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One, two, three — Cancun!
The 2022 MLB regular season will be over in about two weeks, and 18 teams will head home for the winter as soon as the final out is made on Oct. 5. Some teams have known for months that they won’t be experiencing postseason baseball. Here is a list of who has already been eliminated from playoff contention as of Tuesday, Sept. 20.
Which teams have been eliminated from 2022 MLB playoffs?
Chicago Cubs — The Cubs tried to thread the needle this offseason, signing Marcus Stroman and Seiya Suzuki to big-money deals despite being in the middle of a pretty obvious rebuild. Neither deal really worked out this season as both players dealt with injuries. But expect the Cubs to be buyers this winter; they may go hard after a free-agent shortstop such as Trea Turner.
Cincinnati Reds — Tanking as hard as any team in the National League, the Reds lost 22 of their first 25 games. They were halfway decent after that, but their season was effectively over by late April.
Colorado Rockies — The Rockies shocked the baseball world when they signed 30-year-old Kris Bryant to a massive seven-year, $182 million deal prior to this season. Bryant then played poorly and spent about two-thirds of the season on the injured list. This team feels completely rudderless.
Detroit Tigers — The Tigers were a popular sleeper pick entering the year after adding Eduardo Rodriguez, Javier Baez and others during the winter. But just about everything has gone wrong since Opening Day, and it led to the dismissal of longtime general manager Al Avila in August. It was an absolutely terrible year for Detroit ... but there is quite a bit of good, young talent here. It’ll be interesting to see what moves they make prior to next season.
Kansas City Royals — They haven’t been able to develop any pitching in years. However, the Royals are at least becoming somewhat of a fun team to watch because of Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino and others who are coming up from the farm.
Los Angeles Angels — It’s a story as old as time: Mike Trout remains an elite player, and the Angels continue to fail him because of a complete lack of pitching and depth. Shohei Ohtani is a free agent following the 2023 season, and trade rumors will likely swirl around him for the next 6-10 months. With a new owner coming aboard soon, this is a franchise in need of a complete overhaul.
Miami Marlins — If they can just find and/or develop a couple of good bats, look out here. Sandy Alcantara is going to win the NL Cy Young Award (he’s at -450 per DraftKings Sportsbook). Then you have Pablo Lopez, Jesus Luzardo, Eury Perez, Edward Cabrera, maybe even Sixto Sanchez? The Marlins could be contenders if they can get some offense.
Oakland Athletics — Just going to assume that most baseball fans can’t name five players on this roster. The A’s underwent a preseason fire sale, and the early returns from the players whom they received in the Matt Olson and Matt Chapman trades haven’t been super encouraging.
Texas Rangers — Spent more than $500 million during the offseason, still need a pitching staff.
Pittsburgh Pirates — No matter what, they have Oneil Cruz. He’s always worth watching.
Washington Nationals — Flags fly forever, and hopefully Nationals fans can still revel in that championship because the future is going to be bleak for a while. Their farm system has been restocked following their deals at the 2022 trade deadline, but it’s going to take some time for those players to mature. Meanwhile, Stephen Strasburg has thrown 31.1 innings since the start of 2020 and is under contract at $35 million a year through 2026.