Three MLB Teams Falling Far Short of Expectations This Season

Most teams in baseball have around 100 games remaining in 2026, so we’re starting to see which organizations will separate from one another, for better or for worse. Teams like the Rays, Braves, and Guardians have to be pretty excited about their seasons, while others are feeling some major lows.

Here are the teams that I feel have been most disappointing, with a little under 40% of the season completed.

Detroit Tigers (23-38) Preseason Win Total: 85.5

After a disappointing regular-season collapse in 2025, a solid postseason performance has Tiger fans hopeful heading into 2026. Many in the media even had the Tigers as a trendy World Series pick this year.

Unfortunately, when you play poorly for the better part of three months, sometimes, that's just what type of team you are. Of course, injuries have decimated Detroit, especially on the mound; however, the lineup has been one of the worst over the last full 162-games played.

Currently, the Tigers are 26th in runs scored, 27th in OPS, 20th in Homers, and 22nd in strikeouts. Even if the rotation and bullpen were healthy and performing, this lineup isn’t doing enough to cut it. Most importantly, the Tigers will most likely trade their ace Tarik Skubal at the deadline, officially putting a slight pause on their championship-contending window.

New York Mets (26-34) Preseason Win Total: 90.5

Similarly to the Tigers, when a team has a horrific collapse down the stretch to miss the postseason, it’s not because they’re just unlucky; they’re probably a pretty poorly constructed baseball team.

The Mets let Pete Alonso walk in free agency this year, and his replacements, Bo Bichette, Marcus Semien, and Luis Robert Jr., have combined to put up -0.8 WAR so far this season.

Sadly, their pitching has been fairly competitive this year, resulting in the 8th-best ERA in baseball. The National League is absolutely loaded this year, and because of that depth, the Mets will definitely be sellers at the deadline unless they love their +390 odds to make the playoffs.

Kansas City Royals (23-37) Preseason Win Total: 82.5

No team has to be happier about the Tigers' downfall than the Royals. Most media members had the Tigers winning the division, but the Royals were close behind.

Many thought that if the offense could just be league average, the pitching would take them back to the playoffs. Unfortunately, the offense is still one of the worst in baseball, ranking 26th in OPS, but more importantly, the pitching fell off a cliff, becoming the 20th in ERA this year, a massive fall from 6th last year.

On the bright side for Royals fans, Bobby Witt Jr. is having another MVP-caliber season, so even if you make a few deadline moves, you should hopefully be in a position to compete next season.