MLB
Which MLB teams have gone the longest since making the playoffs?
After a decade of missing the playoffs, the Angels will once again watch MLB’s postseason from home. They could even host a celebratory watch party.
In top-tier sports, reaching the postseason is essential. Failing to do so leads to changes in the team. Consistently falling short can result in major club changes. Unfortunately, this is not always within a team’s control. Some teams are more successful at losing than others.
The Los Angeles Angels’ 10-year drought is still not comparable to the longest postseason droughts that ended recently, such as those of the Mariners (21 years, ending in 2022) and the Phillies (11 years, ending in 2022). But still, last place in the America League West, with a 63-99 win-loss score, left a bitter taste in the mouths of their fans.
Which teams currently have the longest playoff drought?
The Los Angeles Angels suffered the departure of the generational talent player in the MLB and endured their worst performance in franchise history over the past year.
Los Angeles Angels - 10 years
The Angels ended the season with a .389 winning percentage, just one loss shy of 100 losses. They have not had a winning record since 2015. The team lost its last six games, including being swept by the 41-121 Chicago White Sox, resulting in its worst record in team history.
In addition to losing Ohtani, the Angels also had star center fielder Mike Trout sidelined for much of the season. The three-time AL MVP only played 29 games due to a torn meniscus suffered at the end of April, which was a career-low for him.
The Angels have not been considered good in a while, yet they incredibly finished with fewer than 70 wins and fewer than 80 wins for the sixth straight season.
Pittsburgh Pirates - 9 years
An inept offense often undermined the Pirates’ solid pitching rotation, anchored by Paul Skenes.
Pittsburgh’s offense ranked in the bottom 10 in nearly every major category.
The offense ranked 23rd in batting average (.234), 24th in runs (665), 26th in on-base percentage (.301), and 27th in slugging (.371), leading to the dismissal of hitting coach Andy Haines. The 2024 season is over for the Pittsburgh Pirates; they now have ample time to look back at what they need to address and improve on heading into 2025.
The Pirates finished last in the National League Central with a 76-86 record, the same as their record in 2023. They believed that making changes to their staff was necessary to move forward next season and have another opportunity to break their nine-year streak.
| Team | Years | Starting year |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Angels | 10 | 2014 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 9 | 2015 |
| Colorado Rockies | 6 | 2018 |
| Washington Nationals | 5 | 2019 |
| Chicago Cubs | 4 | 2020 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 4 | 2020 |
| Oakland Athletics | 4 | 2020 |
| Chicago White Sox | 3 | 2021 |
| San Francisco Giants | 3 | 2021 |
| Boston Red Sox | 3 | 2021 |