What's Driving Each MLB Fanbase Crazy in 2026

The Fourth of July can often be a time for reflection on what you're grateful for, which is easy to do when you have a few days off work and can spend time with friends and family.

Alternatively, if things aren't going great for you, perhaps you don't find time off enjoyable.

Today, we're going to look at the latter perspective, examining what's driving each MLB fanbase crazy in 2026.

AL East

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Tampa Bay Rays: Lack of impact offense in the outfield

Against all odds, the lil' old Rays find themselves at the top of the AL East on Fourth of July, despite entering the season as the forgotten team in a division that appeared to have four other World Series contenders.

For Kevin Cash's squad to not only hold on and win the division but also have a shot to do damage in October, they're going to need better production from the outfield:

• Cedric Mullins was a rebound candidate worth taking a shot on in the offseason, but the former All-Star has just a .655 OPS.
• Chandler Simpson is lightning fast, but in addition to batting just .211 in June, he's been thrown out an MLB-worst 11 times on stolen base attempts, having converted just 20 of 31 tries.
• Victor Mesa Jr. has a .282 on-base percentage in his first 25 games of 2026.

To be fair, Ryan Vilade and Jonny DeLuca have had some moments, but this is definitely a team that's going to be in the market for rental outfielders over the next month.

New York Yankees: Offensive production from right side of the infield

With both Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton currently on the injured list, it's become harder for the Yankees to mask some of their offensive shortcomings.

At the forefront of that is the production, or lack thereof, from the right side of their infield. At shortstop, the Yankees are utilizing a platoon of José Caballero (.689 OPS) and Anthony Volpe (.679 OPS), neither of whom is setting the world on fire. Meanwhile, one of last year's trade deadline pickups by general manager Brian Cashman was third baseman Ryan McMahon, who has a 77 OPS+ (100 is league average) since putting on pinstripes.

It's unrealistic to think the Yankees are going to make a major upgrade at both positions before the Aug. 3 trade deadline, but an impact addition at either third base or shortstop would go a long way in helping New York return to the World Series for the second time in three years.

Toronto Blue Jays: Injuries to starting rotation

There's definitely been a World Series hangover for last year's AL Champions, who are under .500 on Fourth of July.

Injuries to the starting rotation have killed John Schneider's squad:

• Trey Yesavage has been excellent over his first 12 starts of the season, but a right shoulder impingement kept him from making his 2026 debut until April 28.
• Cody Ponce signed a three-year, $30 million contract after a successful stint in South Korea, but sustained a right ACL sprain in his first outing of the season and has been sidelined since March 31.
• Max Scherzer is a future Hall of Famer, but looks like he's finally hit a wall. The three-time Cy Young Award winner is on the injured list with back spasms, and has a 10.23 ERA in six starts this season.
• José Berríos never appeared for the Blue Jays this season, undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery on May 20.
• Shane Bieber, to the surprise of some, picked up his $16 million player option for 2026 to remain in Toronto. Well, the former AL Cy Young Award winner has only made two starts, with elbow inflammation preventing him from making his season debut until June 23.
• Dylan Cease has largely been tremendous in the first season of a seven-year, $210 million contract, but did also have an IL stint with a left hamstring strain.

At the outset of Spring Training, it appeared the Blue Jays might have too many starting pitchers. As it turns out, the injury bug has left them thin in the rotation at times.

Baltimore Orioles: Young talent hasn't developed as expected

It wasn't that long ago that the Orioles appeared to almost have too much position playing talent for their own good.

But even when you factor in a rebound season for Adley Rutschman and that Gunnar Henderson—despite an underwhelming season by his standards—is one of baseball's best shortstops, much of the talent hasn't developed as expected:

• Colton Cowser has a .669 OPS since finishing runner-up in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2024.
• Jackson Holliday, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, has been worth just 1.4 WAR in parts of three seasons, per FanGraphs.
• Coby Mayo debuted as a 22-year-old in 2024, but has just a 77 OPS+ in 170 career games.
• Heston Kjerstad was the No. 2 pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, but appears to be a bust. The 27-year-old hasn't even appeared in the majors this season after hitting just .192 in 54 games for the O's last year.

The good news is that the jury is still out on some of these pieces, but if you're trying to understand why the Orioles are in the midst of their second straight disappointing season, the lack of development of that quartet is a good place to start.

Boston Red Sox: Craig Breslow

Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow seemingly hit on his three big offseason pickups—Ranger Suárez, Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray—and so far, seems to have been right not to match the five-year, $175 million deal Alex Bregman got from the Chicago Cubs.

And yet, something still feels very off in Boston, where the Red Sox find themselves in last place and trending towards being sellers:

• The way manager Alex Cora's firing was handled in April will be taught in future PR classes as how not to handle a divorce.
• Trading Kyle Harrison (2.57 ERA in 15 starts) to the Milwaukee Brewers for Caleb Durbin (.674 OPS) looks like a disaster right now.
• Marcelo Mayer hasn't come close to justifying the hype that surrounded him entering the league, as he has a .223 batting average in his first 114 MLB games.
• Roman Anthony looked like a budding superstar a season ago, but has been limited to just 30 games this season by a right ring finger strain that currently has him on the 60-day IL.
• Aroldis Chapman is as good as any reliever in baseball, but some of the arms tasked with getting the ball from the starter to him—like Ryan Watson (4.72 ERA), Greg Weissert (4.18 ERA) and Danny Coulombe (4.58 ERA)—have underwhelmed.

Look, if Anthony gets healthy and Breslow hits on a few trades as a seller this deadline, Boston could be in a significantly better position a year from now. Certainly, though, they didn't expect to be obvious sellers a month before the trade deadline.

AL Central

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Chicago White Sox: Munetaka Murakami's hamstring injury

Two years after losing a staggering 121 games, the White Sox find themselves at the forefront of the AL Central race. It's truly one of the best stories in baseball.

If you're looking to nitpick anything, it's disappointing that Munetaka Murakami has been sidelined by a right hamstring strain since May 30. But the reason it's so disappointing is that Murakami was trending towards being an All-Star and winning the AL Rookie of the Year before his injury, as the 26-year-old had already homered 20 times, while posting a .938 OPS.

The fact that Murakami is now beginning a rehab stint and the White Sox haven't faded from contention should give you a pretty good idea of why Will Venable is on track to win AL Manager of the Year.

Cleveland Guardians: A lack of thump

At the time of publication, the Guardians are 25th in the majors in home runs hit, and dead-last with a .368 slugging percentage.

That the Guardians are still right in the hunt for the AL East title speaks to how good their pitching is, plus how lucky they are to have two-time defending AL Manager of the Year Stephen Vogt at the helm.

At the same time, winning without slug isn't sustainable. Seven-time All-Star José Ramírez is currently sidelined after having surgery to repair a left hamate bone fracture. Rhys Hoskins has just a .181 batting average and seven homers in 199 at-bats. Chase DeLauter homered five times in Cleveland's first seven games, but has just two homers since then.

The Guardians always seem to get more out of their team than you think they should on paper, but they are another contender who needs to add a bat with some pop before the Aug. 3 trade deadline, while getting improved offensive results from others.

Minnesota Twins: Byron Buxton trade speculation

If you want to see someone get really angry, suggest to a Twins fan that Byron Buxton would be a good trade fit for a contending team this summer.

Or heck, suggest it to Buxton, who has spent all 12 of his MLB seasons with the Twins and repeatedly said he hopes to play his whole career in Minnesota. He dropped the mic when asked by Dan Hayes of The Athletic about potentially being traded before the Aug. 3 trade deadline:

"I don't give a f—," Buxton said with a smile. "End of the day, nobody's in my shoes. Nobody can say anything about what I'm going to do. I know what I'm doing. The only way I'm getting out of here — they're going to have to come talk to me and tell me something else. Simple as that. … I ain't said nothing about leaving, nor will I. I'm a Twin."

Buxton has a full no-trade clause, so if he decides he's not going anywhere, then he's not.

Given that he's healthy and has already homered 25 times, we can't help but wonder if this would be the best time for the Twins to maximize a trade return for the oft-injured superstar. But if he doesn't want to move, that's all that matters.

Detroit Tigers: Sense of impending loss with Tarik Skubal

It may prove to be the right long-term move for the Tigers to trade two-time defending AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal this summer, but that won't make it burn any less for fans in Detroit.

Even if they knew Skubal was likely to leave in free agency after the season, Tigers fans entered the season thinking they had one last shot at winning a World Series with baseball's best pitcher, having added Framber Valdez and brought back franchise icon Justin Verlander to bolster the rotation.

Instead, it's been a disastrous season for the Tigers, and given that they are more than 10 games under .500, getting a franchise-altering return for Skubal might be the best fans can hope for the remainder of the year.

Kansas City Royals: Underperforming and/or hurt veterans

The Royals are in the midst of their second consecutive disappointing season, which will leave president of baseball operations J.J. Picollo in an interesting spot this trade season as he tries to plot the team's strategy moving forward.

For the 2026 Royals, some veteran pieces have disappointed:

• Franchise legend Salvador Perez has a minus-1.6 WAR, with FanGraphs saying that the 36-year-old has been the least valuable qualified offensive player in baseball this year.
• Vinnie Pasquantino hasn't parlayed a .970 OPS for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic into a strong campaign. He has just a .660 OPS.
• Matt Strahm was one of the more effective relievers in the sport during three seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, but after being reacquired via trade this past offseason, the 34-year-old has struggled. He has a 5.53 ERA in 30 games this year.
• Starling Marte has had an excellent career, but at 36, he just doesn't have a ton left to offer, as he's posted a .651 OPS in 100 at-bats.
• Jonathan India has appeared in just 17 games, with the former NL Rookie of the Year lost for the season in April to left shoulder surgery.
• Carlos Estévez led baseball with 42 saves a season ago, but made just one appearance in 2026 before having to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery.

AL West

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Seattle Mariners: Offensive production from the infield

A year after finishing just a game away from their first World Series appearance, it's actually pretty disappointing that the Mariners aren't running away with a weak AL West.

Struggles at the plate from infielders have been a problem for Dan Wilson's club:

• Josh Naylor—who is in the first season of a five-year, $92.5 million contract—has just a .681 OPS after posting a .795 mark between 2024 and 2025.
• Cole Young has kept his head above water, hitting .259 with a 103 OPS+, which is fine for a rookie. It is a downgrade from what Jorge Polanco did at second base a year ago, which is harder to take when the infield isn't hitting around him.
• J.P. Crawford, the longest-tenured Mariner, has hit just .214 in 70 games.
• Brendon Donovan was the big offseason pickup for the M's, and has an .839 OPS. The problem is he's only played in 25 games, with a left groin strain sidelining him since mid-May.

There is room for internal improvement if Naylor bounces back, Donovan gets healthy and 20-year-old rookie Colt Emerson continues to get comfortable at the MLB level, but to this point, the infield has been a weak point in Seattle.

Texas Rangers: Corey Seager's down year

The Rangers are in the mix in a weak division, despite having a negative run differential. They would probably have a positive run differential and the AL West lead if their franchise player was having his normal season.

Corey Seager is currently on the 10-day injured list with lower back inflammation. Unfortunately for the two-time World Series MVP, injuries have been far too common during his career, and they may ultimately prevent him from having a plaque in Cooperstown.

However, he's usually a superstar when healthy. This year, though, Seager has hit just .182 with a .667 OPS in 219 plate appearances. Seager has a .200 batting average on balls in play, which is significantly lower than his .311 career BABIP. That suggests some positive regression is due when Seager returns from the IL. And boy, Skip Schumaker's club needs it.

Athletics: That they don't have the veteran starting pitching to take advantage of their offense

Even with Brent Rooker lost for the season to left knee surgery and Lawrence Butler having a second straight disappointing campaign, the Athletics have an offense ready to compete, led by the likes of Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers and Tyler Soderstrom.

The problem for the A's is that even though J.T. Ginn has had a breakout season and rookie Gage Jump looks special, they don't have the veteran starting pitching to match their offense:

• Luis Severino has a 4.48 FIP in 12 starts this year, and is currently on the IL with a right shoulder strain.
• Jeffrey Springs posted a 2.63 ERA in parts of four seasons with the Rays, but has a 4.70 ERA since joining he Rays in 2025.
• Aaron Civale is in his first season with the Athletics and has a 5.05 ERA to show after 15 outings.

As long as the A's are playing at the minor-league bandbox that is Sutter Health Park 81 times a year, they're going to have trouble attracting talented arms and getting them to perform at their best. Las Vegas can't come quickly enough for this franchise.

Houston Astros: Inability to keep stars healthy

The Astros have struggled in recent years to shield their stars from major injuries, and it's one of the reasons they've declined after the greatest run in franchise history.

In 2024, it was Kyle Tucker. In 2025, it was Yordan Alvarez. In 2026, it's been Hunter Brown and Carlos Correa.

Hunter Brown was an AL Cy Young Award finalist in 2025, but only recently returned from the 60-day injured list after a right shoulder strain cost him more than two months.

Carlos Correa, now in his second go-round in Houston, was lost for the season after undergoing left ankle surgery on May 11.

To some degree, this may just come down to personnel. How many times can you be surprised when Lance McCullers Jr. gets injured? But the Astros have struggled more than most teams in recent years to prevent injuries, and major ones at that.

Los Angeles Angels: Arte Moreno

Whether it was his Spring Training comments about winning not being among the "top five" priorities for fans, or his reported unwillingness to trade any of Jo Adell, Reid Detmers or Jose Soriano this summer, Arte Moreno continues to exhaust Angels fans.

Give Moreno credit, while former general manager Perry Minasian probably wasn't set up to have success, interim general manager John Mozeliak was a good get for the Halos. If he's allowed to operate as he pleases this summer (and maybe beyond?), the Angels will likely wind up in a better place.

The current reality, though, is the Angels are steamrolling towards their 11th losing season in a row, and 12th consecutive without a playoff appearance. No one deserves more blame for that than Moreno.

NL East

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Atlanta Braves: Left Field

Even though they finished June at 9-14, the Braves are in first place and the first year of the Walt Weiss Era has been overwhelmingly successful so far.

That's despite a seemingly disastrous Spring Training that saw Atlanta lose left fielder Jurickson Profar for the entire season after he failed a performance enhancing drug test for the second year in a row.

To make matters worse, Mike Yastrzemski—who posted an .809 OPS against righties a year ago—has just a .667 OPS vs. right-handed pitching in 2026. So it's not like Braves just need a platoon partner for Yastrzemski, they probably need a new left fielder altogether. Mauricio Dubón is a nice super-utility player, but he's best used sliding all around the diamond, not just cemented at one position.

Atlanta's issues in the corner outfield are exasperated by Ronald Acuña Jr. currently being out with a left hamstring strain, but even once the former NL MVP returns, president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos will be one of the many executives looking for a corner outfielder.

Philadelphia Phillies: The back end of the starting rotation

There are worse problems to have than being worried about the final two starters in your rotation. The Phillies have as good of a starting pitching trio as any in baseball with Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler and Jesús Luzardo. But with Suárez departing in free agency this past offseason, there's been a steep drop-off after that:

• Taijuan Walker was finally released in April after posting a 9.13 ERA in five outings.
• Long-time top prospect Andrew Painter was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after going 1-8 with a 7.06 ERA over his first 65 MLB innings.
• Aaron Nola was MLB's most durable starter for about a decade, but he has a 6.02 ERA in 34 starts since the start of the 2025 season. That's particularly problematic when he's signed through 2030.
• Alan Rangel has a 3.38 ERA over 16 innings this year, but he's not someone you are realistically going to hand the ball to for a postseason start.

Despite all the resources the Phillies have invested in starting pitching, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski could very well be looking to add to the rotation in some form before Aug. 3's trade deadline.

Miami Marlins: Pete Fairbanks

The Marlins made a rare free-agent investment in closer Pete Fairbanks this past offseason, giving him a one-year, $13 million after the Rays surprisingly declined his $11 million club option for 2026.

Perhaps the Rays were onto something, though, because Fairbanks has pitched to a 6.84 ERA in 27 appearances. Even in a month of June that saw him convert on all six of his save attempts, Fairbanks posted a 5.91 ERA over 10.2 innings.

The Marlins are still above .500, and maybe if Fairbanks gets hot, he'll help them to compete, or become a trade chip. So far, though, there's been no sign of the version of Fairbanks who recorded 75 saves and posted a 2.98 ERA between 2023 and 2025.

Washington Nationals: The bullpen

With James Wood, CJ Abrams, Luis García Jr. and Curtis Mead all having strong seasons, the Nationals are second in runs scored in the majors this season. That's the largest reason why they, despite being projected to lose over 100 games by most entering the season, are above .500.

The biggest reason why the Nationals are still hard to buy as a playoff team is that their bullpen is a disaster. No one in manager Blake Butera's bullpen has more than six saves, and while there have been some bright spots like P.J. Poulin and Brad Lord, the bullpen has a minus-2.1 WAR, the second-worst mark in baseball.

Overall, the Nationals have still overachieved in the first season of the Butera/Paul Taboni Era. Before they return to the postseason for the first time since winning it all in 2019, though, a complete makeover of the arm barn is going to have to happen.

New York Mets: Well, everything

Carlos Mendoza was dismissed as manager in June, but the problems run much deeper in Flushing.

A year ago when the Mets went 28-37 after the All-Star Break, you wondered whether they had the right mix of personalities, even if they were very talented.

This season, the Mets straight up aren't talented enough. Even if Polanco was healthy, he was not a serious replacement for Pete Alonso's lineup presence. They appear to have gotten the worst end of the Brandon Nimmo for Marcus Semien swap. Neither Brett Baty or Mark Vientos has developed as expected. Bo Bichette has underperformed, as evidenced by his .676 OPS. So have Devin Williams (4.13 ERA) and Freddy Peralta (4.81 ERA) to varying degrees. Kodai Senga has been a disaster, as he has a 9.09 ERA and 7.06 FIP across 32.2 innings.

In a recent conversation with Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of The New York Post, Mets owner Steve Cohen stood by president of baseball operations David Stearns. But it's fair for Mets fans to have skepticism about Stearns given how the 2026 campaign has played out.

NL Central

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Milwaukee Brewers: Offensive production from right side of infield

Shortstop Cooper Pratt has just a .182 batting average over his first 15 MLB games, but there's hope in Milwaukee that the 21-year-old will ultimately be able to improve the offensive production from the right side of the infield in Milwaukee.

Prior to Pratt's promotion, that was clearly an issue. Joey Ortiz—the primary shortstop before Pratt was called up–has a .543 OPS. At third base, David Hamilton has a .639 OPS, which somehow is an improvement over the production Luis Rengifo gave Milwaukee before being designated for assignment.

Acquiring a starting infielder during the season isn't the easiest thing to do, but there's got to be a way for the Brewers to get improved production from the right side of their infield down the stretch.

Chicago Cubs: Injuries to starting rotation

The Cubs have struggled to keep their starting rotation healthy in 2026, and frankly, it's not that surprising.

• Matthew Boyd had a career-year as a 34-year-old in 2025, but prior to making 31 starts last year, the lefty made 33 appearances the three prior seasons combined. So is it really shocking that injuries to his left biceps and meniscus have limited Boyd to only seven starts so far this season?
• Edward Cabrera is back on the IL for a second time this season, as he's currently dealing with a left hamstring strain. If you followed him during his five seasons with the Miami Marlins, it's not particularly surprising that the righty hasn't been able to stay healthy. What is concerning is that Cabrera has a 5.10 ERA over 14 starts.
• Jameson Taillon is currently on the IL with a left hamstring strain as well.
• Justin Steele hasn't pitched since April of 2025, and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer recently admitted it's unlikely he'll be stretched out enough to start this season, if he pitches at all.
• Ben Brown has had success as both a starter and a reliever this year, with a 1.85 ERA over 20 outings, eight of which have been starts. Unfortunately for the Cubs, he's now out with a neck strain.

Entering the season, the Cubs rotation appeared to have a high ceiling, but not necessarily a high floor. So far, they've been closer to the low floor, as Shota Imanaga has struggled and much of the rest of their rotation has been in flux health wise.

St. Louis Cardinals: Matthew Liberatore

Most things have come up roses this season in St. Louis, where Jordan Walker has led a team that was expected to lose over 90 games to postseason contention through the first three-plus months of the campaign.

If you're looking for something small to nitpick, it's disappointing that Matthew Liberatore has a 5.33 ERA and 5.11 FIP over 17 starts. A year ago, the lefty looked like he could be a long-term fixture in the rotation, even it wasn't at the top, when he posted a 4.21 ERA and 4.03 FIP across 151.2 innings pitched.

Even still, the Cardinals have gotten a breakout season in the rotation from 25-year-old Michael McGreevy, who has a 3.12 ERA in 17 starts. So there's been a silver lining for just about everything this year for the RedBirds, with Oli Marmol a serious candidate for NL Manager of the Year.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Marcell Ozuna

To his credit, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington seems to have hit on two of his big offseason additions in Brandon Lowe and Ryan O'Hearn, both of whom have an OPS above .810. Heck, for as controversial as it was, he was probably right to turn the page on the Andrew McCutchen Era.

Unfortunately for the low-budget Pirates, their one-year, $12 million investment in Marcell Ozuna hasn't worked out. The three-time All-Star is hitting just .202 with a .610 OPS. When you factor in the decline that Ozuna showed during his final campaign in Atlanta, it's hard to feel good about the 35-year-old's chances of returning.

You aren't going to hit on every move as a general manager, but owner Bob Nutting doesn't give Cherington much money to work with. So it burns extra to see someone making as much as Ozuna flop.

Cincinnati Reds: Not having Hunter Greene ... until today

The Reds have been extremely disappointing, as they are in last place in the NL Central with a minus-55 run differential.

Chase Burns has been one of MLB's biggest breakout stars of 2026, with a 10-1 record and 2.40 ERA that will likely earn him an All-Star nod Saturday when rosters are unveiled. Imagine how good Cincinnati's rotation would be if they had both Burns and Hunter Greene at the top.

Unfortunately for the Reds, Greene is yet to pitch this season after undergoing arthroscopic elbow surgery in April. He'll make his season debut Saturday, but it's a lot of pressure for the flamethrowing righty to try to return from an elbow procedure and dig Cincinnati out of a hole in a very competitive division.

NL West

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Los Angeles Dodgers: Trying to figure Roki Sasaki out

Let's face it, the Dodgers are the two-time defending World Series Champions and have the best record in baseball—there's not a ton for their fans to be worried about.

With that said, Roki Sasaki has a 5.40 ERA across 15 starts this season. He has a 5.09 ERA and 5.63 FIP to show for his first 25 MLB outings. That's still a relatively small sample size, but Sasaki hasn't had the regular-season impact Dodgers fans expected when they landed the highly-touted Japanese righty.

It's hard for Dodgers fans to fret too much, though. Sasaki is only making $800,000 this season, and success as a reliever last postseason offers the Dodgers a pivot blueprint if he doesn't figure things out as a starter.

Arizona Diamondbacks: High-priced starters

On one hand, the Diamondbacks have to feel ecstatic that Eduardo Rodríguez has a 2.21 ERA over 17 starts this season, a welcome bounce-back after two disappointing campaigns to begin a five-year contract.

On the other hand, their two other high-priced veterans haven't held up their end of the deal:

• Zac Gallen is making just over $16 million this season as part of a deal that will pay him $22.025 million total when you include deferrals to be paid out between 2032 and 2034. That's a lot of hoops to jump through for a guy with a 6.36 ERA over 18 starts.
• Merrill Kelly returned to the Snakes on a two-year, $40 million contract in the offseason. The 37-year-old opened the season on the IL with a back injury, and has a 5.84 ERA in 14 starts since returning.

San Diego Padres: Offensive performance of stars

Fernando Tatis Jr. finally got going in June by batting .318 with an .865 OPS, but the Padres offense still is 29th in runs scored, which would have been shocking entering the season.

Future Hall of Famer Manny Machado is in the midst of his worst MLB season, as he's hitting .192 with a .687 OPS. That's especially concerning when Machado, soon to be 34, is under contract through the 2033 season.

Jackson Merrill looked to be a budding superstar when he posted an .826 OPS and finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2024, but he has a .709 OPS since then.

One of the things you look for in a lineup is a big three that scares opposing teams. On paper, the Padres have one of the best in the league. In practice, it hasn't played out anything like that in 2026.

San Francisco Giants: Fear that Buster Posey might be a disaster

Ask the Red Sox or Mets, it's never fun to be at the point where you're wondering if the person leading your front office is in over their head. It's really not fun when that person is one of the greatest players in the history of your franchise, as Buster Posey is with the Giants.

But the Giants are 36-50, and don't seem to have a ton of roster flexibility. Sure, they could move Luis Arraez and Robbie Ray's expiring contracts before the Aug. 3 trade deadline, but neither are likely to bring back a significant return. And the three major deals that Posey has brought on—Rafael Devers, Willy Adames and Matt Chapman—are probably not movable currently.

Posey has only been on the job since September of 2024, so it might be too quick to make a change. But it definitely doesn't feel like things are headed in a good direction, which is going to be especially hard to navigate considering Posey's significance to the history of the franchise.

Colorado Rockies: Chase Dollander's injury

Can't the Rockies just one have nice thing?

Chase Dollander–a first-round pick in 2023—appeared to be in the midst of a breakout season, as he posted a 3.89 ERA and 9.6 K/9 over his first 44 innings of 2026. He's since been lost for the season to an internal brace procedure on his right elbow.

It's not as though the Rockies were going to make the playoffs if Dollander stayed healthy, but he represented some hope from a big-picture perspective. He'll be back at some point in 2027, but it's a disappointing turn of events regardless.