Watch out! These clubs could spoil playoff bids in September

With every passing day in the 2024 regular season, the postseason picture comes into focus a tiny bit more. By this time, it’s already pretty clear which teams have an eye on October and which teams have turned their attention toward competing in 2025.

But even the clubs with little to no hopes of a playoff berth this year can affect the postseason race in a big way. Many of the teams on the outside looking in have plenty of playoff hopefuls on their schedule -- and several of those non-contending clubs are just dangerous enough to orchestrate some beautiful baseball chaos late in the season.

Here are five potential spoiler teams to keep an eye out for in September.

Giants (68-70)
The Giants seem unlikely to be part of the National League postseason field, but they will have an excellent chance to affect it. San Francisco’s September slate is absolutely loaded with likely postseason teams, with the Cardinals (Sept. 27-29) their only opponent that probably won’t play into October.

With six games apiece remaining against both the D-backs and Padres, the Giants can have a major hand in the NL West race -- although handling those teams would do a favor to the rival Dodgers. They also have three games left against the Brewers (Sept. 10-12), Orioles (Sept. 17-19) and Royals (Sept. 20-22), so there are opportunities to make waves elsewhere in the NL and in the American League as well.

Led by ace starters Blake Snell and Logan Webb, San Francisco certainly has the talent to play spoiler in the season’s final month. Snell has a 1.30 ERA in 10 starts since the beginning of July, while Webb leads the Major Leagues with 183 2/3 innings pitched and has a 3.43 ERA. San Francisco’s lineup also includes a few potent bats, including Heliot Ramos (20 HR, .820 OPS) and Matt Chapman (21 HR, .776 OPS). Overlook the Giants at your own risk: The five postseason hopefuls they face in September aren’t likely to do so.

Rays (67-70)
Like the Giants, the Rays face plenty of postseason contenders in the final month of the regular season. They opened a four-game series against the Twins at Tropicana Field on Monday and have four games against the Guardians coming up from Sept. 12-15. Tampa Bay still has six games left against the AL Wild Card-hopeful Red Sox, and three games in Philadelphia next week could certainly play a role in the NL East race as well.

The Rays have hung around .500 all season, never deviating more than five games from the even-water mark at any point in 2024. But as they showed in a 99-win 2023 campaign, they’re capable of getting hot. Sure, this team looks quite different from last year’s squad, but many of the familiar faces are still there, including Brandon Lowe, Yandy Díaz and Josh Lowe in a still-dangerous lineup.

The return of lefty starter Jeffrey Springs from Tommy John surgery and the callup of top prospect Junior Caminero have bolstered the Rays after they dealt away stars Randy Arozarena, Zach Eflin and Isaac Paredes at the Trade Deadline. Want proof Tampa Bay remains dangerous? The Rays swept the D-backs in a three-game set from Aug. 14-16 -- and the same fate could await another contending club in September.

Rangers (65-73)
Don’t count out the defending World Series champions. At 10 games out of the AL West and 9 1/2 out of an AL Wild Card spot, the Rangers aren’t likely to make the postseason -- but when it comes to messing things up for other clubs, Texas still has the ability to make a September splash. The Rangers are currently hosting the Yankees for three games and still have home and away series against the Mariners left on the schedule. In addition, Texas has two games at Chase Field in a 2023 Fall Classic rematch with the D-backs -- a short series but one that could make all the difference in the NL playoff race.

One ace (no pun intended) up the Rangers’ sleeve? Two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom is rehabbing from right UCL surgery in 2023 and is expected to make his season debut this month. There’s still a chance Max Scherzer comes off the IL, too. Corey Seager (30 HR, .865 OPS) has been consistently productive, and despite his down season, Adolis García is never too far removed from a major hot streak. Playoff-bound teams have handled the Rangers well lately, but that could change in the blink of an eye.

Nationals (61-76)
How much of a late-season spoiler can the Nats be? Just ask the Yankees, who dropped two of three games at Nationals Park last week. The Yanks aren’t going to miss the postseason because of that series loss, but it could make a difference in the AL East race or keep them from a first-round bye. With plenty of contenders on their September schedule, the Nats have countless opportunities to cause more chaos in the postseason race.

Washington faces each of the three top teams in the NL East, hosting the Braves for two games (Sept. 10-11), traveling to Citi Field for three games with the Mets (Sept. 16-18) and closing the season with three games against the Phillies in D.C. (Sept. 27-29). The Nats also host the Royals for three games and visit the Cubs for four. With a few talented young starting pitchers and top prospects James Wood and Dylan Crews finding early success, the Nats are suddenly a dangerous club -- one few postseason hopefuls want to see on their schedule.

Athletics (60-78)
The A’s, a spoiler? That’s right: Oakland has been one of MLB’s best teams for the past two months and possesses the talent to make an impact on the AL postseason picture. The A’s have a 30-22 record since July 1 (eighth best in the Majors), with 2023 All-Star Brent Rooker and second-year outfielder Lawrence Butler leading the way. Rooker possesses a .295/.371/.578 batting line with a career-high 33 home runs, and he’s one of five A’s hitters with at least 15 homers this year.

With JP Sears and Osvaldo Bido leading a surprising rotation and Mason Miller dominant at the back end of the bullpen, the A’s have found a winning formula of late. That could make things tough on some of their September foes, including the top two teams in the AL West. Oakland has seven games remaining with Seattle, including a season-ending three-game set at T-Mobile Park from Sept. 27-29, and travels to Houston from Sept. 10-12. The A’s also visit Wrigley Field for a series with the Cubs, who have a shot at an NL Wild Card berth, before returning home to host the Yankees.