25. Cincinnati Reds (75-87)
Preseason Rank: 17

Cincinnati’s Big Three of Elly De La Cruz, Sal Stewart and Chase Burns was quite the triumvirate, and they’re each under team control through at least 2029. The problem was, well, pretty much everyone else, as the Reds ended up bottom four in the majors in both runs scored and runs allowed in spite of those All-Star caliber players. (And, come on, how was De La Cruz not named an All-Star?)

24. Seattle Mariners (76-86)
Preseason Rank: 4

Tough to put any sort of positive spin on this one. As a whole, the Mariners were the biggest disappointment in all of baseball, particularly since first place in the AL West was just there for the taking all year long. They did finally get a nice breakthrough year from Emerson Hancock, though. At least that paved the way for them to trade away Luis Castillo’s contract.

23. Minnesota Twins (77-85)
Preseason Rank: 25

The Twins hung around as a playoff hopeful for longer than most expected six months ago, even buying a few pitchers ahead of the trade deadline instead of repeating last year’s fire sale. It turned out to be the wrong call, as they went 21-30 from August 1 onward. It was encouraging to see them actually go for it, though. And getting Pablo Lopez back from Tommy John surgery should provide quite the boost next season.

22. Washington Nationals (77-85)
Preseason Rank: 30

Washington’s bullpen was atrocious, blowing an MLB record 42 saves. But this offense was postseason-worthy, ranking first in steals, third in runs and sixth in home runs. And aside from the two they already traded away (Luis García Jr. and Curtis Mead), every hitter is under team control for at least two more seasons. Sign some respectable relievers this winter and they could really break through in 2027.

21. Detroit Tigers (76-86)
Preseason Rank: 9

Detroit’s full-season run differential (+71) was almost the same as Tampa Bay’s (+86). Unfortunately, the Tigers struggled mightily in one-run games (17-27) and couldn’t buy a win in May (6-22), subsequently fighting an uphill battle for months. Now, can they find the funds to bring Tarik Skubal back home?