The Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners, and Chicago Cubs were MLB teams sent packing before the postseason began.
Even with an expanded playoff field, 18 MLB teams do not make the cut each season. This end of season report will look back on four teams who were in the running, but failed to do enough. The Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins both forgot the season ends in September, not August. The Seattle Mariners offense never showed up this year, much to the chagrin of their outstanding pitching staff. Lastly, the Chicago Cubs poached the manager from their division rival Milwaukee Brewers to then watch the Brewers go into the playoffs as they went home to golf.
MLB’s “It’s Deja Vu All Over Again” Season
Boston Red Sox Record: 81-81
Is it cruel to use a Yogi Berra quote to describe the Red Sox season? Yes, but it’s also cruel to stop investing in a team. Sox nation can’t get hurt anymore than it already has been. Here’s what I said about the Red Sox before the season. If I had written about the 2023 season, it would sound the same as for this season.
Some bright spots were the emergence of OF Jarren Duran as an All-Star who led MLB in doubles and triples. Fellow outfielders Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela both showed promise as well. Thanks to these three, the Boston outfield was a plus defensively. Unfortunately, the same could not said of the infield, which is why Boston had 115 errors, second most in MLB. 3B Rafael Devers was the only consistent presence on the infield this year, but defensively he was as much a part of the problem as the revolving doors at shortstop and second base.
The pitching staff showed improvements as well. SPs Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, and Brayan Bello all demonstrated reliable if not remarkable abilities. Allowing the three to be the back end of the rotation will allow them to fit expectations better than trying to force them to be the top end of the rotation. Andrew Bailey’s spin rate philosophy wore off more each month, demonstrated by the team’s ERA rising every month of the season. He will have to come up with a more diversified plan of attack if the Sox are going to be competitive next season. Of course, that also depends on spending money this offseason, a major if to write about another.
Twin Cities, Fraternal Twin Seasons
Minnesota Twins Record: 82-80
Winter cam early this year in Minnesota. A Twins team that was the hottest in baseball went stone cold in mid-August. After going 70-53 to start, the Twins limped to October with a 12-27 record to end the season. The greatness was because of the offense having the seventh most runs (600) and eighth most homers (152) while hitting .252 as a team. After August 18, the team hit .223 (23rd in MLB) with 31 home runs (28th) and 142 runs (25th). Injuries to key contributors like SS Carlos Correa and 3B Royce Lewis played a role. The weight of an entire season wore down many of the younger contributors as well.
I wrote about the Twins during Spring Training. I thought they would be a playoff team. Clearly, I underestimated how good the rest of the AL Central would be, especially in the case of the Chicago White Sox. Alas, the Twins do have pieces to build upon. If Lewis and OF Byron Buxton stay healthy, they will have a potent offense in 2025. The rotation has risings stars in SP Simeon Woods Richardson and SP David Festa.
Couldn’t Hit Water if They Fell Out of a Boat
Seattle Mariners Record: 85-77
The Seattle Mariners finished one game behind the Detroit Tigers for the last Wild Card spot. The Mariners’ pitching staff was exceptional. The hitting was also exceptional. One was exceptionally good, the other exceptionally bad. The Mariners and Atlanta Braves tied for the best team ERA in MLB (3.49). The Mariners starters were the best in MLB in ERA (3.38), innings, and walks (185). One weak spot is their starters gave up 122 home runs, seventh most in MLB. How can a team with such great pitchers miss the playoffs when pitching and defense wins championships?
When you hit .224 as a team, that is how. The only team to hit worse this year was the 41-win White Sox. Seattle’s low average combined with a twenty-fifth ranked slugging (.376) was a formula for failure. For every great start by SP Bryce Miller or SP Logan Gilbert there was a no show by the likes of C Cal Raleigh or SS JP Crawford at the plate. It must hurt watching OF Teoscar Hernandez torch the ball for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
At Least They Weren’t the White Sox
Chicago Cubs Record: 83-79
Cubs manager Craig Counsell became the highest bench boss in MLB this season. It bought them the exact same record as last year. At least one offseason signing did work out for the Cubs. SP Shota Imanaga proved worth the investment, finishing the season with a 15-3 record in 29 starts. More importantly, he threw 173.1 innings with a 2.91 ERA. His four-year, $53 million deal was steal compared to the deal SP Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed in the offseason.
The Cubs finished the season tenth in MLB in ERA (3.78) and seventeenth in team average (.242). In other words, the team was average in both aspects of baseball. Average play leads to an average record. The Cubs made the playoffs in 2020, but that was not a real season. The last time the Cubs actually made the playoffs was 2018. The Cubs will need wiser counsel in the future from Counsell to dethrone the Brewers at the top of the NL Central.
Featured Articles
Featured Writers
