As the 2024 MLB regular season heads into its final weekend, much is left to be decided. Entering play Friday, 14 teams still entertained at least some hope of playing into October. Meanwhile, the other 16 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 16 teams isn't playing this October -- and what they can do to change that in 2025.