MLB's worst teams in 2026 are still
pretty bad, but at least they are reasonably bad
[August 11, 2026]
By DAVID BRANDT
The full-blown tank is no longer trending in Major League Baseball.
After a handful of infamous team performances in recent seasons —
like the Colorado Rockies losing 119 games last season and the
Chicago White Sox dropping an MLB-record 121 games in 2024 — the
worst teams have been much more competitive.
In fact, there's a decent chance that no team will lose 100 games
for the first time since 2017.
The worst teams are the Rockies (46-72), Los Angles Angels (45-73),
Athletics (47-71) and Kansas City Royals (49-70), putting them all
within reach of avoiding triple-digit losses even if they play
below-average baseball.
This year's show of relative competitiveness by the league's bottom
feeders might just be a statistical outlier, though it might also be
a sign that teams are viewing complete teardowns as a less
compelling strategy.
The Houston Astros paved the way for the all-out tank in the early
2010s when they lost at least 106 games in three straight seasons.
It was a painful stretch but paid off in the coming years with World
Series titles in 2017 and 2022.
The problem is it doesn't always work out as planned. The Baltimore
Orioles were awful from 2018 to 2021 while they rebuilt their roster
with high draft picks, but have zero playoff wins to show for it
five years later. At last week's trade deadline, they unloaded
former No. 1 overall pick Adley Rutschman to the Boston Red Sox and
appear headed for another rebuild.
Pre-game ejections
Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale was ejected by umpire Dan Merzel
before a pitch was thrown in Sunday’s game against the New York
Yankees. The veteran lefty was still in a foul mood a day after
being called for a balk that scored a run.
Pregame MLB ejections are rare, but not completely unprecedented.
San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin was ejected before a game
against the Colorado Rockies in 2024 after he and bench coach Ryan
Christensen delivered the lineup card to home plate umpire Alex
MacKay.
Earlier this season, Brent Suter of the Los Angeles Angels and
Steven Wilson and Manuel Rodriguez of the Tampa Bay Rays were
ejected because of a “standoff” following the “The Star-Spangled
Banner.” Umpire Lance Barrett tossed the trio after they refused to
leave the field.
Historically, former Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver is famous
for a 1975 incident when he was ejected from the first game of a
doubleheader for arguing with umpire Ron Luciano. Before the second
game even started, Luciaino tossed Weaver again when he continued
arguing.
Trivia question
Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Max Scherzer moved into 10th place in
career strikeouts, passing Hall of Famer Walter Johnson in the Blue
Jays’ 7-5 win over Philadelphia on Saturday night. Scherzer has
3,516 strikeouts over 19 years.
How many of the other top 10 can you name?
[to top of second column] |
Kansas City Royals' Jac Caglianone celebrates in the dugout after
hitting a two-run home run during the seventh inning of a baseball
game against the Chicago Cubs, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, in Kansas
City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
NL MVP race heats up
The race for National League MVP is shaping up to be a classic.
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani and the Chicago Cubs'
uber-athletic Pete Crow-Armstrong have turned the competition into a
two-man race with roughly 25% of the regular season remaining.
As of Sunday, Crow-Armstrong was a slight favorite over Ohtani,
according to FanDuel Sportsbook, and both teams are firmly in the
playoff hunt. Crow-Armstrong is trying to earn his first MVP award
while Ohtani is chasing No. 5, which would be the second-most in MLB
history behind Barry Bonds, who had seven.
Here's a look at the resume of both players.
— Crow-Armstrong has blossomed into a full-blown superstar for the
Cubs, greatly improving his consistency at the plate. He's slashed
.286/.388/.544 through Sunday's games and has 26 homers, 71 RBIs and
30 stolen bases, all while playing an exceptional center field.
The two-time All-Star also has been worth 7.4 WAR so far this
season, according to baseball-reference.com, which is the best in
the big leagues.
— Ohtani continues to be an offensive powerhouse, though his numbers
are down from previous season. The Japanese standout is slashing
.292/.395/.542 and has 26 homers and 71 RBIs. Unlike Crow-Armstrong,
Ohtani usually doesn't provide any value in the field, serving as
designated hitter when he's not pitching.
But that's the thing: When Ohtani is healthy, he is also one of
MLB's most dominant pitchers. The right-hander has an 8-2 record and
1.79 ERA over 14 starters with 95 strikeouts over 85 2/3 innings.
Ohtani hasn't pitched since July 3, mainly because of soreness in
his left knee. He resumed playing catch on Saturday and is slowly
working toward a return to the mound. If he can provide a few good
starts in September for the Dodgers, it might tip the MVP scale back
in his favor.
Trivia answer
From No. 9 to No. 1 — Gaylord Perry (3,534), Justin Verlander
(3,554), Don Sutton (3,574), Tom Seaver (3,640), Bert Blyleven
(3,701), Steve Carlton (4,136), Roger Clemens (4,672), Randy Johnson
(4,875), Nolan Ryan (5,714)
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