The MLB has potentially never been more wide open than it is right now. No team towers above the field, and everyone seems to have a red flag or two of their own. But which red flag could be the downfall of every team fighting for a ring?
Los Angeles Dodgers: Health in the rotation
There are two ways to view the Dodgers rotation heading into the postseason. The first is that Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are all getting healthier and should all be ready to throw in the playoffs. The second is that all three of them — and an aging Clayton Kershaw — will likely have to throw a lot more in the postseason than they've thrown in a long time, and the battle of attrition that is the MLB Playoffs could wear on the Dodgers' rotation arms pretty heavily.
Granted, an elite rotation maybe having to deal with tired arms is far from the reddest of flags. They're still the Dodgers, after all.
New York Yankees: An unreliable bullpen
The Yankees kind of, sort of tried to fix this at the deadline... and it has't fully worked yet. Camilo Duval has had a rough go of it since coming to the Yanks, while Jake Bird was already sent down to Triple-A. Devin Williams no longer pitches in high-leverage spots (for now) so there are really more questions in the Yanks pen than answers right now.
Seattle Mariners: Do they just suck now?
If the only week of this MLB season you've watched was from August 3rd to August 10th, you probably think the Mariners are World Series contedners (they went 8-0).
If the only week of this season you've watched is the past week, you probably think this is the worst baseball team ever concocted. The Mariners have lost five in a row and seven of their past eight, completing decimating all the positive momentum they built after the trade deadline. The biggest reason for this is, maybe surprisingly, their pitching. Every starter minus Bryan Woo is throwing a meatball party for opposing teams and if this trend continues, the team will not be making much noise in October.
Houston Astros: Do they just suck now? (Offense edition)
The AL West race is a battle between two teams desperate to not win the division. While the Mariners are struggling due to pitching, the Astros are struggling to score runs. Like, any runs. This team has been shut out four times in their last six games, in which they gave gone 1-5.
This team still has star power at the top but the lineup drops off pretty quickly in the second half. If Jose Altuve, Jeremy Pena and Carlos Correa aren't hot... can anyone cover for them?
Boston Red Sox: Pitcher workload
Garrett Crochet has alreadt well exceeded his carrer high in innings pitched. So has Dustin May. Bryan Bello will likely get there too by the end of the season. Lucas Giolito has surpassed 100 innings after missing all of 2024. Can this lineup be relied upon, both health and production-wise, in a postseason run? Who knows!
Philadelphia Phillies: Production from everyday players
This team is rolling right now — and that's without Nick Castellanos, J.T. Realmuto, Bryston Stott andAlec Bohm having their best seasons. That's a good thing right now... but for this team to be a World Series contender like they can be, guys who play every day need to contribute pretty much every day. Can the non-Harper, Schwarber and Turner cast come through?
Toronto Blue Jays: Consistent production from starters
There's a real chance Shane Bieber is in the Blue Jays' playoff rotation. That could be great, but it's also a sign that this team doesn't have much wiggle room from its starters, who have been... okay this year. There aren't any clear blemishes in the lineup, but there aren't any sure things, either. Can this team string together quality starts against high-level offenses?
New York Mets: Consistency on both sides
When the offense is cooking for the Mets, the pitching seems to be, too. But when the offense slows down, it feels like the pitching goes with it. During their losing streak, the Mets couldn't muster more than a few runs per game, but they've scored 27 runs in their last four games. I'm more confident in the offense than I am in the pitching, which has struggled to go deep in games for months now.
San Diego Padres: Scoring in bunches
This team's bullpen is so good and so deep that I'm confident they'll at least stay competitive in any game in the playoffs... but the offense tanks No. 22 in runs scored. That's not good! There seems to be enough firepower up and down the lineup, but it falls flat more often than you'd think.
Milwaukee Brewers: Lack of pop
There aren't too many red flags for a 79-47 team... but a lack of home run pop is the one that stands out. The team is No. 19 in home runs, the lowest of any team currently in a playoff position. If they hit 30 singles a game it might not matter, but if this team can't small ball its way to a World Series, things might get tricky.
Chicago Cubs: Slumping stars
This team needs both Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker to come through if a playoff run is iminent. Right now, they're not doing that at all. Tucker has an OPS of .381 in August and PCA's is not much better at .447 for the month. Both of these numbers could turn any day... and the Cubs need it.
Detroit Tigers: No high-level stars
What batter do you think leads the Tigers in WAR? Wrong, it's Dillon Dingler. Seriously! Dingler's 2.8 WAR is best on the team, just ahead of Zach McKinstry (2.6) and Spencer Torkelson. There are good players all over this roster, but is that enough to get the job done against teams that have multiple great players?