That leaves the Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers as the leaders in the wild-card standings, with the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros not out of the running either.
Meanwhile, non-contenders are taking a long look at some of their young talent while trying to play the role of spoiler, and the Atlanta Braves remain one of the better stories of the second half as they continue to play well.
At any rate, there was a good deal of shuffling in this week's rankings (like always) as we head down the homestretch.
One thing remains true: These rankings are a fluid process as teams move up or down based on where they ranked the previous week. If a club keeps winning, it will keep climbing—it's as simple as that.
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