The biggest success -- and biggest disappointment -- for all 30 MLB teams this season

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  Bradford DoolittleSep 15, 2026, 07:00 AM ET

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  • MLB writer and analyst for ESPN.com
  • Former NBA writer and analyst for ESPN.com
  • Been with ESPN since 2013

Just like that, here we are with the playoff season bearing down on us. As we look forward to October, that most eventful of baseball months, we can start to put a bow on the regular season.

While it isn't quite over yet, we can identify things about each team that have gone well this season, and others that have not. We do this exercise every year, and it is a good chance to look for the successes and disappointments left behind in the wake of each team's campaign, as viewed through the prism of the expectations, hopes and forecasts we had back in late March.

Let's get to it.

1. Milwaukee Brewers

Win average: 99.9 (Last Stock Watch: 98.7, 1st)
In the playoffs: 100.0% (Last: 100.0%)
Champions: 21.6% (Last: 18.6%)

Biggest success: Forget, if you can, about Jacob Misiorowski's blazing velocity readings that have garnered so many headlines. The Miz blossomed into a full-service ace in his second big league season, emerging as an NL Cy Young front-runner. His average game score (66.7, per Baseball Reference) is nearly three points better than any other starter's, and his K-BB% (31.7%, per FanGraphs) is the best of any qualifying pitcher in five years. All this happened in the aftermath of Milwaukee's previous staff ace, Freddy Peralta, departing in free agency.

Biggest disappointment: There is not much to choose from, but since we don't want to leave any section blank, I'll go with second-half Kyle Harrison. Harrison once looked like a Cy Young contender himself, going 8-2 with a 3.01 ERA during the first half. His post-break ERA has ballooned to 7.00 over six starts plus a disastrous relief outing over the weekend in which he failed to retire any of the four Reds batters he faced. All went on to score. The relief stint was meant to build back Harrison's confidence, so it's safe to say that remains a work in progress. Harrison's struggles leave the Brewers without an obvious Game 3 playoff starter behind Misiorowski and Logan Henderson.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers

Win average: 98.3 (Last: 97.1, 2nd)
In the playoffs: 100.0% (Last: 99.9%)
Champions: 19.6% (Last: 13.8%)

Biggest success: Shohei Ohtani's second-half narrative has been dominated by injuries. Freddie Freeman has his worst OPS+ in 14 years. Mookie Betts is putting up more or less exactly the same numbers as in his down 2025 season at the plate. Kyle Tucker has flopped. All of this has made Andy Pages' best-yet season particularly well-timed. After last fall's brutal postseason slump, Pages responded by improving his approach without sacrificing any power or average while putting up Gold Glove-level defensive metrics in center field. A fractured hand in late August was an unwelcome detour for Pages' season, but if his recovery goes as planned, he should be positioned for a much better October this time around.

Biggest disappointment: The Dodgers' splash signings of Tucker and Edwin Diaz in last season's free agency were the cause of much handwringing about L.A.'s economic dominance. While those high-level, targeted acquisitions looked like no-brainers at the time, the first year of both deals could hardly have gone worse. Together, Tucker and Diaz are at minus-1.0 bWAR for their Dodgers debuts while earning a combined $47 million. Ouch.

3. Tampa Bay Rays

Win average: 97.1 (Last: 94.9, 4th)
In the playoffs: 100.0% (Last: 99.9%)
Champions: 16.4% (Last: 13.0%)

Biggest success: As ever with the Rays, it's hard to pinpoint one thing that has driven their return to baseball's elite tier. They've just kind of gone back to being the Rays we got used to seeing from 2018 to 2023. That means dominating in subtle ways. On offense, the Rays' speed-and-power combination that is the foundation of their attack was bolstered by an improvement from 22nd to first in team strikeout rate. On the run prevention side, an MLB-best walk rate was supported by the game's best rate of outs on balls in play. The end result? A return to the playoffs.

Biggest disappointment: The Rays have been so well balanced in every area of the roster and have gotten positive contributions from so many players that you have to get nitpicky here. I'll go with the hitting of Cedric Mullins, whose 70 OPS+ over enough plate appearances that he's likely to qualify for the batting title has been a real lineup hole. As good as Mullins has been in the past, he hasn't hit this season at home or on the road, against lefties or righties, in the first half or the second half. To his credit, Mullins has played solid defense, but beyond that, his first Tampa Bay season has been rough.

4. Atlanta Braves

Win average: 94.7 (Last: 96.6, 3rd)
In the playoffs: 100.0% (Last: 99.9%)
Champions: 6.6% (Last: 15.6%)

Biggest success: Ten years after a rough four-year stretch as manager of the Rockies, Walt Weiss has provided a steady hand after taking over the reins of one of baseball's most stable franchises, replacing stalwart Brian Snitker. The Braves' run back to the postseason hasn't been without obstacles. Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley have all fallen short of their peak forms. The starting rotation beyond Chris Sale has been riddled with injuries. Through it all, the Braves have remained entrenched in first place in the NL East since the first week of April.

Biggest disappointment: Injuries have once again beset Acuna, whose prime seasons are starting to run short. Acuna still flashes the brilliance that made him a superstar, but this season he has lacked both durability and consistency. Now, you look at his career record and you see two full seasons out of nine. Those healthy seasons were MVP-worthy and he actually won the award in 2023. But beyond those campaigns, Acuna's career is starting to become one of what might have been. Let's hope that trend doesn't continue.

5. New York Yankees

Win average: 93.4 (Last: 90.8, 6th)
In the playoffs: 100.0% (Last: 98.5%)
Champions: 11.4% (Last: 7.6%)

Biggest success: We've seen a number of previously unknown young pitchers emerge as postseason sensations, as Cam Schlittler did last season for the Yankees, then fail to capitalize on the stir they created with career-long dominance. That dynamic does not remotely describe Schlittler, at least so far, as he has followed up his late-2025 breakout with one of the most dominant pitching seasons in Yankees history. He has a chance to become the first qualifying Yankees starter with a sub-2.00 ERA since Ron Guidry in 1978. Like Guidry in that magical season, Schlittler's stunning success should land him the AL Cy Young Award.

Biggest disappointment: Coming off a five-season run in which Aaron Judge averaged 50 homers, 144 games played and 8.4 bWAR, the old injury bug returned to kneecap Judge's 2026 season. The Yankees are still returning to the playoffs, and Judge will be there to help their quest for the World Series, but his run of historic campaigns is over. Judge can clearly bounce back with an epic 2027, but this is his age-34 season and we can't take that for granted. Baseball needs all the full-blown Aaron Judge seasons it can get.

6. Chicago Cubs

Win average: 89.4 (Last: 92.2, 5th)
In the playoffs: 98.3% (Last: 97.7%)
Champions: 4.2% (Last: 7.1%)

Biggest success: When a player becomes a set of initials, you know he has reached rarefied air. That's exactly what Pete Crow-Armstrong has done with one of the best seasons in Cubs history, one that will land him his first NL MVP award. Simply put, PCA has been one of baseball's best offensive players in 2026, if not the best, and he has been even better on defense. And he does it all with flair and a knack for exploding in key moments.

Biggest disappointment: Injuries and a general lack of consistency have undermined a starting rotation that looked good on paper when spring training began. The only starter to put in a full complement of starts has been Shota Imanaga, and although he has been OK, he leads the NL in homers allowed. Edward Cabrera has been a flop during his brief stretches of good health. Matthew Boyd is solid but lacks dominance and missed a number of starts because of a knee injury. Clay Holmes has helped after arriving at the trade deadline, but Kevin Gausman has struggled. Justin Steele and Cade Horton have missed the entire season. And so on. It's been a rough year for the Chicago rotation.

7. Philadelphia Phillies

Win average: 89.2 (Last: 85.6, 9th)
In the playoffs: 97.4% (Last: 65.0%)
Champions: 2.9% (Last: 1.8%)

Biggest success: The skeleton of a dominating postseason pitching structure is in place for the Phillies, thanks to the game's best rotation trio and a top-end closer in Jhoan Duran. The rotation component is made up of Cristopher Sanchez, Jesus Luzardo and Zack Wheeler. While none of them was anonymous when the season began, their combined brilliance wasn't a given. Sanchez had repeated as a Cy Young candidate, but Luzardo's career has been marked by ups and downs, and Wheeler was coming off major surgery. Together, this quartet makes the Phillies a club no one should want to face in October.

Biggest disappointment: Despite lineup anchors Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper continuing to shine, the Phillies' offense has been not only mediocre but also markedly worse than 2025. The team OBP rank has plummeted from fourth to 24th and the slugging has slipped from fourth to 17th. Schwarber and Harper are the only two regulars with an OPS+ over 100, and the other seven aren't really close. What's this going to look like against playoff pitching?

8. Boston Red Sox

Win average: 88.2 (Last: 90.3, 7th)
In the playoffs: 100.0% (Last: 97.8%)
Champions: 4.7% (Last: 8.2%)

Biggest success: Citing Boston's historic turnaround is kind of nonspecific, but the miraculous nature of it can't be ignored. The Red Sox went from 32-46 and the AL East cellar to becoming a playoff shoo-in in less than two months. Since their June 24 nadir, the Red Sox rank third in runs and first in runs allowed. It hasn't been one thing -- it's been everything.

Biggest disappointment: The injury-marred season by cornerstone outfielder Roman Anthony contributed to Boston's slow start, especially as the more established Jarren Duran struggled and continues to do so. Anthony looked capable of making a run at MVP this season after his 140 OPS+ and 3.3 bWAR over just 71 games at age 21. But Anthony has not just been less available because of injury, he also hasn't been as good when he has played, posting a 103 OPS+ thus far.

9. San Diego Padres

Win average: 88.1 (Last: 83.3, 12th)
In the playoffs: 88.4% (Last: 35.2%)
Champions: 2.6% (Last: 0.6%)

Biggest success: The second-half offense. Since the All-Star break, the Padres rank fourth in runs and fourth in OPS. Fernando Tatis Jr, Jackson Merrill and Ty France all have OPS figures over .900 since the break. Tatis and Merrill have combined for 32 homers as San Diego has gone 34-20, not enough to run down the Dodgers but enough to reestablish the Padres as a playoff threat. This is good because in the first half ...

Biggest disappointment: The first-half offense. How could the same lineup, composed of the same core players, be so different from one half to the next? Before the break, San Diego ranked dead last in runs, OPS, average and OBP, while managing to climb to 29th in slugging. The contrast between halves is borderline bizarre. The key question going forward: Which version of the San Diego offense will we see in October?

10. Arizona Diamondbacks

Win average: 85.3 (Last: 85.8, 8th)
In the playoffs: 15.9% (Last: 65.3%)
Champions: 0.4% (Last: 1.5%)

Biggest success: In his fourth season as Arizona's primary catcher, Gabriel Moreno has never played more or played better. Already established as a top defensive backstop, Moreno has tacked additional power onto his elite bat-to-ball skills at the plate. He has a shot at finishing with an average over .300 -- a rarity these days -- and has a career-best 135 OPS+. His solid approach is now elite, with 55 walks against 75 strikeouts. A leader in the Arizona clubhouse, Moreno's 5.1 bWAR should result in some down-ballot MVP support.

Biggest disappointment: Arizona is still clinging to its playoff hopes, which grow dimmer with each victory by the red-hot Padres. If not for too many collapses by veterans, the Diamondbacks could be in the driver's seat. Injury-riddled Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (51 OPS+) was DFA'd over the weekend. After reaching .404 in batting average on May 1, Ildemaro Vargas has since hit .212. Former closer Paul Sewald is long gone. Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, Arizona's longtime rotation big two, have gone a combined 12-22 with a 5.47 ERA over 47 starts. If this group had even just retreated into mediocrity, the Diamondbacks would be in a far better place.

11. Chicago White Sox

Win average: 82.8 (Last: 83.8, 10th)
In the playoffs: 68.4% (Last: 58.7%)
Champions: 2.0% (Last: 2.1%)

Biggest success: No matter how their playoff push turns out, the 2026 season has been a big, honking success for the White Sox. The most exciting part of it has been the emergence of a group of young position players who should only get better from here. Chase Meidroth, Braden Montgomery, Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel and Sam Antonacci are all holding down key roles at age 24 or younger. This group has not just helped fuel Chicago's success, but it also has jelled along with other hitters such as Miguel Vargas, Munetaka Murakami and Tristan Peters to give the White Sox an identity. Before long, Caleb Bonemer and Roch Cholowsky should be up to join them. These are exciting times on the South Side.

Biggest disappointment: As successful as the White Sox have been so far in churning out rookie hitters ready to help, it remains to be seen if they can match them with similarly productive pitchers from their system. There has been some good news as Hagen Smith has been dazzling as a reliever and is a likely rotation option down the line. But the system has provided few answers for the right-now rotation, and that has left the White Sox scrambling to fill innings during their postseason pursuit.

12. Cleveland Guardians

Win average: 82.5 (Last: 81.9, 13th)
In the playoffs: 78.8% (Last: 41.9%)
Champions: 3.7% (Last: 1.2%)

Biggest success: The Guardians have annually fielded one of the AL's youngest rosters, a neat trick given the usual dynamics that go with the passage of time. Thanks to an influx of rookies playing key roles on another Cleveland playoff contender, who's to say if the Guardians will ever truly grow up? Travis Bazzana, Chase DeLauter and Angel Genao have arrived to help offset a rare down season by Jose Ramirez. On the pitching side, Parker Messick should win plenty of award support in both the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young categories.

Biggest disappointment: Yeah, that would be Ramirez, who is having his worst season in 11 years. He's going to finish with fewer than 20 homers in a full season for the first time in a decade, and his average (.230) is 46 points below his career mark. He has been helpless against righties, hitting just .210/.299/.317. This isn't the Jose Ramirez we're used to seeing. Let's hope we haven't seen the last of his metronome-like elite production.

13. Houston Astros

Win average: 81.3 (Last: 83.4, 11th)
In the playoffs: 75.5% (Last: 66.0%)
Champions: 2.2% (Last: 3.4%)

Biggest success: Given his ongoing knee trouble and the 48 games he was limited to in 2025, it wasn't silly to wonder if the Astros were now dealing with a post-peak version of Yordan Alvarez. Instead, he has been more durable and lethal than ever, leading the AL in all the slash categories and establishing himself as the front-runner for his first MVP award. This full-blown version of Alvarez has no weaknesses, except perhaps those around him in the Astros' lineup. Alvarez's 32 intentional walks are double those of second-place Ohtani atop the MLB leaderboard.

Biggest disappointment: The Astros' sign-stealing scandal is old news now, but in some ways Houston is still dealing with the fallout of that mess in the form of ongoing organizational instability. James Click came in and won a title after replacing Jeff Luhnow and then was gone, unable to land a multiyear offer from owner Jim Crane for his efforts. Now Click's replacement, Dana Brown, is gone, too, replaced by some uncertain combination of underlings, Crane and Hall of Fame slugger Jeff Bagwell. It doesn't bode well for a franchise that needs to transition to its next era.

14. Pittsburgh Pirates

Win average: 81.3 (Last: 80.0, 18th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 9.0%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.1%)

Biggest success: By and large, the Pirates' surprisingly aggressive offseason paid off. Marcell Ozuna hit a career wall and was released, while Jhostynxon "The Password" Garcia couldn't establish himself. But Pittsburgh's rise from 30th to fifth in runs per game would not have happened without Brandon Lowe, Ryan O'Hearn and Jake Mangum all coming in and filling key lineup holes.

Biggest disappointment: If there was one overriding reason to justify Pittsburgh's proactive approach to the season, it was to maximize its chances to win while Paul Skenes was still on hand doing legendary things. It wasn't just Skenes of course -- the overall Pittsburgh rotation looked like the foundation of a contending team, if only the team could score. Well, this year the Pirates have scored, but the rotation has dropped from sixth to 17th in ERA. That's not all on Skenes, but it's hard to see his slide into mediocrity as anything other than a huge disappointment. A pitcher's superficial stats -- Skenes is 10-11 with a 3.78 ERA -- can often be misleading, but in this case they're not. And they're the biggest reason the Pirates haven't quite been able to climb up from the fringes of playoff contention. They are 13-17 when Skenes has started this season. That record was 32-23 entering this season, when Skenes was pitching for teams not as good as this one. It's a shame.

15. Toronto Blue Jays

Win average: 81.2 (Last: 76.2, 24th)
In the playoffs: 41.7% (Last: 3.0%)
Champions: 0.9% (Last: 0.1%)

Biggest success: We'll call this one a tie between a starting pitcher (Dylan Cease) signed to a pricey free agent deal over the offseason, and a relief pitcher (Louis Varland) who emerged as possibly the game's best reliever in an MLB universe that includes San Diego's Mason Miller. Cease has seemingly been generating no-hitter alerts every other outing, while Varland has a magical combination of 93 strikeouts and just two homers allowed.

Biggest disappointment: You take those infusions to the pitching staff and add them to a team with an elite offense that just came within a hairsbreadth of winning the 2025 World Series, and you'd think sparks would fly. But the offense has been as far from elite as you can get, slipping from fourth to dead last in runs per game. That stupefying plummet has been exemplified by the 89 OPS+ season posted thus far by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who on Sunday -- Sept. 13, two weeks before the end of the regular season -- went deep at Rogers Centre for the first time in 2026.

16. Texas Rangers

Win average: 80.2 (Last: 81.5, 14th)
In the playoffs: 32.0% (Last: 38.0%)
Champions: 0.7% (Last: 1.2%)

Biggest success: Not enough attention has gone to the season put up by Texas utility player Ezequiel Duran, who bears the apt nickname "The Solution." He has been that and more for the Rangers, hitting 17 homers, driving in 80 runs and posting a 122 OPS+ while starting at least six games at four different positions. It's not quite at the level of peak Ben Zobrist, but Duran's season has been good enough to at least remind you of just how much impact a premier utility player can provide.

Biggest disappointment: Good teams generally get positive contributions from rookies, whether it be in regular roles or at least as in-season replacements as needs arise. The Rangers are mediocre, but if they had gotten at least some help from their system, they might be good. In this year's AL West, good would mean a runaway division title. According to rookie WAR -- an average of the FanGraphs and Baseball Reference versions -- 29 teams have gotten at least some measure of positive collective contribution from rookies, with Cleveland leading the way at 10.9 WAR. The Rangers have gotten minus-1.2 WAR from their rookies. Going forward, this will have to change.

17. St. Louis Cardinals

Win average: 79.8 (Last: 79.6, 19th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 7.7%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.1%)

Biggest success: The Cardinals' offense has improved from 19th to 12th in runs per game. Identifying the source of that improvement is somewhat difficult, as St. Louis' rankings in the primary slash categories are largely unchanged. The key thing is that it has been the Cardinals' young hitters driving the improvement. Jordan Walker emerged as an offensive star. JJ Wetherholt looks like a top-of-the-order fixture. And more young hitters have been layered in, such as Joshua Baez, Leo Bernal and Thomas Saggese, who has mashed since returning to the majors in late August. Add young veterans Alec Burleson, Masyn Winn and Ivan Herrera to the mix and an exciting Redbirds attack is taking shape in a hurry.

Biggest disappointment: The Cardinals weren't really built to contend. Yet the way things have worked out, they would be in the thick of the chase with more consistency from their bullpen. Only two teams have blown more saves than the Cardinals' relievers, and only one has allowed a higher percentage of inherited runs to score. Typifying this issue has been closer Riley O'Brien, who leads the NL with 37 saves but has a 4.13 ERA and a bWAR that puts him right around replacement level. O'Brien has the stuff to be an elite closer, but he needs to make strides in consistency and command.

18. Miami Marlins

Win average: 79.0 (Last: 81.2, 15th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 16.1%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.3%)

Biggest success: The Marlins have been a middling team, even though their emergent middle infield has been anything but mediocre -- in a good way. Shortstop Otto Lopez (5.7 bWAR, NL-high 180 hits) has been the standout, but with second baseman Xavier Edwards (2.9 bWAR) also playing well, Miami is the only team in baseball to rank in the top five by wins above average at the middle infield positions.

Biggest disappointment: Entering the season, you could squint at the Marlins' lineup and see the potential for a good core of young middle-of-the-order hitters consisting of some combination of Kyle Stowers, Agustin Ramirez and Owen Caissie. It hasn't panned out. Stowers has battled injuries and has slipped from a 150 OPS+ in his All-Star 2025 campaign to 121. Ramirez has spent much of the season in the minors, and Caissie hasn't established himself in his first shot at a regular big league role. Maybe next year.

19. Baltimore Orioles

Win average: 77.4 (Last: 79.4, 20th)
In the playoffs: 1.0% (Last: 14.8%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.3%)

Biggest success: Inking Pete Alonso to a five-year, $155 million free agent contract was a bold move for the Orioles. Alonso's first season in Baltimore has been an unqualified success, simply because the Polar Bear keeps putting up the same numbers he always has. The guy shows up every day, every season and can be penciled in for 35 to 40 homers and 100 to 120 RBIs. It's amazing his former team didn't value those things a little more. Goodness knows, the Mets could have used those numbers this year.

Biggest disappointment: The widespread failings of the group of onetime Orioles hitting prospects is the big picture item here, but that issue is exemplified by the head-scratching Gunnar Henderson. Henderson was only 23 when he finished fourth in AL MVP balloting for the 2024 season, when he posted a 155 OPS+ and 8.8 bWAR. In 2025, those numbers fell to a 122 OPS+ and 5.4 bWAR. OK, fine. He'd set the bar high. But this season his production has deteriorated even more -- 2.7 bWAR and a 104 OPS+. What's going on here?

20. Seattle Mariners

Win average: 76.9 (Last: 80.7, 17th)
In the playoffs: 1.4% (Last: 32.3%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 1.3%)

Biggest success: It's hard to find much success on what arguably has been baseball's biggest underachiever. Randy Arozarena has been a clear bright spot by putting up the best season of his career at age 31. His 150 OPS+ is a career best for a full season, as is his 5.0 bWAR, and he leads the AL with 100 runs scored even though few hitters around him have produced. Arozarena's numbers might be even better if his home park were more forgiving -- his road OPS is .928 compared with .765 at T-Mobile Park.

Biggest disappointment: All of it? That might be the real answer, but if we need to get specific, you have to look only as far as Cal Raleigh's stat line. That he didn't hit 60 homers again is probably the least surprising thing in baseball. But to regress from that historic number to a 95 OPS+ is stunning. Raleigh was a leading MVP candidate a year ago, but this time around, he's struggling to reach even one win above replacement. The Mariners' shortcomings aren't all on Raleigh, not even close, but his struggles serve as the perfect avatar for this disappointing Mariners season.

21. Detroit Tigers

Win average: 76.7 (Last: 80.8, 16th)
In the playoffs: 1.1% (Last: 34.4%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 1.8%)

Biggest success: Flashing back to the spring, if you told any Tigers fan that their team, which made the playoffs the past two seasons, was about to get a rookie season from prospect Kevin McGonigle that immediately marked him as the team's best player, that fan would have been thinking about how close to 100 wins the Tigers might get. Instead, Detroit remains well under .500 even with McGonigle surpassing the six-win mark on the way to a probable AL Rookie of the Year award. An even better race: Can McGonigle walk more than he strikes out as a 21-year-old rookie? He's at 88 walks and 89 strikeouts, so it's going to be close.

Biggest disappointment: Given the circumstances, the Tigers did the right thing in trading Tarik Skubal. Still, it's disappointing that Detroit's struggles in close games left the team in that position. While you can point to pitching injuries and other factors for the Tigers' disappointing record, it all still might have worked out if Detroit wasn't a surreal 26 games under .500 in games decided by one or two runs.

22. Minnesota Twins

Win average: 76.5 (Last: 79.1, 21st)
In the playoffs: 0.1% (Last: 14.9%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.4%)

Biggest success: After going to backpedal mode for much of the previous year, the Twins actually played themselves into position to add at the trade deadline, largely on the back of a surprisingly productive offense built on hard contact. Minnesota improved from 23rd to 10th in runs per game thanks to an aggressive collective approach that featured plenty of extra-base production. The Twins actually got a slightly larger percentage of their runs via homers last year, but the increased contact meant more buck for their bang this time around, in the form of multirun homers and a higher rate of doubles.

Biggest disappointment: As mentioned, the Twins added at the deadline, bringing in starter Dean Kremer and relievers A.J. Minter and Jeff Hoffman to bolster a playoff push. The new hurlers have all done fine. It hasn't mattered, though, because Minnesota's two-game losing streak heading into deadline day turned out to be only the beginning of a sustained period of negative regression. The Twins have gone 14-25 since the end of July. At least they tried.

23. New York Mets

Win average: 75.1 (Last: 69.1, 25th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)

Biggest success: This year's rookie class has been a strong one for the Mets. That might be little solace for this year's multipronged exercise in proverbial egg laying, but it bodes well for the future. Only the Guardians and White Sox have a higher consensus WAR figure from rookies than the Mets' 9.9. My AXE rating system gives the Mets four of the NL's top 20 rookies: Carson Benge (fourth), Nolan McLean (fifth), A.J. Ewing (ninth) and Zach Thornton (17th).

Biggest disappointment: Mets fans reading my comment above about the Mariners being baseball's most disappointing team might have asked, "Hey, what about us?" And it's a fair point. I'd say it's close. But whereas the Mariners seemed like a club ready to win at a high level, with a complete roster that had been together in its essential components for some time, the Mets' good preseason forecast was undermined by more uncertainties. The big one was the overhauling of the position group, which among other things left Alonso as an Oriole and the Mets with a yawn-inducing platoon at first base that barely cleared replacement level. Opening Day first baseman Jorge Polanco started the first two games there and that was it. Very disappointing.

24. Cincinnati Reds

Win average: 75.1 (Last: 76.6, 23rd)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 1.9%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)

Biggest success: The overall progress of the Reds' starting rotation has been stunted by injuries and underachievement. The talent that flowed into that group in recent years just hasn't resulted in the kind of production that would propel the Reds into contention. None of this is the fault of Chase Burns, who has become one of the game's finest young aces. He's 15-3 with a 2.80 ERA over 28 starts and has a higher strikeout rate than most of the Reds' relievers.

Biggest disappointment: As dynamic as Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart have been in the lineup, this year's Reds offense has been a one-trick pony. Cincinnati ranks third in homers and first in runs via homers at nearly 50%. But the Reds are last in average, on-base percentage and strikeouts. The end result has been a big leap in home runs paired with a drop in scoring from 14th to 25th. This lineup needs some contact hitting in the worst way.

25. Washington Nationals

Win average: 75.0 (Last: 77.5, 22nd)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 2.5%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)

Biggest success: While the Nationals' offense has faded a bit during the second half -- a teamwide malady for Washington -- this has still been a breakout season for their batsmen as a group. The Nats have improved from 20th to third in scoring this season, with perhaps the game's best combination of power (fourth in homers) and speed (first in steals). It's also the game's youngest group of hitters, so it's possible James Wood & Co. can get even better as offensive approaches are refined.

Biggest disappointment: Like the Cardinals, the Nationals didn't pay enough attention to stocking their bullpen, and that undermined a season in which the team was surprisingly competitive. Or if they did pay attention to the group, they didn't do a very good job of building it. Either way, the Washington bullpen has been a dumpster fire, blowing eight more saves than any other in the majors while allowing a league-worst rate of inherited runners to score.

26. Kansas City Royals

Win average: 71.2 (Last: 67.9, 27th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)

Biggest success: The Royals aren't far away from having a contention-level lineup in place. It starts with the progress made by young hitters Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen. Caglianone has become of the game's more dangerous hitters even as he still has plenty of room to refine his pitch recognition. Jensen, a year from now, might be viewed as the AL's best catcher. The Royals can reasonably bank on 2027 bounce-backs from injury-plagued Maikel Garcia and Vinnie Pasquantino, who had a down season after driving in 113 runs in 2025. Bobby Witt Jr. is the linchpin and the cornerstone player of the franchise. It didn't quite come together in 2026, but the Royals' offense isn't far away.

Biggest disappointment: Even if the rotation had stayed healthy and the offense had come together, this season would have come apart because of a yawning chasm of a bullpen. On paper, it shouldn't have been so bad. Then closer Carlos Estevez was hurt in spring training and got into just one regular-season game. Matt Strahm was a proven leverage lefty who collapsed this season. Lucas Erceg wound up in the minors. The group finishing the season in the Kansas City bullpen is completely different -- and better -- than the one that began it. Some of these things were hard to foresee, but if there is one area for the front office to examine, it's here. Was there enough depth? Were the Royals too slow to cycle through different pitchers in different options? Building bullpens is tough, but things should never get as bad as they were for the Royals as they fell out of contention during the first half.

27. San Francisco Giants

Win average: 66.6 (Last: 68.1, 26th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)

Biggest success: Not much has gone right for the Giants, but at least they've given plenty of rookies some exposure to the majors. Fifteen different players have made their big league debut for San Francisco this season, tied with the White Sox for the most in baseball. Plus, you might as well add rookie manager Tony Vitello to that list. If you're going to lose, you might as well lose young.

Biggest disappointment: There's plenty to go around in terms of injuries and production shortfalls. But for the Giants, it feels more intangible than that. Right now, it's hard to envision just what sort of team Buster Posey is trying to build. The Giants feel like a franchise running in place, and they're doing it in a division that requires a dead-on sprint in order to contend.

28. Athletics

Win average: 65.8 (Last: 63.7, 28th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)

Biggest success: The calendar on the 2026 season will flip, bringing the Athletics one more season closer to Las Vegas. Nothing against Sacramento, but this prolonged limbo is doing no favors for the A's on the roster-building front, even as they search for a new general manager to lead the way. The ballpark isn't just a minor league facility, but it might also be the second-most extreme offensive environment in baseball behind Coors Field. There are probably strategies to work with that, but even if you can figure them out, how could you implement them before the A's move again?

Biggest disappointment: I thought the Athletics had a chance to have an elite offense this season, led by the dynamic Nick Kurtz. Kurtz was productive before going down with a thumb injury at the beginning of August, but he wasn't as productive as during his rookie season. Brent Rooker had a down year, Lawrence Butler played himself out of the lineup, and Jacob Wilson was both injured and unproductive. You can go down the list. In order to generate some momentum for the eventual move to Nevada, the A's need these talented hitters to get back on the trajectories they seemed to be on in 2025.

29. Los Angeles Angels

Win average: 61.6 (Last: 61.9, 30th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)

Biggest success: A fresh start, at last. A new lead exec, whether it's John Mozeliak or someone else. A new presence in the owner's box. The Angels still have a long way to go, but these changes at least offer hope that one of baseball's most underachieving franchises will finally operate up to the potential of its market.

Biggest disappointment: Any hopes of an Angels surprise run at contention were destroyed by the mad scramble in the bullpen. Some of the relievers have thrown well enough at times, but it has been a muddle. It can be unproductive to overprogram a bullpen by trying to wedge pitchers into preprogrammed roles. But a well-functioning relief staff will still feature guys who tend to fill similar roles from game to game. For first-year manager Kurt Suzuki, this has been a constant challenge, illustrated by this hard-to-believe stat: No Angels reliever this season has more than four saves.

30. Colorado Rockies

Win average: 60.0 (Last: 62.7, 29th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)

Biggest success: The new front office seemed to make progress in identifying the kind of hitters who might have less severe home/road splits than the extreme results produced by so many Rockies teams in the past. This is always going to be a challenge in Colorado, but it's encouraging to see some positive steps in the form of new hitters such as TJ Rumfield. Overall, the Rockies' .709 road OPS is the ninth best in franchise history and an amazing leap from last season's franchise-worst .589 mark.

Biggest disappointment: Even during the meanness of the Rockies' recent history, shortstop Ezequiel Tovar looked like a bright spot, even a possible future star. But his numbers have collapsed over the past couple of seasons. Tovar has gone from a .763 OPS in 2024 to .694 last season to a woeful .601 in 2026, which translates to a 58 OPS+. That last figure ranks 138th out of 139 qualified hitters across MLB. Tovar is still only 24 years old, but the Rockies need to stop this slide and soon.