The Tampa Bay Rays, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, and Arizona Diamondbacks all came up short in MLB in 2024.
Sometimes things don’t work out for MLB teams. Not working out and underwhelming are the haunting truths that plagued this quartet of teams in 2024. The Rays, Giants, and Cardinals were eliminated by late September. The D-Backs remained alive until the very last out of the season was recorded. Let’s take a look at what held these teams back.
Tampa Bay Rays, 80-82
Rays Reset
In typical Tampa fashion, the Rays began to trade players who began making “too much” for them before the season even began. Notable SP Tyler Glasnow was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers along with OF Manuel Margot. Tampa netted two controllable players in SP Ryan Pepiot and OF Jonny DeLuca.
The Rays could not get going early in the year and when the trade deadline came around, they remained near .500 team. They were active sellers at the deadline as they dealt with an eye towards 2025 and beyond. Rays standouts 3B Isaac Paredes and OF Randy Arozarena found themselves on new MLB teams. SPs Zach Eflin and Aaron Civale were also shipped off. When it was all said and done, the Rays suffered their first losing season in seven years. The trouble in 2024 was on the offensive side, as they only ranked ahead of the historically bad Chicago White Sox in runs scored. The Rays offense scored a total of 604 runs and averaged 3.7 per game.
The continued development of Pepiot in the majors was a good story. The Dodgers are no slouches in developing pitchers, but the Rays along with the Guardians develop hurlers like no one else. In the 26 starts he made, Pepiot logged 130 innings. He held an 8-8 record, a 3.95 FIP, and a 26.3 K%. SP Drew Rasmussen returned in late 2024, and Tampa also expects SP Shane McClanahan back next year. Look for Tampa to add offensive help as the pitching staff will be a significant strength in 2025.
San Francisco Giants, 80-82
2021 Remains an Outlier
The Giants had an offseason that garnered lots of intrigue around the majors and excitement within the fanbase. OF Jung Hoo Lee, 3B Matt Chapman, SP Blake Snell, OF Jorge Soler, and SP Jordan Hicks were all newcomers. You can tell why folks around baseball were excited for the Giants in 2024, right? When September ended, Bob Melvin’s club found themselves in 4th place with plenty of vacation time in October.
OF Heliot Ramos and SS Tyler Fitzgerald had solid breakout campaigns. SP Logan Webb was his typical workhorse self, and RP Ryan Walker was a force in the bullpen. Snell got off to a slow start, but he hit his dominant stride in July and didn’t look back. “Snellzilla” also no-hit the Cincinnati Reds in early August. But the staff as a whole was 22nd in batting average against, 19th in ERA, and were tied for 14th in runs allowed. Even with Chapman having a 7.1 WAR season, the Giant offense was middle of the pack in the major categories being runs scored, slugging percentage, and OPS. When you’re mid on both sides of the ball in MLB, it’s difficult to punch a ticket into October.
2024 was a dud for all involved in San Francisco. President of Baseball Ops Farhan Zaidi was dismissed, and the beloved Buster Posey is stepping in. Posey will be seeking World Series glory from a different role this time around. He is the epitome of a winner on the diamond, but will he be one in the front office? After missing out on superstars last winter, expect them to be in on the big-ticket free agents this offseason.
St. Louis Cardinals, 83-79
The Redbirds are Losing Their Way
The Cards had some bright spots this year, but the team was not up to par. Rookie SS Masyn Winn looked like a foundational piece up the middle this year and CP Ryan Helsley led the majors in saves with 49 while holding a 29.7 K%. A team that finished the first half with a record of 50-46 played .500 baseball the rest of the way. The St. Louis offense reflected their middling record. They were 22nd in runs scored, 19th in slugging, and 16th in OPS. Aside from being a top five defensive team based on fielding percentage, the Redbirds didn’t excel in other areas. The pitching staff ranked 17th in terms of ERA.
Much like San Francisco, St. Louis is at a crossroads and significant changes are on the horizon. Per CEO Bill Dewitt Jr., current advisor Chaim Bloom will take over President of Baseball Ops duties after the 2025 season. Long time exec John Mozeliak will be stepping away. Plus, St. Louis and 1B Paul Goldschmidt will not be reuniting after he hits free agency this winter. It is going to be an interesting offseason in St. Louis if they begin to reset with an eye on 2026.
Arizona Diamondbacks, 89-73
The Berth That Got Away
The D-Backs won more ball games than in 2023 when they won the pennant. The defending NL champs wanted to finish the job this time around, but instead failed to make the playoffs. Their fate rested on the New York Mets or Atlanta Braves sweeping each other, but those teams split their last two games instead. Dropping five out of their last seven games cost the Diamondbacks their Wild Card berth.
The acquisitions of 3B Eugenio Suarez, OF Joc Pederson, OF Randal Grichuk, and the return of OF Lourdes Gurriel helped the D-Backs proclaim themselves as the best offense in MLB in 2024. They lead the majors in runs scored (886) and batting average (.263).
Arizona notably added SP Eduardo Rodriguez and SP Jordan Montgomery. Rodriguez missed time due to injury and when he was healthy, he wasn’t good. Montgomery turned in his worst season in MLB and was demoted to the bullpen due to poor performance. The Arizona bullpen ranked twenty-fifth in ERA (4.41) and the rotation came in at twenty-seventh in ERA (4.79). Their woes on the mound significantly held them back. Pitching coach Brent Strom and his assistants paid the price when they were fired. Arizona will need to bolster their pitching staff while trying to retain the important bats of Suarez, Pederson, and 1B Christian Walker. Their competitive window remains open.
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