Orioles Return? Angels Rising? How Close Last-Place Teams are to MLB Playoffs

The MLB playoff picture continues to be fluid and exciting, but there will be plenty of time over the next five weeks to analyze the postseason bracket.

What about the teams trying to scrape and claw their way to relevance?

The Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels, Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies have locked up last place in their respective divisions, with the Baltimore Orioles on track to finish last in theirs.

That said, how close are these teams to flipping the script in the coming years? Here’s how each of the six last-place teams stack up against each other in terms of how close they are to making the playoffs, as of Sept. 26.

The Rockies have the worst team ERA in MLB this season. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

This season has been terrible for the Rockies. In fact, it has been historically bad, with Colorado poised to finish with the worst winning percentage in franchise history with a current 43-116 record.

This isn’t a talent-less roster, though. For starters, 25-year-old Hunter Goodman is third among catchers in home runs (30) RBIs (90) and slugging percentage (.518); right fielder Mickey Moniak, the first overall pick in 2016, is having the best season of his career, highlighted by 24 home runs and a .521 slugging percentage; fellow outfielders Brenton Doyle and Jordan Beck have had their moments in the field and the power category; shortstop Ezequiel Tovar is one year removed from winning a Gold Glove and leading the National League with 45 doubles.

The problem here is that Colorado has far and away the worst rotation ERA in the sport (5.99), and it’s difficult to find the bright spots on the starting pitching front. None of this is to say that Colorado is anywhere close to being a playoff team. Rather, the extremes of this season in the loss column are exaggerated. That said, Colorado is multiple years from being a wild-card factor, an effort compounded by residing in arguably the best division in the sport (NL West).

The White Sox are a year removed from winning just 41 games. (Photo by Matt Dirksen/Getty Images)

After winning just 41 games in 2024, the White Sox have tallied 58 victories this season, which is some mark of progress but still speaks to how far away their organization is from rising up the ranks.

On the positive front, Chicago has something to move forward with in its starting rotation, as right-handers Shane Smith (3.98 ERA in 28 starts), Davis Martin (4.10 ERA in 25 starts) and Sean Burke (4.29 ERA in 22 starts) have shown the ability to be rotation staples this season. Former first-rounder Noah Schultz could be joining that bunch midway through next season. Meanwhile, rookie shortstop and former first-rounder Colson Montgomery has showcased an impact bat, blasting 19 home runs and owning a .508 slugging percentage in just 67 games; rookie catcher Kyle Teel, the No. 14 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft and acquired from the Boston Red Sox as part of Chicago’s return on ace Garrett Crochet, owns a .272/.379/.418 slash line; Lenyn Sosa, who has started at both second base and first, has held his own at the plate, totaling 21 home runs and 72 RBIs.

All that said, Chicago’s offense doesn’t yet have that one hitter who teams can pitch around. A big part of the equation is a lot of the aforementioned players just getting more reps. In a volatile division like the American League Central, maybe Chicago can aspire to get in the wild-card mix after one more arduous regular season?

The Nationals have posted six consecutive losing seasons since winning the 2019 World Series. (Photo by Bryan Kennedy/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

The Nationals have as much top-tier young talent at the big-league level as any team in baseball, but they have nothing in the win column to show for it, as they’ve won no more than 71 games in each of the past five seasons.

James Wood, a 2025 All-Star, has mammoth power from the left side; CJ Abrams is a well-rounded shortstop; Daylen Lile has been a late-season emergence, showcasing a crisp swing, highlighted by 11 triples and a .296 batting average in 88 games. At the same time, former No. 2 draft pick Dylan Crews hasn’t been able to get into a groove at the plate, and while rookie third baseman Brady House has showcased an impressive glove at the hot corner, he also has a .582 OPS. Washington’s starting rotation? The Nationals are 29th in baseball with a 5.34 rotation ERA.

A full season for former first-rounder Cade Cavalli and the potential return of Josiah Gray, a 2023 All-Star, should help Washington’s case. But it also needs MacKenzie Gore, who was an All-Star this season but now owns a 4.17 ERA, to find success across a complete season and not just part of it, while the backend of its staff has struggled mightily. Maybe under their new president of baseball operations, Paul Toboni, the Nationals get their array of top draft picks to blossom? But it needs to happen, pronto.

The Pirates haven’t had a winning season since 2018. (Photo by Rayni Shiring/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Pittsburgh has arguably the best pitcher in baseball in Paul Skenes, but its rotation is deeper than just the dominant, hard-throwing right-hander. For instance, Mike Burrows has impressed in his first season as a full-time MLB starter, boasting a 3.93 ERA in 22 appearances (19 starts), while possessing a consistent, four-pitch arsenal (four seamer, changeup, slider and curveball); Johan Oviedo has been efficient since joining the rotation in August (3.57 ERA in 35 1/3 innings pitched); esteemed pitching prospects Bubba Chandler and Hunter Barco made their respective big-league debuts earlier this season; Jared Jones, who showcased the ability to be a reliable strikeout pitcher in 2024, could return from his torn UCL early next season; Mitch Keller is a proven commodity. In total, the Pirates’ rotation has a collective 3.79 ERA this season, which is seventh in MLB.

An organization can build a foundation on great starting pitching, but the Pirates need something — or, in this case, anything — from their offense, which is last in MLB in runs (570). Oneil Cruz is an uber-talent as a hitter and fielder, but he hasn’t put all the tools together for a great season to date; Bryan Reynolds, a two-time All-Star, is having the worst season of his career, excluding the shortened 2020 season, as he owns a .243/.317/.401 slash line; highly regarded youngsters like infielders Nick Gonzales and Jared Triolo and catcher Henry Davis have been unable to cook in the batter’s box.

Maybe the upside is former top-10 picks like Termarr Johnson and Konnor Griffin reaching the show in the middle of 2026 and wreaking havoc? Either way, Pittsburgh’s offense needs to reach middle-of-the-pack rank or else its stellar rotation is wasted.

The Angels are fourth in MLB in home runs this season. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)

The Angels are at the bottom of the AL West and missing the playoffs for the 11th consecutive season. At the same time, they’re leaving the regular season with tangible progress and an identity for the first time in quite some time.

That identity resides in its starting lineup, particularly in the outfield grass. Jo Adell, whom Los Angeles selected with the No. 10 pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, and Taylor Ward, who was the franchise’s 2015 first-rounder, are in the midst of breakout seasons, combining for 73 home runs and 200 RBIs. Moreover, Mike Trout has played in 127 games this season, the most contests that the three-time AL MVP has appeared in since 2019.

Elsewhere, shortstop Zach Neto, the team’s 2022 first-round selection, continues to blossom as a hitter, cranking 26 home runs, while boasting a .474 slugging percentage to date this season, while catcher Logan O’Hoppe continues to hold down the fort behind the plate and 2024 first-rounder Christian Moore gets his feet wet in MLB play. Los Angeles is fourth in MLB in home runs (223).

Outside of veteran Yusei Kikuchi (3.99 ERA in 33 starts), the Angels’ rotation has underwhelmed, but Jose Soriano has shown enough over the past two seasons to pencil him in for the long haul, while 21-year-old right-hander Caden Dana is getting the chance to establish himself before the season wraps up. Surely, Los Angeles needs an offseason swing on the pitching front, but if it gets that oomph, it can aspire to be a wild-card team in 2026.

The Orioles averaged 96 wins per season from 2023-24. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

The Orioles are better than this. Baltimore was seventh in runs in 2023, fourth in runs in 2024 and 23rd in runs this season with essentially the same offensive core. While Anthony Santander had a career-high 44 home runs with the Orioles in 2024, his free-agent departure shouldn’t have resulted in the free fall that ultimately transpired.

Gunnar Henderson is one of the best players the sport has to offer; Ryan Mountcastle and Colton Cowser have considerable power; former No. 1 overall pick Jackson Holliday is finishing out his first full season at the big-league level; former No. 2 overall pick Heston Kjerstad is getting his feet beneath him; top outfield prospect Dylan Beavers recently made his MLB debut; infielder Jordan Westburg has continually held his own at both third base and second base; while in the midst of the worst season of his young MLB career, Adley Rutschman is one of the best all-around catchers in the sport — though, fellow catcher Samuel Basallo‘s eight-year extension raises an eyebrow.

On the rotation front, Trevor Rogers has been sensational, posting a 1.35 ERA and 0.87 WHIP in 17 starts this season. Of course, Grayson Rodriguez continuing to recover from his elbow injury doesn’t help Baltimore’s case. That said, Kyle Bradish has returned, and maybe Cade Povich makes a jump in 2026? Either way, the Orioles have to focus on adding a top-of-the-rotation arm in the offseason.

This is a club that won 101 games in 2023 and 91 games in 2024. Baltimore has the offensive core to reclaim its status as one of MLB’s best and the recent track record to climb back up the ladder in the AL East, especially considering the inconsistent nature of some of the teams in its division, including those currently battling for postseason seeding.

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