What went wrong for MLB's non-playoff teams -- and how to fix them - ESPN

As the 2024 MLB regular season heads into its final weekend, much is left to be decided. Entering play Saturday, 13 teams still entertained hope of playing into October. Meanwhile, the other 17 know it's all about to grind to a halt.

What happened? What comes next? These are the first questions teams must ask when the postseason derby begins without them and their offseason starts sooner than they desired. For the eliminated teams, we'll get a jump on the hot stove part of the calendar, asking — and attempting to answer — those questions for them.

Here's why each of the 17 teams isn't playing this October — and what they can do to change that in 2025.

Why the Red Sox are sitting out October: Too many injuries

What can they do to fix it? Let's face it, after three straight seasons of perfect mediocrity, the impatient Boston fan base isn't going to accept bad injury luck as any kind of an excuse. From Lucas Giolito, Garrett Whitlock and Trevor Story early on, to Rafael Devers late, the Red Sox ranked as one of baseball's most oft-injured clubs all season. Assuming there is no systemic explanation for this, Boston can hope for a regression in this department as it builds its 2025 roster. The Red Sox should have money to spend and have a deep group of prospects, so Craig Breslow has a lot of avenues in which to infuse the roster. Better health, in addition to prospect graduations, should mean better depth. Still, if Boston wants to escape the dreaded middle, a game-changing thumper for the lineup and a top-of-the-rotation starter ought to lead the shopping list.

Why the Cubs are sitting out October: Too many close losses

What can they do to fix it? The Jekyll and Hyde routine of the Cubs' offense was perplexing, but simply