23-17. Teams With Important Decisions To Make This Offseason
23. Texas Rangers (58-76) — The Rangers won’t be a major threat until they get some serious pitching upgrades, but the lineup looks to be effective for years to come. Aside from the offseason signings, Nathaniel Lowe, Adolis Garcia, and Leody Tavares appear to be long-term keepers for the Rangers.
22. Chicago Cubs (56-78) — They had been scrappy for most of the second-half, but the Cubbies have skid a bit in recent weeks. Since Aug. 21, Chicago is 4-11 while being shutout four times.
21. Colorado Rockies (57-79) — The Rockies’ two-week road trip mercifully came to an end last week. Colorado went 3-7 during that stretch, and are now a league-worst 21-46 on the road.
20. Los Angeles Angels (59-76) — Shohei Ohtani is making a surge for league MVP despite LA’s constant troubles to win baseball games. The two-way phenom is up to 32 HR on the year with a 2.58 ERA. His 12.0 SO/9 is the best among starting pitchers this season.
19. Arizona Diamondbacks (65-69) — Arizona boasts two starters who could find their way on the NL Cy Young ballot this year. Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly both rank in the top-5 in WAR for National League pitchers, and each pitched seven shutout innings in their starts last week.
18. San Francisco Giants (65-68) — Last year, the Giants won 107 games and took the NL West crown. This season, the Giants are 26.5 GB after putting together a four-game winning streak. It’s been a rough year for Gabe Kapler’s group.
17. Boston Red Sox (67-79) — As long as we’re on the topic of disappointing teams, the Red Sox have played themselves out of the playoff picture over the last two months. Boston is 9.0 GB of the final Wild Card spot despite their five-game winning streak last week.
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