The Texas Rangers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 5 of the World Series on Wednesday night, securing the first championship in franchise history — and whittling the list of MLB’s title-less teams down to five. The Tampa Bay Rays, Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers now stand alone among their Major League peers, and not in the way you’d like.
But we’re not here to focus on the negatives. The Rangers just went from 98 losses to a World Series win, after all; a spirit of possibility abounds. So, in that spirit, let’s look into our crystal ball and try to determine which of those five teams may be the next to follow Texas’ lead.
MLB teams that have never won a World Series
Tampa Bay Rays
First season: 1998
Playoff appearances: 9
Pennants: 2
Outlook: Not too shabby. The Rays were bounced by these very same Rangers in the Wild Card round, but this team still won 99 games in the regular season — and that was with just about their entire starting rotation going down with injury. Many of those starters, especially stars Shane McClanahan and Jeffrey Springs, will miss at least part of the 2024 season as well, but Tampa should still be among the deeper and more talented teams in all of baseball. Despite seemingly annual roster churn and a home in the generally brutal AL East, the Rays have proven that they’re here to stay.
Colorado Rockies
First season: 1993
Playoff appearances: 5
Pennants: 1
Outlook: The Rockies, on the other hand, appear stuck in something worse than mediocrity for the foreseeable future. Colorado has had a hard time making a dent in October since coming into the Majors in 1993, only reaching the playoffs five times in 30 years with just one World Series appearance in that time. (They’ve also never — seriously, never — won the NL West.) Coming off a dismal 59-103 season in 2023 and without much young talent in the pipeline, things figure to get worse before they get better.
Seattle Mariners
First season: 1977
Playoff appearances: 5
Pennants: 0
Outlook: Seattle finally snapped North America’s longest playoff drought last year. The next step: Finally snapping their World Series drought. The Mariners have never even reached the Fall Classic in over 45 years in the Pacific Northwest, but with Julio Rodriguez in tow and a great young core of starting pitchers, the future looks brighter than it has in a while. Seattle narrowly missed out on a Wild Card spot this season — falling in the final series of the regular season to, guess who, the Rangers — and stand a good chance at getting back to October next year.
San Diego Padres
First season: 1969
Playoff appearances: 7
Pennants: 2
Outlook: San Diego entered this year with sky-high expectations, having reached the NLCS for the first time since 1998 last season and adding Xander Bogaerts to an already-loaded roster. But things just never clicked, an 82-80 record falling well short of a playoff spot and costing manager Bob Melvin his job. (Melvin landed on his feet, signing on with the NL West-rival Giants.) It’s not all doom and gloom, though: The Padres’ run differential was that of a 92-win team, suggesting some bad luck that should regress in 2024, and Bogaerts, Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish should all still be around. (Unless, of course, San Diego opts to shed payroll and deal Soto.) This is one of the teams to watch over the winter, but they have all the pieces they need to make a World Series run as soon as next year.
Milwaukee Brewers
First season: 1970 (initially founded as the Seattle Pilots in 1969)
Playoff appearances: 9
Pennants: 1
Outlook: Hello, Milwaukee: Texas’ win means that the Brewers are now the franchise that has gone the longest without winning a single World Series. This team looked to be a championship dark horse at the start of the playoffs, only to lose Brandon Woodruff to a shoulder injury and get swept by the D-backs in the Wild Card round. It’s unclear when Woodruff will be back, and while Corbin Burnes and Freddy Peralta return, there are real depth questions behind them — and a ton of questions about their lineup. With manager Craig Counsell interviewing with other teams and former executive David Stearns now in New York, it feels like this competitive window may be closing.