The MLB postseason will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 30. We are now just over a month away from the end of the 2025 regular season. Soon, we'll be down to 12 teams competing for a World Series title, and that fun will last through the month of October, with the World Series set to begin on Friday, October 24.
The landscape looks quite clear right now. But the races are tight, and some contenders in the mix could be one mistake away from faltering. Here are four teams that could be at risk of losing their playoff hopes.
4. Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals have been an interesting team all season long. They have been in the race for much of the year, but they've also dealt with some struggles. Unfortunately, they are struggling a little bit now.
Their main problem has been offense. They addressed it at the deadline, but they just aren't consistent enough. Unless they can go on another run like they just had, we may see the Royals start to fade from postseason contention in the coming weeks. They've dealt with injuries, and certain players such as Jonathan India haven't panned out.
3. Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are close in the National League Wild Card race. They are only 2 1/2 games back of the New York Mets. However, like the Mets recently, the Reds have gone into their own tailspin.
Like the Royals, Cincinnati isn't terribly consistent. They have strong starting pitching beginning with Hunter Greene, but while the Mets were struggling, Cincinnati didn't take advantage of the opportunity to gain some ground.
While they are still close in the race, they are now 4-6 in their last 10 games, and it's fair to wonder if they can truly compete with some of the better teams in the National League like the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies.
They may have ultimately missed their window to catch the Mets, and now they are paying the price for not being able to pounce on New York's mistakes. They have a crucial series with the Mets from September 5-7, and that will go a long way in determining the Wild Card race.
If they can't win that series, then their playoff hopes might just be gone with only a few weeks to go in the regular season.
2. New York Mets
The Mets have started to play better baseball. They are 6-4 in their last 10 and have increased their lead over the Reds in the Wild Card race. As we mentioned, there is a crucial series between the two teams in September.
What could cost the Mets, however, is their bullpen. They loaded up on relief arms such as Ryan Helsley, Gregory Soto and Tyler Rogers at the trade deadline. But it was the bullpen that played such a prominent role in their August slump, and if they can't pull it together, they could find themselves on the outside looking in soon.
They had been slumping for quite some time and even lost their lead in the National League East. They are now six games back of the Phillies for the top spot. But the Mets need to stay strong with their bullpen and be able to lock down games.
If their bullpen reverts to where it was right after the deadline, they will be in significant trouble. We will see if New York can maintain its recent hot stretch and build up their Wild Card lead even further. The next few weeks will be crucial.
1. New York Yankees
The New York Yankees have been banged up all season long. They lost Gerrit Cole to Tommy John surgery before the 2025 season began, and they coughed up a seven-game lead in the American League East in June.
They now are in third place in the AL East and recently lost their hold on the top Wild Card spot, losing three out of four games at home to the Boston Red Sox. If they aren't careful, they could eventually fall out of a playoff spot. They are lucky the Seattle Mariners, who hold the third Wild Card spot, have been slumping as well.
But the Royals and Cleveland Guardians aren't quite dead yet, and the Yankees do have a tough schedule coming up after their stretch against the Washington Nationals and Chicago White Sox. They'll have the Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers, and Red Sox again, and that stretch could ultimately spell their doom if they begin to struggle again or don't take care of business against the non-contending teams.
It will be interesting to see how New York navigates the stretch run of the 2025 season, but they are far from a lock for the playoffs.