September 15, and for some teams, the MLB postseason dream is already dead. The Mets are officially out of the running, marking two straight years without meaningful October baseball, and that’s gotta sting for a team with a massive payroll and major offseason additions.
Big Payroll, Bigger Letdown: The Mets’ Season Was Over in April
Talk about a gut punch. New York was supposed to be a contender, especially after adding Bo Bichette and Marcus Siemen. Fans were hyped. They moved on from favorites like Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo, signaling a new era, right? Wrong. The season derailed fast with a brutal 12-game losing streak in April. That hole was too deep. Even with lineup anchors Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto , guys who pride themselves on playing every single day , eventually getting healthy, the damage was done. By the time they were whole, the season was lost. It cost manager Jorge Mendoza his job in June, a clear sign of how badly things went sideways.
Young Guns Shine, But Nationals’ Rebuild Marches On
Meanwhile, down in D.C., the Nationals are officially out for the seventh straight year since their 2019 World Series title. Ouch. But hey, it actually looked like a different story for a minute! They were just a game back of the final NL wild-card spot in late July, riding one of the best offenses in baseball. Then boom, an ugly 1-7 stretch in early August torpedoed it all, and the gap just kept growing. Here’s the kicker, though: there’s real reason for optimism. CJ Abrams and James Wood, both 25 or younger, pulled off something wild. They both crushed 30-plus homers and swiped 20-plus bases, joining only José Ramírez and Francisco Lindor from the 2018 Cleveland squad in that exclusive club. They’re also the first Nats duo to hit 30 dingers since Rendon and Soto in that championship year. Even with that kind of firepower, new PBO Paul Toboni still sold at the deadline. This year wasn’t about October; it was built around Abrams and Wood becoming the foundation for their next window. That foundation looks pretty solid.
A’s Brief Hope Fizzles Out in the AL West
Over in the AL, the Athletics were the fourth team officially out by September 9. Man, what a rollercoaster that was. Remember May 9? They were three games over .500! They even spent 45 days in first place in the AL West, sitting pretty at the top until May 26. Then, just like that, the wheels fell off. A brutal 32-60 record since May 26 sealed their fate. They can definitely hit, especially when healthy. But this team just couldn’t stay healthy long enough to make any real noise. We’re talking about Nick Kurtz, the 2025 AL Rookie of the Year and league-leader in on-base percentage, and even he couldn’t carry them through the injury bug.
So, with these three clubs officially out of the October picture, the focus shifts. For the Mets, it’s about figuring out how a massive payroll ended up with an early exit and a manager out of a job. For the Nationals, it’s all about nurturing that young talent in Abrams and Wood. And for the A’s, they’ve got to find a way to keep their key hitters on the field. The rest of the league is still battling, but for these teams, it’s time to start planning for next year. It’s a tough pill to swallow when your season is effectively over before the final game.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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