Projecting When Non-Playoff Teams From 2024 Will Reach MLB Postseason Again

Even with the expanded format now sending six teams from each league to the MLB playoffs, there were still 18 clubs left on the outside looking in when the postseason began.

Each of those teams is facing a different set of obstacles in breaking through to join that group of World Series contenders, from waiting on the development of young talent to spending money the right way in free agency to wheeling and dealing on the trade market as needed.

With that in mind, we've taken a closer look at the 18 teams that failed to clinch a postseason berth this year and given our best guess as to when they will reach the playoffs again.

Current roster strength, prospect outlook and financial flexibility all factored into predicting how quickly each team could right the ship.

2024 Playoff Teams: Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees Boston Red Sox: 2026 The Red Sox could soon boast a lineup capable of carrying a lackluster pitching staff to the postseason, with top prospects Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Kyle Teel poised to join an offense that already includes Rafael Devers, Triston Casas, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and Masataka Yoshida.

They still need to do better than Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello and Kutter Crawford as the headliners in the starting rotation, but they have the financial flexibility to bolster the staff as needed.

Tampa Bay Rays: 2027 The 2024 season snapped a streak of five straight playoff appearances for the Rays, and with the way they set to work dismantling the roster at the trade deadline, they might be headed for a retooling period.

They are the gold standard when it comes to maximizing a small payroll and finding diamond-in-the-rough contributors.

They also have a deep farm system and a willingness to give young players a chance to prove themselves, so they could turn it around faster than expected if a few things break right.

Toronto Blue Jays: 2028 It feels like the Blue Jays' window slammed shut in 2024, and while they stopped short of blowing up the roster at the trade deadline, big decisions are looming with Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

and Bo Bichette both ticketed for free agency after the 2025 season.

High-priced veterans George Springer and Kevin Gausman are also free agents after the 2026 season, so the 2026-27 offseason could be when they decide to dive back into the deep end of free agency.

For now, though, it looks like a few years of retooling the roster await in an always competitive AL East.

2024 Playoff Teams: Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals Chicago White Sox: 2030 The White Sox need a full-scale, ground-up rebuild, and that means trading away Luis Robert Jr., Garrett Crochet, Andrew Vaughn and anyone else who carries any value on the heels of one of the worst seasons in the history of the sport.

They have some nice pieces to build around on the farm, including left-handers Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith, and shortstop Colson Montgomery, and they have carried a modest payroll in the past when they were competitive.

It's going to take some time to get back to that point, though.

Minnesota Twins: 2025 After going 12-27 over their final 39 games to miss the playoffs, the Twins fired general manager Thad Levine, but they kept manager Rocco Baldelli and seem more likely to push for contention again in 2025 than to take a step backward.

With some better health from their offensive core and a veteran starting pitcher to fill the still clear void Sonny Gray left behind when he departed last winter, they could be right back in the postseason next October.

2024 Playoff Team: Houston Astros Los Angeles Angels: 2031 The Angels couldn't make the playoffs with two generational talents in the prime of their career, so it's hard to find any reason to believe their fate is going to change in the near future.

They do have some nice young pieces to build around in Zach Neto, Logan O'Hoppe and Nolan Schanuel offensively, but they are still a long way from contention.

Mike Trout is under contract through 2030.

How brutal would that be if their next playoff appearance was the year after he retired? Oakland Athletics: 2028 The current plan is for the Athletics to officially make the move to Las Vegas in 2028, so this prediction comes with the assumption that ownership will want to put a contending team on the field for the unveiling.

Brent Rooker, Lawrence Butler, JJ Bleday and Zack Gelof formed a sneaky-good offensive core this year, and they quietly added an impressive 19 wins to their total relative to the 2023 season.

Expect this group to be pesky the next few years before finally breaking through in their Vegas debut.

Seattle Mariners: 2025 The Mariners lead the majors with a 3.38 ERA from their starting rotation this season, and all five members of the staff will return with Luis Castillo signed through 2027, Logan Gilbert and George Kirby both arbitration-eligible and Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo still pre-arbitration.

A full season of Randy Arozarena will be a nice boost for the offense, but it's now abundantly clear that they need another middle-of-the-order run producer to have enough firepower to contend.

Here's predicting that Jerry Dipoto gets it done.

Texas Rangers: 2026 The World Series hangover was a very real thing for the Rangers, as they finished 78-84 a year after hoisting the trophy.

A lack of consistency from the starting rotation was the biggest issue, and with Max Scherzer, Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney all poised to depart in free agency, it remains a question mark.

For the first time in a long time, they have some exciting young arms down on the farm, led by Kumar Rocker who looks the part of a future ace.

By the 2026 season, they should be able to strike the right balance of veteran additions and up-and-coming in-house talent.

2024 Playoff Teams: Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies Miami Marlins: 2030 It's almost impossible to believe the Marlins were a playoff team in 2023 following a season in which they lost 100 games and spent the summer dismantling the roster.

With Jazz Chisholm Jr., Luis Arraez and Bryan De La Cruz all traded, the offense might be the worst in baseball, and the farm system isn't exactly overflowing with position-player talent.

Unless they suddenly decide to start spending beyond their usual levels, it's going to be a long time before they can put together a good enough roster to climb out of the NL East cellar.

Washington Nationals: 2027 The Nationals' season looked better before they went 3-10 in their final 13 games, but it was still a successful year of building up the roster with in-house talent and assessing some of their up-and-coming players.

James Wood, Dylan Crews, CJ Abrams, Keibert Ruiz, Luis Garcia Jr.

and Jacob Young are the start of a solid core of position players, but they still have a long way to go on the pitching side of things.

They are trending in the right direction, but they are still likely at least a few years away from taking the next step forward.

2024 Playoff Team: Milwaukee Brewers Chicago Cubs: 2026 The Cubs struggled to find anything resembling consistency in 2024, looking like clear contenders for stretches and obvious also-rans in between, and the end result was an 83-79 record and a seat on the couch for the postseason.

The offense is lacking in star power, especially after Cody Bellinger took a step backward from his resurgent 2023 campaign, while the starting rotation needs at least one more quality arm and the bullpen might be a complete teardown and rebuild.

They have plenty of talent, but it doesn't add up to a playoff contender at the moment.

Cincinnati Reds: 2025 The Reds check a lot of boxes to be the team that makes a push up the standings in 2025, with some exciting young offensive pieces, a sneaky-good rotation when everyone is healthy and more young talent rising the ranks in the minors.

The question, as usual, will be how aggressively the front office is willing to spend this offseason.

If the Reds can add a middle-of-the-order bat, a mid-level veteran starter and a couple bullpen pieces, they could push for the division title, especially if their young hitters continue to improve.

Pittsburgh Pirates: 2026 With the dynamic young trio of Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller and Jared Jones set to anchor the starting rotation for the foreseeable future, the Pirates have a nice head start toward building a contending team.

They need more than Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz offensively, and given their spending limitations, it will fall to former top prospects such as Nick Gonzales, Henry Davis, Endy Rodriguez and others to at least partially solve that problem.

They had a winning record into August (56-55 on Aug.

4), and the arrow is pointing up in Pittsburgh heading into 2025.

St.

Louis Cardinals: 2027 With president of baseball operations John Mozeliak set to step down following the 2025 season, there is a changing of the guard coming in the St.

Louis front office.

Likewise, the roster's two biggest stars, Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, have seemingly reached the tipping point on their respective primes, and the former could depart in free agency this winter.

There is a lot of intriguing young talent on the roster, but it's a group that feels far from complete, and the stalled development of guys like Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman was a major blow to their long-term outlook.

It's generally unwise to count the Cardinals out for any extended period of time, but a larger retooling than usual seems necessary.

2024 Playoff Teams: Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres Arizona Diamondbacks: 2025 The D-backs missed out on the final NL wild-card spot by way of losing a three-way tie-breaker with the Braves and Mets, so they could not have been any closer to this year's postseason field without actually making it.

They won 89 games with a starting rotation that was in flux for much of the year and an offense that didn't round into form until the second half of the season.

They have a big decision to make on first baseman Christian Walker in free agency and could probably use a high-leverage reliever, but this team looks ready for another playoff push in 2025.

Colorado Rockies: 2050 Is there a more directionless team in major professional sports than the Rockies? From signing Kris Bryant to a seven-year, $182 million deal that made zero sense from the moment he put pen to paper, to trading Nolan Arenado for pennies on the dollar a year after signing him to a long-term extension, to completely ignoring the fact that Trevor Story was set to reach free agency when he looked like an obvious trade candidate, it's one clueless misadventure after another for a front office that truly does not care about wins and losses.

2030? 2040? 2050? As long as the Monforts own the team, the Rockies will be sitting at home in October.

San Francisco Giants: 2027 The Farhan Zaidi era is officially over, and with it a forgettable stretch of baseball for the Giants.

His tenure will be best remembered for the free-agency moves that almost were, and finding a way to convince top-tier free-agency talent to sign on the dotted line will be the biggest hurdle for Buster Posey and the new-look front office.

They have some nice pieces to build around, including Logan Webb, Matt Chapman, Heliot Ramos, Tyler Fitzgerald and Kyle Harrison, but the farm system is extremely thin beyond Bryce Eldridge and rebuilding from the ground up will be important in finding sustainable success..

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