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MLB End of Season Report: The Meh Teams

Oneil Cruz slides into home plate for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

As the end of season report comes in, these four MLB teams weren’t cellar dwellers, but they weren’t the cream of the crop, either.

We’re now deep in the postseason stretch of the 2024 MLB campaign. And while mediocrity is not exactly the best finish in the world, there could be worse outcomes. As the end of season report comes in, these four teams weren’t the worst of the worst, but they weren’t the best of the best, either.

These four teams either finished in fourth place or worse in their division. So, who is among the meh of the bunch?

Toronto Blue Jays (74-88)

At the bottom of this year’s AL East barrel lies the Toronto Blue Jays. The team finished with only 74 wins this year, a 15-victory drop off and a far cry from being a Wild Card contender. Plus, the Jays season ended with quite a whimper, as they only could tally seven wins in 24 tries in September. And as of now, there are some major questions starting to develop north of the border. How will they handle the contracts of stars 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and SS Bo Bichette? How can they get a guy in free agency to bolster their power hitting? Toronto only hit 156 home runs in 2024, 26th in MLB.

Another question mark is who will fit in the back end of the starting rotation. The Jays have a solid 1-2-3 line in SPs Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman, and Chris Bassitt. But at four and five is where things get hairy. SP Bowden Francis emerged as a major surprise toward the back half of the season. He could very well be in the running for a spot in the starting rotation, but it was a rough rookie campaign for SP Yariel Rodriguez. (1-8, 21 starts, 4.47 ERA.)

Overall, the Blue Jays are in a bit of a rut. Sure, they will want to spend, but in a crowded AL East, it’s hard to see Toronto spreading its wings in 2025. And it’s a shame, as they probably will waste another big year from some of their big stars. Sorry, Canada.

Texas Rangers (78-84)

What happened with the Texas Rangers? This end of season recap is looking rather disappointing. After a World Series win in 2023, the team looked like they had a championship hangover this year. Texas finished third in the AL West. Now, for manager Bruce Bochy, it’s a trend. Winning a World Series one year, miss the playoffs the next year. I’m not sure if this is going to be a trend Rangers fans will like. One noticeable factor is that the offense took a major step backward. After finishing near the top of the AL rankings in multiple offensive statistics in 2023, Texas seriously regressed. Their team batting average dropped 28 points, on-base percentage down 32 points, and team slugging lost 72 points.

No one starter hit above .280. And after hitting 233 home runs in 2023, the Rangers only hit 176 home runs in 2024. And one of the players who majorly regressed was RF Adolis Garcia. After an incredible 2023 season, Garcia slumped his way through a good chunk of 2024. In this past season, Garcia was only able to manage a .224/.284/.400 slash line while seeing a drop in his power numbers. His OPS went down by 152 points (.836 to .684), and he hit 14 fewer home runs from 2023 to 2024 (39 in ’23, 25 in ’24). For most Rangers fans, those are numbers that they were not expecting to see from one of their big stars.

Now, the question is, will the Bochy trend continue into 2025? One big thing that must come into play is player health. The Rangers were bitten by the injury bug early and often. If they can find a way to overcome hurt athletes, then the trend will continue. But in a talented AL West, it will not be an easy feat by any stretch.

Washington Nationals (71-91)

One of the quieter teams in the 2024 MLB season was the Washington Nationals. Now, sure, coming into the season, they didn’t exactly have high expectations. But the memories of the franchise’s first World Series title back in 2019 are almost a distant memory at this point. Basically, the core of that team is long gone, and it’s hard to tell which directions the Nationals are going. Do they want to rebuild? Or do they want to compete?

One benefit for the rebuild is they have a couple of very intriguing young players. SS C.J. Abrams took a bit of a leap forward, earning his first career All-Star nod while also posting career highs in home runs (20), RBIs (65), and slash line (.246/.314/.433). Likewise, he also took a step forward in defensive metrics, posting a career-best .968 fielding percentage in 2024.

The Nationals also got to see two prospects make their MLB debuts in OFs James Wood and Dylan Crews. In 79 games, Wood posted a very respectable .264/.354/.427 slash line with nine bombs and 41 RBIs. He also managed to steal 14 bases, which could make him a very intriguing two-way offensive threat if he gets more seasoning in the Majors.

As for Crews, who was called up in August, he saw limited action, only playing in 31 contests. His slash line? A rather disappointing .218/.288/.353. But, again, in a limited sample size, it’s too early to tell the trajectory of his career. He does have a little more pressure to play better, however. He was the second overall choice in the 2023 MLB Draft.

So, once again, what is the plan for the Nationals? It’s a question that GM Mike Rizzo is going to have to ask himself when he starts preparing for the offseason. For now, however, it appears a not-so-bright future is on the horizon in the nation’s capital.

Pittsburgh Pirates (76-86)

The end of season report for the Pittsburgh Pirates almost looks like a carbon copy of 2023. Bottom-feeding offense, solid pitching. Eventually, something has to give here, right? Well… it’s tough to tell. The 76 wins were a duplicate from last year while they finished at the bottom of the NL Central. But to finish in last place with 76 wins shows that your division is one of the more fairly competitive ones in MLB. Not too many fans will be upset about that.

On offense, it seems like Pittsburgh has a solid foundation. They have a perennial 20-home run guy in OF Bryan Reynolds, while also touting one of the more exciting youngsters in OF Oneil Cruz. While the second half was a bust, the first half of the season showed that Pittsburgh is on the verge of becoming a tricky team to handle. With Reynolds and Cruz looking to help turn the corner, the offense needs to find some consistency.

Of course, the big man on campus making his debut in May was SP Paul Skenes. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick and likely front-runner for NL Rookie of The Year finished his first season with a very impressive 11-3 record and stunning 1.96 ERA. His lights-out stuff will make him one of the toughest pitchers to face in the future.

So, what will Pittsburgh do in the offseason? The intent should be to build around the young core. But how is the question. They need to find someone to play first base. But they need to also make themselves attractive to prospective free agents. Right, now… that’s a little daunting.

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Nate Powalie is a contributor for Back Sports Page. A 2022 graduate of Ashland University, Nate has five years of sports writing experience and has gotten the chance to call sporting events for radio and live stream. Nate also works as a cashier and can be found on Twitter (@PNate22) and Facebook (Nate Powalie).

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