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Last season, the D-backs with a young-ish roster won 84 games and the pennant. After some targeted offseason strikes that brought in names like Jordan Montgomery, Eugenio Suárez, and Joc Pederson, the club was expected to take a step forward in 2024. So far, that hasn’t happened. However – recurring theme forthcoming – the low bar for contention in the National League means the Snakes are still very relevant despite the disappointing results. Grade: C
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| The Braves thus far have fallen shy of expectations, but those expectations were sky-high. They’ve been hit hard by injuries, and the last season’s juggernaut of an offense has significantly underperformed. The result is a significant deficit in the NL East, but they’re still on pace to top 90 wins. Grade: B- |
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| The O’s are coming off 101 wins and a division title in 2023. Given the highly impressive young core in place, they should again be among the league’s best. That’s exactly what they are so far. Right now, they boast one of MLB’s best run differentials. The players are doing their parts, and now it’s incumbent upon GM Mike Elias to address the thinned-out rotation behind ace Corbin Burnes leading up to the trade deadline. Grade: A- |
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| The Sox have achieved a solidly above .500 record, relevance in the standings, and a strong run differential despite a roster that’s light on stars (Rafael Devers is the notable exception) and having played a tough schedule to date. Grade: B+ |
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| Craig Counsell’s first season in Wrigleyville has not gone swimmingly. The offense and bullpen have been particularly disappointing. The only thing that spares them from a lower mark is the fact that they remain in the wild-card race in the NL. Grade: C- |
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| The Sox were a bad team in 2023, and they leaned into the rebuild process. As such, it’s no shock that they’re terrible once again. What is unexpected is the depths of their struggles. This writing finds them on pace for 120 losses, which would tie the modern record set by the 1962 Mets. Bear in mind this roster could get even worse after trade deadline deals. Grade: F |
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| The front of the rotation has been a real strength for Cincy this season. While some of the shine has come off Elly De La Cruz’s hot start, he’s still providing significant value. It’s been a middling season for the Reds so far, but that’s enough for relevance in the senior circuit. Grade: C |
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| Yes, the Guards have thus far played the weakest schedule in MLB, but that’s not cause to dismiss their excellent work to date. They’ve outscored the opposition by more than 100 runs, and at the moment they have the best record (and largest division lead) in all of baseball. In contrast to so many recent Cleveland teams, this year’s model under rookie manager Stephen Vogt has been helped and not hindered by the offensive attack. Grade: A+ |
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| The Rockies were a 103-loss jalopy in 2023, and they’ve been slightly worse on a rate basis so far in 2024. In that sense, expectations have sort of been met? This remains a completely rudderless organization. Grade: C- |
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| Detroit wasn’t really expected to contend in 2024, but a step forward was a reasonable demand. That hasn’t happened thus far, as their winning percentage has declined slightly. As well, they’re in fourth place in a division that includes the White Sox, and Spencer Torkelson’s ongoing failure to launch remains a leading worry for the org. Grade: C- |
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| It’s hard to go from appearing in seven straight ALCSs to “possible deadline seller” in such a short span of time, but the 2024 Astros are flirting with just such an arc. The rotation has been hammered by injuries, and the Astros have gotten terrible production from the bat-first positions of left field and first base. Grade: D |
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| KC has come back to earth since the calendar flipped to June, but overall they’re still exceeding expectations by quite a bit coming off a 106-loss campaign in 2023. Bobby Witt Jr. has emerged as a true superstar. The challenge now is reversing that June skid and remaining in the playoff hunt as the summer deepens. Grade: A- |
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| The Halos under first-year manager Ron Washington are of course not a good team, and that’s exactly what we thought they would be. They lost 89 games in 2024 and then saw Shohei Ohtani ink a $700 million pact with the rival Dodgers. As well, Mike Trout hasn’t played since April 29. This is a largely hopeless organization at the moment, and they’re at risk of logging the franchise’s first-ever 100-loss season. Maybe they’ll get something for Tyler Anderson at the deadline? Grade: C- |
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| Are the Dodgers with their star-stuffed lineup quite as dominant as we thought they’d be? Not quite, but they’re still having an impressive season, especially in light of the injuries. They’ve got the NL West on lockdown, and they may wind up clocking another 100-win season. Will Shohei Ohtani win the MVP in a non-pitching year? Quite possibly. Grade: B |
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| The Marlins were always regression candidates in 2024 based on the extent to which they out-played their run differential in 2024. But to this extreme? A 100-loss season seems likely, as does a deep and long rebuilding process. Grade: D |
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| The rotation is without Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, Adrian Houser, and Wade Miley. The dugout is missing Craig Counsell, and David Stearns is no longer in the front office. Still and yet, the Brewers have put together a comfortable lead in the NL Central. Grade: A |
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| The Twins are quietly lurking in the AL Central, perhaps ready to make a vigorous push for the flag in the second half. Carlos Correa’s bounceback season has much to do with that, and Royce Lewis continues to produce like an MVP when healthy. The Guardians’ excellent first half of 2024 is duly noted, but Rocco Baldelli’s club is far from buried. Grade: B- |
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| This looked like a transition year for the Mets under new lead decision-maker David Stearns, and it may wind up being just that. Again, though, the National League in 2024 affords relevance to almost all teams, so the Mets find themselves with plausible designs on the postseason. They’ll be one of the most interesting teams to watch leading up to the trade deadline. Grade: B- |
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| The Yanks at this writing have dropped three straight series (this two-gamer against the Mets doesn’t count as a real series), but the overall body of work has been deeply impressive. Right now, they’re on pace for 105 wins. That would be their highest tally since 1998. The Juan Soto addition has been an excellent targeted strike by GM Brian Cashman, and the rotation has been top-shelf even while getting almost no innings from reigning AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole. Grade: A |
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| The A’s are on pace for a third straight 100-loss season, but at the same time they’re on target to improve modestly upon last year’s record. One of their top young hitters, Tyler Soderstrom, seems to be finding a higher level. Trust-funder John Fisher remains the worst and most miserable owner in sports. Grade: C+ |
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| The Phils are in the discussion for best team in baseball at the midpoint. That’s thanks in large measure to a dominant rotation. You know about Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. This year, however, Ranger Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez have pitched on their level so far, and that gives the Phillies frontline-grade rotation depth that’s the envy of almost every other team in MLB. On the other side of things, Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Alec Bohm, and Kyle Schwarber have helmed what’s been a top-tier offensive attack so far. Grade: A+ |
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| Look, I don’t enjoy saying variations on “they remain in the NL wild-card race” this many times, but you can thank the NL wild-card race for those redundancies. Anyhow, the Pirates remain in the NL wild-card race. The Buccos aren’t scoring runs at an acceptable clip, but they have an imposing young front of the rotation in Paul Skenes and Jared Jones. Grade: C |
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| On the one hand, the Padres are merely .500-ish, as they were across the entire disappointing 2023 campaign. On the other hand, they’re in playoff position, and they’ve gotten there despite trading away Juan Soto and losing the reigning NL Cy Young winner (Blake Snell) and their lockdown closer (Josh Hader) to free agency. Grade: B- |
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| The Giants once again angled for contention, and once again it seems to have eluded them. Injuries have exacted a price, yes, but the reality is that the Giants seem unable to return to strong relevance in the standings ever since that 107-win campaign of 2021. This continues to be a roster undone by its lack of star power. Grade: D+ |
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| The M’s offense remains a liability, but that young-ish rotation is one of the best in the game (and a tremendous organizational asset). The surprising struggles of the Astros and Rangers have helped matters, as Seattle has one of the largest division leads of all. They’re seeking their first division title since 2001. Grade: B+ |
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| The Cardinals have achieved improvement relative to the depths of their 91-loss season in 2023, though that doesn’t necessarily mean success. The rotation makeover has been largely successful, but what was expected to be a strong offense hasn’t been thus far. They’re merely .500-ish, but, again, that’s good enough to matter in the NL. Grade: B- |
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| The Rays have for so long been able to overcome owner Stuart Sternberg’s refusal to do his job, but is that impressive run coming to an end? Among AL teams right now, just the White Sox, Angels, and A’s have a worse run differential. Grade: D |
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| A banged-up rotation and a surprisingly middling offense have undermined the defending World Series champs thus far. That rotation is starting to get healthier, and that could prompt a run soon enough. For now, though, the Rangers qualify as a surprising flop in 2024. Grade: F |
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| The Jays are in the discussion for most disappointing team of 2024. Coming off postseason berths in three of the last four seasons, the Jays had designs on a third straight trip to the playoffs. At this writing, however, SportsLine gives them just a 3.4% chance of cracking the playoff fray. That’s because Toronto is in last place and on pace for their first losing season since 2019. Grade: F |
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| Yes, the Nats are narrowly below .500 as of this check-in, but that’s good enough for absolute relevance in the NL wild-card race. That, in turn, makes for a pleasant surprise in the nation’s capital. The rotation outside of Patrick Corbin has been encouraging. Grade: A- |
