That Trendy World Series Pick Is Already 23-38, And The Rest Of Baseball Is Watching

Alright, look, we're not even 40% through the MLB season, but some teams are already showing their true colors, and man, it's not pretty. While squads like the Rays, Braves, and Guardians are feeling good, there are a few organizations already staring down a seriously disappointing year. We're talking about teams that had big-time hype, and right now, they're just... not cutting it. This isn't just a slump, folks, this is an early season collapse for some, and you know the league is taking notice.

What Happened To The World Series Hype in Detroit?

Let's talk about the Detroit Tigers for a second. Coming into 2026, after a tough regular-season collapse in 2025 that somehow led to a solid postseason run, the media was absolutely buzzing. Seriously, a bunch of pundits had these guys as a "trendy World Series pick." A *World Series pick*! Fast forward to now, and they're sitting at a dismal 23-38. That's a huge gut punch, even with just under 40% of the season gone. Injuries have definitely hit Detroit hard, especially on the pitching side, but that can't be the only excuse. Their lineup has been one of the worst for the better part of the last 162 games. They're ranked 26th in runs scored, 27th in OPS, 20th in homers, and a brutal 22nd in strikeouts. It's clear that even if their rotation and bullpen magically got healthy tomorrow, this offense just isn't doing enough. The bad news keeps coming too, because they'll most likely trade their ace, Tarik Skubal, at the deadline, effectively putting a big pause on any championship dreams. Ouch.

The Mets and Royals Are Right There With Them

Across the league, the New York Mets are having a similar nightmare season, sitting at 26-34. Just like the Tigers, a horrific collapse last year that kept them out of the postseason wasn't just bad luck. Sometimes, that means you're just a poorly constructed team. They let Pete Alonso walk in free agency, and his replacements, Bo Bichette, Marcus Semien, and Luis Robert Jr., have combined for a brutal -0.8 WAR. Yikes. Their pitching has actually been competitive, somehow pulling off the 8th-best ERA in baseball, but with how absolutely loaded the National League is this year, the Mets will "definitely be sellers" at the deadline unless they somehow get fired up by their +390 playoff odds. Don't hold your breath, Mets fans. Then you've got the Kansas City Royals, who are also looking up at the rest of the league at 23-37. Media members had the Tigers winning their division, but the Royals were expected to be right behind them. The thought was, if the offense could just be league average, their pitching would carry them to the playoffs. Well, the offense is still one of the worst, ranking 26th in OPS. And worse, that pitching? It "fell off a cliff," plummeting to 20th in ERA this year after being 6th last year. The one bright spot for them, though, is Bobby Witt Jr., who's having another MVP-caliber season. That's something, at least, and maybe with some deadline moves, they can be in a position to compete next season. This early stretch of the season has really separated the contenders from the pretenders, and for these three teams, the pretender label is sticking hard. They've got a lot of baseball left to play, but the holes are gaping, and it's going to take a monumental effort for any of them to turn it around before the trade deadline signals the official end of their hopes.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.