So much happens in baseball in July -- some of it obvious, some more under the hood.
You know the obvious stuff. The All-Star Weekend, the break in the regular season that goes with it and the Midsummer Classic itself. There's the Hall of Fame induction ceremony. And then there is the trade deadline and the flurry of moves teams make leading up to it.
From a projection standpoint, though, simply passing the midpoint of the schedule is significant. What you know about a team now is based much less on preseason forecasts and more on what that team has shown us to date.
The view of the season by the end of July is clarified. The focus shifts fully to the playoff races even as the competitive landscape has evolved so much since the last time we convened to take stock of things.
The focus on this post-trade deadline Stock Watch is homed in on the stretch run that every team has positioned itself for. This looks different for contenders than for those looking to the future. For the contenders who added at the deadline, we look at the biggest area of concern remaining after their moves. For those on the fringes, it's about what hope they have for a postseason appearance. For the noncontenders, it's all about what is left to accomplish on the field in 2024 -- and how those aims might be achieved.
Let's take a look at all 30 teams.
Jump to a tier:
Top-tier contenders | Second-tier contenders | Teams just hanging on
Teams looking ahead | The Chicago White Sox
Top-tier contenders
1. New York Yankees
Win average: 97.2 (Last: 99.2, 2nd)
In the playoffs: 99.7% (Last: 99.5%)
Champions: 16.5% (Last: 14.3%)
Lingering concern: The rotation
The Yankees almost end up in the top spot by default, as so many of MLB's elite teams have endured rough patches since the last watch. New York dipped as low as No. 4 in the rankings since then, and only moved back into the top spot for the first time since late June over the weekend.
The Yankees had a solid deadline, but reviews on their work were decidedly mixed. Detractors generally point to the inability to add anyone to the starting rotation. That criticism will only increase if the unit struggles and Jack Flaherty, reportedly a possible acquisition, flourishes for the Dodgers.
But this is not that grim of a picture, no matter how many Cassandras want to sing about the Yankees. The Yankees' rotation is as whole as it's been all season with Gerrit Cole working his way back to full capacity. Luis Gil has rediscovered his footing after a short slump, though you worry about his innings. And Clarke Schmidt should be back in the mix in a few weeks. Carlos Rodon has been mostly effective, save for some long ball-itis of late.
Beyond that, New York has to keep running Nestor Cortes and Marcus Stroman out there and, especially in Stroman's case, hope they regress to career norms. With the deadline gone, that's all the Yankees can really do, but this is a quality depth chart. The rotation is a concern, but it might yet be a strength as we push deeper into the season.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
Win average: 95.2 (Last: 99.1, 3rd)
In the playoffs: 99.3% (Last: 99.8%)
Champions: 19.1% (Last: 20.8%)
Lingering concern: Health
The always-deep Dodgers haven't been as deep this season, mostly because a number of their role players haven't been as steady as in seasons past. L.A. addressed this at the deadline by adding Amed Rosario and Kevin Kiermaier to the bench. Still, to flash back to the preseason, this version of the Dodgers is as top-heavy in roster construction as we've seen during the Andrew Friedman era. This is fine if the top of the roster is healthy, but too often this season it has not been. According to an injury impact index I monitor, based on data from Baseball Prospectus, the Dodgers have been the most injured team in baseball. The Dodgers can still become the special team that many saw after last winter's spending spree. For that to happen, Mookie Betts, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Max Muncy, just to start, have to get healthy -- and everyone else needs to stay that way. For once.
3. Philadelphia Phillies
Win average: 95.0 (Last: 100.7, 1st)
In the playoffs: 99.0% (Last: 99.9%)
Champions: 15.1% (Last: 18.0%)
Lingering concern: The bullpen
The Phillies have been one of baseball's coldest teams since losing 18-3 to Oakland in their last game before the break. The pitching in particular has struggled during the downtick, and a bullpen with a 7-plus ERA during that span has been in collapse mode. This is stunning for a group that projected to be perhaps the best in the majors before the season and then performed more or less to that standard until about three weeks ago. Dave Dombrowski shuffled the deck, adding Carlos Estevez and Tanner Banks at the deadline and shipping Gregory Soto to Baltimore. Was it enough? Both of the new relievers have pitched well since arriving, though Banks became acquainted with Shohei Ohtani's power bat on Monday. We won't know if the bullpen has been righted for a couple of weeks yet, but if it isn't, the Phillies' dream season could continue to go south.
4. Baltimore Orioles
Win average: 94.9 (Last: 98.0, 4th)
In the playoffs: 98.6% (Last: 99.0%)
Champions: 8.9% (Last: 10.4%)
Lingering concern: The bullpen
Tell me if this sounds familiar, Phillies fans: The Orioles suffered a drubbing at the hands of the Athletics (19-8) on July 6, and ever since, their run prevention has been trending in the wrong direction. For a time, the offense was flailing as well, but Baltimore has been turning the scoreboard of late and there is little reason to worry about the Orioles' attack. The blame can be aimed at both the rotation and the bullpen alike. Mike Elias added a couple of impact starters at the deadline, though, in Zach Eflin and Trevor Rogers. He also added Seranthony Dominguez and Soto to the relief staff, but both have had below-average seasons. The Orioles have to sort this out soon, and that needs to start with Craig Kimbrel stringing together some scoreless outings.
5. Cleveland Guardians
Win average: 93.4 (Last: 95.1, 5th)
In the playoffs: 95.9% (Last: 96.5%)
Champions: 6.4% (Last: 6.5%)
Lingering concern: The rotation
For a team enjoying a rarefied campaign, the Guardians have a number of key positional concerns, including shortstop and center field, a pair of shortcomings that run smack into the old idea that championship teams are strong up the middle. Still, the larger worry is about a starting rotation that has been decidedly second division all season. The Guardians added to the group at the deadline by bringing in Alex Cobb from San Francisco, but Cobb hasn't pitched in the majors yet this season. According to a won-loss metric I track based on starters' game-by-game win probability added figures, Cleveland's rotation is 51-59-2, a success rate that ranks 22nd in the majors. Cleveland badly needs Cobb to hit the ground running when he returns, but the Guardians also need the likes of Gavin Williams and Logan Allen to pick up the pace, because the injured Shane Bieber ain't walking through that door.
6. Minnesota Twins
Win average: 91.4 (Last: 90.9, 8th)
In the playoffs: 90.1% (Last: 85.3%)
Champions: 7.2% (Last: 5.2%)
Lingering concern: Lack of regression
Sorry to throw a statistical term in there as a baseball need, but it kind of sums up a Twins team that added swingman Trevor Richards at the deadline and did nothing else. It's fair to bemoan the Twins for watching their spending too carefully in the midst of a contending season. The flip side of that is that Minnesota's greatest hope for a boost down the stretch is for its pitchers to collectively pitch to their forecasts, a need outside the scope of a trade deadline. The Twins have an overall positional grid that is devoid of obvious red flags, but the pitchers have underperformed. The staff ranks 22nd in bWAR as a group but, conversely, ranks second in the rest-of-season forecasts at FanGraphs. If their pitchers keep pitching to the former metric, the Twins will have to scramble for a postseason slot. If they live up to the latter metric, Minnesota will be around in October and will challenge Cleveland for the AL Central title.
7. Atlanta Braves
Win average: 89.3 (Last: 92.0, 6th)
In the playoffs: 85.4% (Last: 94.2%)
Champions: 5.7% (Last: 7.7%)
Lingering concern: Production up the middle
Let's be generous and say that deadline pickup Jorge Soler gets hot down the stretch and approximates the production Atlanta might have gotten had Ronald Acuna Jr. not been injured. Let's also say Reynaldo Lopez's injury isn't serious and Atlanta keeps preventing runs at an NL-best level. Even if those things happen, the Braves still need to get healthy and more productive at the up-the-middle positions. Orlando Arcia hasn't hit at all this year and the Braves need more than the occasional homer from him, especially as his glove is too good to take out of the lineup. Ozzie Albies probably won't be back for much of the regular season, so it's up to Zack Short, Whit Merrifield and Nacho Alvarez at the keystone. In a perfect world, one of them would seize the position until Albies returns. Finally, when Michael Harris II returns from his hamstring injury, he needs to perform better than he did at the plate before going on the shelf.
8. Milwaukee Brewers
Win average: 88.4 (Last: 91.8, 7th)
In the playoffs: 84.8% (Last: 94.7%)
Champions: 3.7% (Last: 4.2%)
Lingering concern: First base
The Brewers added two starters (Frankie Montas, Aaron Civale) and a reliever (Nick Mears) during the trade period. The rotation is not a stable one-to-five group and will get even deeper when DL Hall returns from injury rehab. Assuming that Trevor Megill and Bryan Hudson return soon from the IL, which appears likely, the bullpen looks fierce now that Devin Williams' season is finally underway. This is a pretty complete Milwaukee roster ... except for first base, where the Brewers rank 21st in bWAR and 20th in FanGraphs' rest-of-season forecast. The position has largely been split between veterans Jake Bauers and Rhys Hoskins, both of whom have struggled to make consistent contact at the plate while putting up poor metrics in the field. Either one of this duo needs to emerge -- preferably Hoskins -- or Pat Murphy needs to get creative with a position that can be played by any number of more athletic players on his roster.
9. San Diego Padres
Win average: 88.0 (Last: 84.1, 13th)
In the playoffs: 76.1% (Last: 51.4%)
Champions: 3.2% (Last: 1.2%)
Lingering concern: Missing stars
The Padres have been one of baseball's hottest teams over the past six weeks. They've become a leading wild-card contender and moved within striking range of the Dodgers for the NL West lead. At the deadline, San Diego was one of the most aggressive adders, most notably adding a trio of relievers who give Mike Shildt a bullpen that goes seven deep with quality hurlers. With injured starter Joe Musgrove out on a rehab assignment, the missing pieces are Fernando Tatis Jr. and Yu Darvish. Tatis is dealing with a stress fracture and it's unclear when he'll starting ramping up activity. Darvish is away from the club dealing with a personal issue and it's uncertain when, or if, he'll be back. The Padres are formidable as is, but if they can get all of their key performers back, this starts to look more like a team that can win the franchise's first World Series crown.
10. Arizona Diamondbacks
Win average: 87.2 (Last: 79.8, 17th)
In the playoffs: 67.4% (Last: 18.8%)
Champions: 3.0% (Last 0.3%)
Lingering concern: Injured stars
Like San Diego, Arizona has been blazing hot, moving into prime wild-card position and closing in on the Dodgers. Also like the Padres, the Diamondbacks await the return of some key performers. Even as Arizona has increasingly looked like the team that won last season's NL pennant, the D-backs have done so with co-ace Merrill Kelly and offseason signee Eduardo Rodriguez on the shelf. More recently, cornerstone first baseman Christian Walker hit the IL with an oblique issue. Things are progressing: Kelly is due to make a rehab outing, Rodriguez made his delayed Arizona debut on Tuesday in Cleveland, and the initial reports on Walker's injury were promising. If all of this news continues to be good, we might be looking at a three-team jamboree in the NL West.
Second-tier contenders
11. Boston Red Sox
Win average: 86.9 (Last: 84.7, 11th)
In the playoffs: 53.9% (Last: 41.8%)
Champions: 1.8% (Last: 1.2%)
Lingering concern: Infield offense
Obviously Rafael Devers is not part of the above concern. Still, Boston leads the majors in team OPS even though the Red Sox are middle of the pack at first base and dead last -- 30th out of 30 -- at second base. Alex Cora has been very creative with the deployment of his position players in the wake of key injuries, but things might be more settled very soon. Triston Casas, who exploded to a 1.034 OPS after the All-Star break last year, is out on rehab, though he's still managing lingering discomfort form his torn rib cartilage. Meanwhile, Vaughn Grissom, whose first Boston season has been limited to 23 games and an OPS+ of 4 (yes, 4) is also on a rehab stint and has been productive in Triple-A as he works his way back. He might have to prove himself in the minors even after coming off the IL, but it still seems as if Vaughn is the best answer at second if Boston is to reach its ceiling. But he needs to hit. Luckily for him, the bar at the keystone for Boston is as low as it gets.
12. Kansas City Royals
Win average: 86.6 (Last: 83.8, 14th)
In the playoffs: 45.5% (Last: 29.0%)
Champions: 1.5% (Last: 0.4%)
Lingering concern: The back of the bullpen
The Royals have been carried by their stars. In terms of position players, K.C. ranks second in the AL in park-adjusted scoring and first in consensus defensive metrics. So while you might see holes in the depth chart, it's hard to improve on that bottom line. The rotation, effective and consistent from stem to stern, ranks second in WPA-based won-lost record. Which brings us to the bullpen. The Royals added two sorely needed power arms at the deadline in Hunter Harvey and Lucas Erceg. Alas, Harvey has struggled in high-leverage spots, having given up runs in four of his first seven outings for the Royals. Meanwhile, James McArthur, a stalwart early in the season, has had too many middle-of-the-plate lapses to be counted upon with the game on the line. It's on Matt Quatraro and his staff to find a workable hierarchy with this group if the Royals' surprise playoff push is to continue.
13. New York Mets
Win average: 85.4 (Last: 84.6, 12th)
In the playoffs: 44.7% (Last: 56.4%)
Champions: 1.5% (Last 1.3%)
Lingering concern: Middle relief
It's been an interesting few weeks for a Mets club that continues to improve from its woeful start to the season. Despite the improved play, New York's postseason odds have actually decreased since the last Stock Watch because prolonged hot streaks by San Diego and Arizona have pushed them ahead of the Mets in the wild-card race. For New York to change this, the Mets need to find a consistent group to bridge the gap between the league-average rotation and closer Edwin Diaz, who has a 0.75 ERA since Memorial Day. The onus to plug that gap largely falls on three relievers acquired during the trading period: Huascar Brazoban (Marlins), Phil Maton (Rays) and Ryne Stanek (Mariners). If the reshuffling doesn't pay off, the Mets' midseason recovery might prove to be for naught.
14. Seattle Mariners
Win average: 85.0 (Last: 86.2, 10th)
In the playoffs: 53.0% (Last: 57.1%)
Champions: 2.1% (Last: 1.8%)
Lingering concern: Run scoring
The nadir of the Mariners' season was July 24, when they lost a series finale to the Angels at home during which they scored three runs in a three-game sweep. At that point, Seattle was on pace to score 608 runs this season. Of course Jerry Dipoto didn't stand pat -- he is constitutionally incapable of doing that -- and even with Julio Rodriguez on the IL, Seattle's run pace is up to 641. That's still awfully low for a first-place team, but at least the trend is good. Still, Seattle is going to need more than the additions of Justin Turner and Randy Arozarena to keep this pointed in the right direction. The Mariners also very much need the holdover bats to get going, starting with J-Rod and J.P. Crawford, both currently injured. Getting them healthy and raking is the key to Seattle finishing the job of toppling the AL West's Texas powers.
15. Houston Astros
Win average: 84.4 (Last: 86.8, 9th)
In the playoffs: 50.4% (Last: 65.6%)
Champions: 3.2% (Last: 5.1%)
Lingering concern: Kyle Tucker's lingering injury
The normal order of things seemed to have returned when we last checked in, as the Astros were baseball's hottest team around the Fourth of July. Now, not so much. The pitching has been mostly stable, but the resurgent offense has since de-surged. Houston was on pace to score 781 runs at the last Stock Watch -- that's now 736. The failure to address first base at the trade deadline was a major miss, as big as any by a contender. It's too late to change that, but on the horizon, eventually, is the return of Kyle Tucker. Lest we forget, for a brief period before he was injured, Tucker was very much part of an AL MVP race that has since launched into the stratosphere without him. The latest reports are that Tucker might not be back until September. If that news doesn't get better, the Astros might actually be in trouble.
16. San Francisco Giants
Win average: 81.4 (Last: 80.1, 16th)
In the playoffs: 11.2% (Last: 18.7%)
Champions: 0.2% (Last: 0.2%)
Lingering concern: That Tyler Fitzgerald's Barry Bonds imitation will end
Sometimes teams refuse to sort themselves into a coherent grouping for Stock Watch purposes. Shame on them. The Giants' deadline behavior should have them in the tier below. With Jorge Soler, Luke Jackson and Alex Cobb going out at the deadline and Mark Canha the only contributor coming in, it's a stretch to call the Giants an adder. And yet San Francisco has caught fire over the past two weeks and now owns better playoff odds than teams that did add during the trade period. Go figure. Matt Chapman is an unsurprising driver of this surge against largely bad teams. More jaw-dropping has been the ongoing power explosion of the rookie Fitzgerald, who recently became the first Giant since Bonds in 2003 to put up 11 homers in a 17-game span. If he keeps this up, who knows what could happen?
17. St. Louis Cardinals
Win average: 80.8 (Last: 82.8, 15th)
In the playoffs: 11.7% (Last: 39.5%)
Champions: 0.2% (Last: 0.7%)
Lingering concern: Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado
There's been a lot going on in St. Louis. The Cardinals added with aplomb at the deadline, bringing in stud starter Erick Fedde and old favorite Tommy Pham. Pham proceeded to hit a grand slam in his first at-bat as a Cardinal since 2018, an interim that saw him play for seven other teams and become an Immaculate Grid darling. Nevertheless, St. Louis has struggled over the past two weeks and fallen back in the wild-card chase even as some of its chief competitors have caught fire. The bottom line for the 2024 Redbirds has never wavered: This is not a roster built to withstand blasé seasons from either Goldschmidt or Arenado, but that's exactly what they've gotten from both. If that doesn't change, and soon, the Cardinals are more likely to sink than soar.
18. Pittsburgh Pirates
Win average: 80.3 (Last: 76.1, 23rd)
In the playoffs: 9.2% (Last: 5.6%)
Champions: 0.2% (Last: 0.0%)
Lingering concern: Paul Skenes' workload
The Pirates added, bringing in outfielder Bryan De La Cruz and reliever Jalen Beeks. Alas, the Pirates have mostly treaded water since then and have fallen well off the pace of the hot Padres and Diamondbacks, with the Mets and Braves also enjoying separation over Pittsburgh. Worse, the Pirates' remaining schedule is one of baseball's toughest. None of this is to rule out a genuinely fun team, but the Bucs need to go on a prolonged run. If they do, then questions about how Skenes is used will be largely moot, putting him in pole position for NL Rookie of the Year and in the derby for Cy Young consideration. If Pittsburgh goes on a slide, though, Pirates brass will have to decide whether the awards pursuits are worth the low-championship-leverage innings the team might be playing down the stretch. The next week to 10 days will be huge.
Teams just hanging on
19. Tampa Bay Rays
Win average: 80.1 (Last: 79.4, 19th)
In the playoffs: 4.1% (Last: 9.2%)
Champions: 0.1% (Last: 0.2%)
Hope for a run: Fresh voices
No team offloaded as aggressively as the Rays, who did so to generally excellent reviews. What was probably not mentioned enough is that as much as Tampa Bay did to set itself up for 2025 and beyond, the Rays are by no means out of this year's playoff race. Indeed, Tampa Bay has played very well since the All-Star break, but as you can see from its ongoing dip in playoff probability, the Rays have fallen back in the field. If they are going to do more than play a spoiler role down the stretch, a likely source of the run might well be hot streaks from two pickups yielded during the roster purge. Those would be ex-Cub Christopher Morel and ex-Cardinal Dylan Carlson. The Rays have done wonders with other team's players, and in Morel and Carlson, they have well-above-average talent to work with.
20. Chicago Cubs
Win average: 79.9 (Last: 77.3, 21st)
In the playoffs: 7.0% (Last: 8.0%)
Champions: 0.2% (Last: 0.1%)
Hope for a run: Positive regression
The Cubs added, subtracted and held steady all at once at the deadline, depending on which position group you're looking at. The biggest addition was a new regular third baseman in Isaac Paredes, while the biggest subtraction was reliever Mark Leiter Jr. The pitching staff still has a small army on the IL, which tempers enthusiasm for a spirited stretch run that would flip a disappointing season. Yet there is something in the "disappointing" label, too. You can't be a disappointment if no one expected anything out of you. The Cubs rank 27th in park-adjusted scoring this season, and the position players are 20th in bWAR as a group. The going-forward forecast at FanGraphs is 11th. If the Cubs start meeting the forecast, that's what positive regression looks like. At this point, though, it probably wouldn't be enough.
21. Texas Rangers
Win average: 79.6 (Last: 79.7, 18th)
In the playoffs: 8.3% (Last: 12.2%)
Champions: 0.3% (Last: 0.2%)
Hope for a run: A red-hot healthy rotation
Ah, the dream of a superstar rotation. Max Scherzer! Jacob deGrom! Nathan Eovaldi! Tyler Mahle! This has been the carrot dangled in front of Rangers fans all season. Hang in there until all the arms get healthy, squeeze into the postseason, and look out. But rather than a thinning herd, the Rangers' rotation IL has remained more of a revolving door. And on the field, the Rangers have done little to suggest a rousing turnaround is forthcoming. With Adolis Garcia posting a terrible season, the outfield has been a mess. The injury-riddled rotation has been below average, as has the bullpen, despite great seasons from veteran pickups Kirby Yates and David Robertson. Maybe we need to wake up from that rotation dream, because if the Rangers don't get white hot, right now, it's not going to come true. Maybe the game-winning blast from Josh Smith on Monday that beat the Astros will spark a run.
22. Cincinnati Reds
Win average: 78.4 (Last: 78.6, 20th)
In the playoffs: 4.3% (Last: 12.4%)
Champions: 0.1% (Last: 0.2%)
Hope for a run: Supermen
Hunter Greene leads the NL in both walks and hit batters, yet he's almost a throwback kind of intimidator for whom those facts might be more a feature than a bug. By the metrics, he's a Cy Young contender. On the hitting side, Elly De La Cruz is simply Elly -- an unreal bundle of ability in a shortstop built unlike any we've seen before (except in Pittsburgh, circa right now). Can those two rocketing stars carry a team that has been wildly underperforming against its run differential all season to a magical finish? No, probably not, because it's just not how baseball works. It would be a lot of fun to see them try, though.
Teams looking ahead to 2025 and beyond
23. Detroit Tigers
Win average: 76.4 (Last: 74.7, 24th)
In the playoffs: 0.4% (Last: 1.5%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Remaining objective: A Cy Young run
Tarik Skubal is probably the AL's Cy Young front-runner, though if Kansas City's Seth Lugo and Baltimore's Corbin Burnes perform well down the stretch, they might have the advantage of playing in higher-stakes games. That's out of Skubal's control, but if he can put up a string of gems from here on out, he could be Detroit's first Cy Young winner since Scherzer in 2013 and the fifth in franchise history. While it's debatable that winning the award would have a tangible benefit for the Tigers' quest to return to the playoffs in the future, perhaps it might cement Skubal's place as the franchise ace and spur serious talks about an extension.
24. Toronto Blue Jays
Win average: 74.2 (Last: 76.5, 22nd)
In the playoffs: 0.1% (Last: 2.9%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Remaining objective: Figure out a direction
This is a tough one. An optimist might see the Blue Jays reshuffling around Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Alejandro Kirk, defensive wizard Daulton Varsho and the rotation, then being back in the mix in 2025. It's been a dispiriting season, though, and the organization just doesn't seem deep enough, especially given bad prospect news like Ricky Tiedemann's Tommy John surgery and Orelvis Martinez's PED suspension. The next few months will be interesting for the Blue Jays as they figure out which course to chart. In the meantime, the return of Vlady Jr. as a generational hitter should be fun to watch for the rest of the season.
25. Washington Nationals
Win average: 71.5 (Last: 71.1, 26th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 0.6%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Remaining objective: Add Dylan Crews to the mix
James Wood has already arrived, and while he's not a finished product, you have only to watch him once or twice to see why the Nationals are so excited about him. CJ Abrams, I would argue, is not a finished product either, which is exciting in a different way because he's already so dynamic. Now it's almost time to give Crews his first taste of the majors. The player who will forever be the guy drafted after Paul Skenes has impressed every step of the way in the minors. This might be a September thing, but seeing how Crews reacts to big league pitching is a pretty good use of what's left in this Nationals season.
26. Los Angeles Angels
Win average: 70.4 (Last: 71.4, 25th)
In the playoffs: 0.1% (Last: 0.6%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Remaining objective: Anyone have any suggestions?
It's pretty depressing to look at this team and figure out what to be optimistic about, especially in the aftermath of the news that Mike Trout's 2024 season is over. Heck, these are the Angels, and given how quickly they pushed Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel to the majors, maybe they should just call up 2024 first-round pick Christian Moore. He has three minor league games under his belt, after all, and is 8-for-15 with 2 homers, 7 RBIs and 7 runs in those games.
27. Oakland Athletics
Win average: 67.8 (Last: 59.1, 28th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Remaining objective: Enjoy the last ride
As the Oakland era enters its final weeks, the Athletics have been playing mostly good baseball over the past month, behind an offense that has been genuinely explosive. Keep it going. Ride it out. Let Lawrence Butler, Brent Rooker and Miguel Andujar keep bashing like great A's offenses over the decades by the Bay. Then turn out the lights, lock the doors and wonder if that stadium in Las Vegas is ever going to get built.
28. Miami Marlins
Win average: 60.4 (Last: 59.2, 27th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Remaining objective: Generate some momentum
The Marlins frustrate as much as anyone. It's been a truly terrible season, especially given Miami's playoff run in 2023. But after the Marlins enjoyed a really nice deadline, and we can start dreaming of a healthier, Sandy Alcantara-led rotation sometime soon, this doesn't have to be the start of another Marlins dark age. That might not be much of a marketing slogan or rallying cry, but let's see if Miami can establish some 2025 breakout candidates before 2024 comes to a close.
29. Colorado Rockies
Win average: 58.8 (Last: 56.6, 29th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Remaining objective: Turn the page
The Rockies have featured one-third of a pretty good lineup for this season, with Brenton Doyle playing perhaps the best center field in the NL, Ezequiel Tovar continuing to move toward All-Star status and Ryan McMahon providing a steady bat and Gold Glove defense. Now it's time to turn the page on the Kris Bryants and Sam Hilliards of the world and start to see a possible future that adds Jordan Beck and Drew Romo to the picture, just to start.
The Chicago White Sox
30. Chicago White Sox
Win average: 41.7 (Last: 50.6, 30th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
When will it end?
There's not much to say about the 2024 White Sox that wouldn't be piling on. This is as bad a team as we've seen in the division era, and nothing about it has been pretty. For hope, I'd point to the 2003 Detroit Tigers. That team lost 119 games and three years later was in the World Series. That's certainly not to say the same thing will happen with the White Sox, but with precedents like that, and even the Royals, who lost 106 games in 2023 and yet have surged into contention a year later, it isn't impossible. I'm not one to call for anyone's job, and won't do it now, but I will say this: If those calling the shots on the South Side are planning to make changes, do it sooner than later. The White Sox fan base needs to know that the franchise is going to aggressively turn the page on this historic debacle.