3 MLB playoff teams that will fall off the map after lack of offseason spending

1) Milwaukee Brewers won't make the playoffs in 2024

The Brew Crew were the N.L. Central's lone representative in the playoffs a year ago, but things got interesting in the second half of the season thanks to the surging Cubs and the young and hungry Reds.

The Brewers have mostly stood pat this offseason, but that won't be enough to retain the division crown. The Reds are loaded with young talent, and they'll have a full season from wunderkind Elly Da La Cruz and fellow whippersnappers Matt McLain, Andrew Abbott, and Noelvi Marte to work with. The Cardinals imported Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn, and Kyle Gibson to help a pitching staff that had a grisly 4.81 ERA last year, and the Cubs replaced the mercurial Stroman with Shota Imanaga, while also swinging a deal for Yency Almonte and Michael Busch from the Dodgers. If they can bring back fan-favorite Cody Bellinger after his bounce-back season, they'll be a real force to be reckoned with.

The Brewers have a new manager in Pat Murphy, after the much-sought-after Craig Counsell jumped ship to the Cubs for a lucrative $8 million-per-year contract that Milwaukee and its small market finances couldn't hope to compete with.

The Brewers are a well-run organization, but it will be interesting to see what they do if they fall behind early. A rough April and May could lead to the long-rumored Corbin Burnes trade, or any number of options that would allow them to pivot to the future. With the Reds and Cubs knocking at the door, plus desperation in St. Louis after such an uncharacteristically abysmal season, it wouldn't be a shock to see the Brewers fall back a spot or two in the division.