Which team will be next to end their World Series drought?
The Houston Astros not only made team history by holding off the Los Angeles Dodgers over seven games in the World Series, they also crossed their name off a dubious list.
Houston trimmed a list of historically unsuccessful franchises from eight to seven after winning the Commissioner's Trophy, leaving only the Colorado Rockies, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, and Washington Nationals as the only MLB teams yet to win a World Series.
With the Astros' success in full focus, here's how the seven sides rank in their immediate chances of becoming world champs for the first time:
7. San Diego Padres
World Series appearances: 2
- 1984: Lost in 5 vs. Tigers
- 1998: Lost in 4 vs. Yankees
The Padres are bad. We all know it, but most importantly, they know it, too. In all likelihood, the franchise may not win a World Series in the next decade, but they do have the foundation to eventually find themselves in the mix again; San Diego has seven prospects rated among MLB's top 100, and have an intriguing trade chip in Brad Hand for when they want more.
6. Texas Rangers
World Series appearances: 2
- 2010: Lost in 5 vs. Giants
- 2011: Lost in 7 vs. Cardinals
After years of laughing at the Astros, the Rangers now find themselves the ugly sibling in Texas. In trading away their best starter - Yu Darvish - at the deadline, they relinquished any hope of contention, but they also failed to land a massive prospect haul from the Los Angeles Dodgers, making a possible rebuild that much more difficult to accomplish. The biggest crime of all, however, may be holding onto Adrian Beltre at this point in his career, as the surefire Hall of Famer deserves a ring before calling it quits.
5. Tampa Bay Rays
World Series appearances: 1
- 2008: Lost in 5 vs. Phillies
When you're slugging it out daily in the AL East, you need to either amass prospects to contend down the line, or you stock up in the offseason with the goal of going all-in. The Rays' failure to commit one way or the other, however, seems to be their downfall season after season. Currently, their most pressing need is to find a slugging first baseman, though with the Yankees-Red Sox duopoly in place for the foreseeable future, it may be smarter to cash in on their stars for tomorrow.
4. Seattle Mariners
World Series appearances: 0
In truth, the Mariners could've fared much better than they did this season, though it should be noted they were one baseball's unluckiest teams. Injuries ravaged the club's rotation, forcing them to deploy a league-high 17 starters in 2017, per Baseball Reference. Their relief corps was just as battered, as their 34 relievers were also far-and-away the most used by any team this season. But while the Astros figure to have first place in the AL West locked up, the Mariners can easily challenge for a wild-card spot with their talent, but they'll need better luck and a throwback year from King Felix to do it.
3. Milwaukee Brewers
World Series appearances: 1
- 1982: Lost in 7 vs. Cardinals
The Brewers surprised plenty in 2017 as the young team caught the rest of the NL Central off guard, holding the top spot over divisional giants like the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals for 69 days before eventually sputtering down the final stretch. Milwaukee took a chance on bringing Eric Thames back to MLB and he proved to be a revelation, as did fellow former castoffs Travis Shaw and Domingo Santana. Their season is even more impressive in hindsight, considering names like Keon Broxton and Jonathan Villar failed to take an expected next step. They may need another front-line starter to complement Chase Anderson and Zach Davies, but with seven prospects in the top 100 - like the Padres - Milwaukee has potential assets to improve on 2017.
2. Colorado Rockies
World Series appearances: 1
- 2007: Lost in 4 vs. Red Sox
Whether it's the Coors effect or the arduous seasons brought on by simply playing in the same division as perennial heavyweights like the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants (this disastrous season notwithstanding), the Colorado Rockies never seem to be able to fulfill expectations for one reason or another. They do, however, stand a solid chance of bettering their wild-card loss to the Diamondbacks, especially if Arizona loses J.D. Martinez to free agency.
1. Washington Nationals
World Series appearances: 0
The Washington Nationals are hands down the best team on the list, and they realistically should be competing for a World Series crown year in and year out with their talent. Instead, they're still trying to figure out what winning a postseason series is like, despite employing some of the best talents in baseball like Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg, and Max Scherzer. After letting Dusty Baker go in October, though, using their manager as an excuse simply isn't allowed anymore, and if Washington doesn't seriously vie for a World Series crown in 2018, it could be a while before they're in the conversation again.
(Photos courtesy Getty Images)