7 MLB Teams Primed to Reshape Playoff Races with Red-Hot September
This year's MLB playoff picture does not offer as much parity as we've seen in recent seasons, but that doesn't mean there is no chance of a shake-up over the final month of the 2024 campaign.
Ahead we've taken a closer look at seven teams that currently reside outside the projected playoff field, yet could still have a significant impact on how this year's postseason takes shape.
That could be a team capable of sneaking into the playoff picture themselves, or a team outside of realistic contention poised to play spoiler based on the remaining games on their schedule.
These seven clubs could reshape the postseason picture in September.
Current Playoff Picture and Odds
1 of 8
AL East Champ: New York Yankees (99.9% playoff odds)
AL Central Champ: Cleveland Guardians (98.9% playoff odds)
AL West Champ: Houston Astros (98.3% playoff odds)
AL Wild Card 1: Baltimore Orioles (99.6% playoff odds)
AL Wild Card 2: Minnesota Twins (91.4% playoff odds)
AL Wild Card 3: Kansas City Royals (79.7% playoff odds)
NL East Champ: Philadelphia Phillies (99.8% playoff odds)
NL Central Champ: Milwaukee Brewers (99.6% playoff odds)
NL West Champ: Los Angeles Dodgers (100% playoff odds)
NL Wild Card 1: San Diego Padres (95.5% playoff odds)
NL Wild Card 2: Arizona Diamondbacks (90.4% playoff odds)
NL Wild Card 3: Atlanta Braves (76.6% playoff odds)
Chicago Cubs
2 of 8
Remaining Games (24): PIT (2), NYY (3), LAD (3), COL (3), OAK (3), WAS (4), PHI (3), CIN (3)
The Cubs have clawed their way back into the postseason picture by going 12-3 in their last 15 games while logging five straight series wins, and entering play on Monday they have whittled their deficit in the wild-card standings down to a manageable three games.
They play 15 of their final 24 games at home where they have gone 36-29 with a plus-33 run differential on the year, and they only have nine games remaining against teams with a winning record.
After collapsing down the stretch and getting overtaken by the Miami Marlins in the playoff race a year ago, it could be the Cubs who crash the party and sneak into the third wild-card spot this time around.
Detroit Tigers
3 of 8
Remaining Games (23): SD (2), OAK (3), COL (3), BAL (3), KC (3), BAL (3), TB (3), CWS (3)
After going 17-11 with a plus-25 run differential in August, the Detroit Tigers still have plenty to play for this year even if a playoff berth is not in the cards.
They are chasing their first winning season since 2016 and looking to take another step forward in a long-running rebuild, similar to the leap up the standings the Kansas City Royals have made this year.
On an individual level, left-hander Tarik Skubal is the current AL Cy Young front-runner at 16-4 with a 2.51 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 201 strikeouts in 168.1 innings, and he would be the first Tigers pitcher to take home that hardware since Max Scherzer in 2013.
They have the second-easiest remaining schedule, so there are not a ton of spoiler opportunities, but their six remaining games against the Baltimore Orioles could have a significant impact on the AL East race.
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New York Mets
4 of 8
Remaining Games (24): BOS (2), CIN (3), TOR (3), PHI (3), WAS (3), PHI (4), ATL (3), MIL (3)
The New York Mets were two games under .500 and seemed to be trending toward selling at the trade deadline on July 5 when they were blown out in a 14-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Since that point, they have gone 31-20 with a plus-41 run differential to claw back to relevance, and they are the first team on the outside of the NL playoff cut line entering play on Tuesday, one game behind the division rival Atlanta Braves in the standings.
They have the fourth-toughest remaining schedule of any team, with 10 total games remaining against the two teams ahead of them in the NL East standings, and they face a daunting final week when they take on the Braves and Brewers on the road.
The Mets have been playing well and still look like the NL team most likely to crash the current playoff picture, but they do face an uphill battle given the difficulty of their remaining games.
Oakland Athletics
5 of 8
Remaining Games (24): SEA (3), DET (3), HOU (3), CWS (3), CHC (3), NYY (3), TEX (3), SEA (3)
Why are the Oakland Athletics on this list?
The A's are coming down the home stretch of what will be their final season in Oakland, the city they have called him since 1968 when they made the move from Philadelphia, and that could be enough to light a fire under their group for the stretch run.
They have also quietly assembled a strong collection of young talent, especially on the offensive side of things where Brent Rooker, Lawrence Butler, JJ Bleday and Shea Langeliers all look like keepers.
With a 22-17 record since the All-Star break after going 37-61 during the first half, this is a group that is trending in the right direction, and their nine remaining games against the Mariners and Astros could greatly impact the AL West race.
San Francisco Giants
6 of 8
Remaining Games (24): ARI (3), SD (3), MIL (3), SD (3), BAL (3), KC (3), ARI (3), STL (3)
It has been another frustrating season for a San Francisco Giants team that was once again too good to sell and not good enough to buy at the trade deadline, keeping them trapped in the dreaded gray area between contending and rebuilding.
They have the most difficult remaining schedule of any team in baseball, with each of their final 24 games against a team that entered play on Monday with a winning record, which gives them ample opportunity to play spoiler.
On an individual level, Blake Snell and Matt Chapman will look to continue building their stock ahead of offseason opt-out decisions, while there is a wealth of young talent up and down the roster looking to solidify its standing on the 2025 roster.
The Giants would need a scorching hot finish to have a chance in the wild-card race, but their schedule is set up for them to have perhaps the biggest impact of any non-contender on this year's playoff picture.
Seattle Mariners
7 of 8
Remaining Games (24): OAK (3), STL (3), SD (2), TEX (4), NYY (3), TEX (3), HOU (3), OAK (3)
If the Seattle Mariners can just find a way to sneak into the postseason, a starting rotation that leads the majors with a 3.37 ERA is enough to make them a legitimate threat to win it all in the pitching-centric world of playoff baseball.
However, a 1-8 stretch of games in August sent them spiraling down the standings and cost manager Scott Servais his job, and now they are trying to keep the season from slipping away as they have slipped to six games being the Houston Astros in the AL West standings.
The good news is, they have 14 games left against the Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers, and they have already gone a combined 9-3 against those teams so far this season, so that should provide a golden opportunity to make up some ground.
As has been the case all year, the question is whether an offense that ranks 26th in the majors with 3.97 runs per game can do enough to back the terrific pitching staff.
Tampa Bay Rays
8 of 8
Remaining Games (25): MIN (3), BAL (3), PHI (3), CLE (4), BOS (3), TOR (3), DET (3), BOS (3)
After gutting the roster at the trade deadline while slashing payroll, the Tampa Bay Rays have work to do assessing their in-house talent for the 2025 season.
Young players like Junior Caminero, Christopher Morel, Shane Baz, Jonny DeLuca, Jonathan Aranda and others are trying to establish themselves as no-doubt pieces of the puzzle for next year, while veterans like Brandon Lowe, Yandy Díaz and Jeffrey Springs might be auditioning to be offseason trade candidates.
That should help keep the intensity up for a team that has fallen short of expectations a year after winning 99 games, and with six games left against the Boston Red Sox and seven with a pair of AL Central contenders, their fingerprints will be all over the final month of the season.
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