We are down to the final four in baseball, with it all looking like the world against the Dodgers, as any other team winning it all would be a major coup for the playing on a budget crowd. But before we enjoy an epic week of championship series games, let’s take a moment to talk about the four teams that just fell short in the postseason.
While being in the division series is an honor onto itself, most of the eliminated teams will feel a sting from this elimination, whether because of unfulfilled expectations or because they came oh so close to having a deep October run. They will all have to regroup and find ways to improve, as there is no guarantee they will have another chance to be here.
In no particular order, here are the post-mortems for the teams that just went home.
New York Yankees (93-68) – Lost 3-0 to Tampa Bay
From a statistical standpoint, the 2026 Yankees were one of the most complete squads in the sport. They were second in homers and a top-10 offense, complementing the best pitching staff in the sport, which had the lowest ERA by a significant margin. In fact, the difference between the #1 Yankees and the #2 Brewers was larger than the difference between Milwaukee and #9 Toronto. That kind of well-rounded roster should have been enough to dominate the weakest AL in years, but New York’s seasons ended in practically the same script as the 2025 version: great regular season that was not enough to win the division, followed by a dominant wild-card win over the Red Sox, capped by being completely outclassed by the AL East champion.
Having said this, it is important to remember that in 2025, the Yankees fell victim to Toronto’s unstoppable run through the playoffs, and it included some of the best October performances of Aaron Judge’s career. This time around, the Bombers were quickly swept in a series in which they never led, were almost no-hit in Game 1, committed five errors in Game 2, and had an interfering fan as the most relevant storyline of Game 3. The feeling around the Bronx is that they should have not lost in this manner to the Rays, as mistakes in key junctures of the division series were the difference between a close set and this unceremonious sweep. The franchise also rued the absence of Judge, who could have been a huge factor in this kind of matchup.
At the same time, this is the first postseason sweep the Yankees have suffered since the 2022 ALCS, and the aftermath of that series led to their only non-playoff season since 2017. The job security of manager Aaron Boone and GM Brian Cashman have come into question, as the perception around New York is that this team was not prepared to play fundamental baseball at the highest stage, while its dependency towards homers became too much to overcome against a smart pitching staff. Seeing the success of other AL teams like Tampa, Cleveland, and even the Red Sox, the Yankees could be motivated to finally make some wholesale changes to their philosophy, especially as their World Series drought approaches two decades.
With their pitching core intact, the rotation of Cam Schlittler, Max Fried, Gerrit Cole, and Carlos Rodón should give the Yankees a massive advantage in their division, as the front office could even try to get creative and trade from this surplus of talent to fortify the offense. The laundry list of free agents for New York includes some of their most dynamic players, although their lackluster playoffs suggest that Trent Grisham and Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jr. will not be retained. Closer David Bednar may also become too expensive, but the overall strength of the bullpen could provide internal solutions. New Yorkers may not be satisfied, but Boone and Cashman are likely to return, as it is clear that ownership seems content with this type of Yankees baseball in which they are competitive and have a chance to win every year.
Of course, getting a healthy Judge back may be the ultimate X factor for the franchise, as he will enter next season at age 35, and his window of greatnees may start to close in a hurry. Playing in the AL East provides no reprieve for the Bombers, as it is clear that the Rays and Red Sox also have solid baselines, while the Jays and Orioles will probably be out for revenge following disappointing seasons. Seeing the emergence of Ben Rice as a star and having exciting youngsters like George Lombard Jr., Jr. is a great place to start, but it is also clear that New York needs a major jolt to finally get over the hump in October.
San Diego Padres – (91-71) – Lost 3-1 to Milwaukee
In this decade of relevant Padres baseball, San Diego and its ownership groups have been incredibly vocal in their desire to win, creating one of the best fan-team relationships in MLB. Petco Park has become one of the best ballparks just for the sheer amount of people who fill out the stadium on a daily basis, while the franchise has doubled down on its mission to finally bring a championship to San Diego. Alas, the Padres formula appears to have gone stale, having now lost three straight playoff series in which they looked utterly hopeless by the end. Much like the aforementioned Yankees, the Friars have made tough playoff exits an October tradition, this time featuring some all-time terrible luck on the road and an old-fashioned humbling Game 4 loss at home to the top seed in the NL.
Many will point out to the dome ceiling controversy and a rare Mason Miller blowup as the reasons the Padres could not give Milwaukee a bigger scare, but that would ignore that this Padres team was probably the weakest roster they have fielded in the 2020s. In fact, San Diego did not make much noise through the first half of the season, outside of Fernando Tatis Jr., Jr.’s shocking power drought. The Padres played close to .500 baseball through the end of July, but a 35-17 finish allowed them to earn the NL’s top wild card slot. By that point, the team had been stable enough to look dangerous, while a couple of deadline additions allowed them to piece together a serviceable rotation.
Alas, that formula may be not be feasible going forward, especially so in a division that features the Dodgers and a league that continues to improve. While San Diego’s new ownership has gone public in their desire to sustain the status quo of being aggressive in their acquisitions, the overall status of the roster comes with a long list of challenges. Michael King and Nick Pivetta have opt-outs and hold plenty of leverage as the team’s top pitchers, even as Pivetta was limited by injuries. Rentals Robbie Ray and Casey Mize are almost certain to test the free agent waters, while the team’s best hitter, Ty France, is also due for his first career big payday at age 32.
The unstoppable declines of Xander Bogaerts and Manny Machado were supposed to be compensated by the youth of Jackson Merrill and Tatis, but even they come with question marks following lackluster seasons. The only unblemished part of this squad comes with the bullpen, and that is where the front office may decide to deal from a position of strength. Closer Mason Miller’s name was dangled around the deadline, and his value is still sky-high for any franchise that would be willing to pay the price. San Diego’s middling offense and patchwork rotation suggest that this team could benefit from several reinforcements, with a combination of free agents and trade targets necessary to achieve a real retooling. The Padres certainly hope that their second-half version is closer to its real form, but their decision-makers should be wise to the fact that this roster needs some serious help.
Atlanta – (94-68) – Lost 3-1 to LA Dodgers
For a moment, Atlanta had it all set. After defeating their hated playoff tormentors in the wild card round, they gambled with a bullpen Game 2 in Los Angeles and earned a split against the defending champs. That meant they had reclaimed home-field advantage and had Chris Sale to start Game 3, with all the momentum to create a special October. Alas, two improbable homers allowed by Sale were essentially the end for Atlanta, as they could not recover against a Dodgers team that slowly broke Atlanta’s will and saw them flail at the plate time and again. This kind of deflating ending is common to the Atlanta faithful, who had seen the team fall unceremoniously every year since their 2021 championship. On the other hand, 2026 was full of positives for a franchise that is still in good shape, with most of its impressive roster ready to return.
Atlanta completed the impressive feat of leading its division from day one until the end, taking full advantage of the Mets’ and Phillies’ slow starts to cement themselves as the class of the NL East. Despite injuries to key players and a makeshift rotation that required ageless wonder Martín Pérez to start 26 times, Atlanta made it work. A midseason June swoon and a middling September were the only warning signs during the regular season, and it is arguable that losing the 2-spot in the NL doomed Atlanta before the playoffs began, but it is also important to remember that this franchise had gone through a miserable 2025 and saw 16 different pitchers make at least one start. Taking it all together, 2026 was an impressive showing.
With the Phils in flux and the Mets an everlasting enigma, it is likely that Atlanta will start 2027 as a slight favorite to repeat. Before that happens, they do need to figure out some of their internal issues. Ronald Acuña, Jr. and Ozzie Albies were more good than great, while Austin Riley was downright bad, playoff homer against Philadelphia notwithstanding. Spencer Strider is probably never coming back to his ace status, while Perez and Bryce Elder are more likely to become long relievers thank key rotation pieces again. On the positive side, Sale is aging like fine wine, while Tyler Mahle became one of the best deadline deals in years, as Atlanta fans continue to wonder why he was pulled so quickly in Game 4.
Free agency should not be a major concern for the front office, as the team’s core remains intact once they pick up some obvious options. Re-signing Mahle and closer Raisel Iglesias should be priorities, along with adding at least one solid starter to round out the rotation. With Drake Baldwin and Michael Harris II in their early twenties and Matt Olson defying the odds at age 32, there are plenty of weapons to build around and continue this golden age of Atlanta baseball. With this high floor and a front office that has shown its willingness to spend in the past, this could be a key offseason to take the next step, as it is also clear that they may be a notch below the NL teams that have made playing in the NLCS a yearly tradition.
Chicago White Sox – (84-78) – Lost 3-2 to Cleveland
The Chicago White Sox just completed one of the most bittersweet seasons in recent memory. Their feel-good story of becoming a playoff team following three straight 100-loss seasons became even more memorable when they won a postseason series and then went on to have a 2-0 lead in the ALDS. Alas, that would be the highest point for the Sox, as their extreme approach and lack of experience were exposed as they blew the lead and bowed out sheepishly in a 2-0 Game 5. Chicago hitters struck out 21 times in that winner-take-all affair, as they will now have a full offseason to think about what went wrong near the end. However, that should not take away from what Chicago accomplished in 2026, as their turnaround was impressive for many reasons.
The signing of Munetaka Murakami may not look as impressive from a WAR standpoint, as the Japanese import was a liability on defense and missed more than 30 games due to injury. That is almost irrelevant considering how Murakami did fulfill his promise as a legit power hitter and all-around fun guy, becoming the glue for a team that excelled in hitting homers. He should become proof of concept for small-payroll franchises that fortune favors the bold, and that even moderate spending can be the difference when trying to take the leap to relevancy. As the Pale Hose saw many of its prospects graduate to the big-league club, things coalesced quickly to create a dynamic offense, as Chicago became a top-10 unit with Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery joining Murakami as 30-homer hitters.
Chicago’s pitching was not as impressive, outside of Sean Burke becoming a workhorse and Davis Martin looking like a solid #3 starter. The lack of reliable pitching led the White Sox to use several bullpen games in the playoffs, and that should become the only priority if the front office wishes to build upon this improbable ascent. Sean Newcomb, Randall Grichuk, and Erick Fedde are the only relevant veterans set for free agency, and there should be plenty of payroll flexibility to take the next step in what became an unexpected successful rebuild. MLB franchises that reach this point have navigated their success to varying results, and it is now Chicago’s responsibility to make sure that this is not an all-time fluke.
Playing in the AL Central is more a feature than a bug for the upcoming seasons of White Sox baseball, as even a modest payroll and additions could keep them relevant. Chicago’s farm system does not have the weight it used to, and their foundation of twenty-somethings is now the reality for this franchise. Cutting down on some strikeouts would be ideal, but it seems that their approach will remain to be aggressive, brash, and fun as a team, but now with some kind of expectations regarding their competitive cycle. Even as Cleveland chased them down in the division race and again in the playoffs, the White Sox are in great shape and have a bright future ahead.
