Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Several MLB teams are struggling early despite optimistic preseason expectations, offering frustrated fan bases statistical silver linings to cling to
- Disappointed supporters can point to narrow margins against winning teams and divisional weaknesses that suggest better days ahead
- These early-season coping mechanisms highlight how thin sample sizes can create misleading narratives that committed fans refuse to accept at face value
Leave it to MLB fans to act as if the sky is falling just two weeks into the season. Things might look bleak for some fan bases, but these stats, as silly as they might be, can be used by said frustrated fan bases to cope, at least for the short term.
Boston Red Sox (4-9)
Red Sox have more wins against winning teams than the Yankees
The Boston Red Sox, a team most assumed would get back to the postseason for a second straight year, have the worst record in the majors to this point at 4-9. Just about everything that could go wrong to this point has. Something they can look at with appreciation, though, is that they've been better against teams with winning records than the division-leading New York Yankees thus far.
That's right, the 4-9 Red Sox have gone 4-6 against winning teams, while the Yankees have gone just 2-1 in those matchups. Obviously, sample size has a lot to do with this, but wouldn't you also assume Boston would find ways to win more games if they got to face more lackluster competition? It's a two-way street.
The goal most MLB teams have is to play roughly .500 against the good teams and feast on the bad ones. The Red Sox haven't done that yet, but with more opportunities, perhaps they will.
Detroit Tigers (6-9)
The rest of the AL Central is not good
The Detroit Tigers were clear AL Central favorites entering the year for a couple of reasons. First, the Tigers added Framber Valdez to a roster that was good enough to make it to extra innings of Game 5 of the ALDS last season. Second, the division just didn't appear to be very good. Last year's AL Central winner, the Cleveland Guardians, didn't make any notable offseason additions, and the other teams didn't do much to make up ground either.
Now, the Tigers haven't looked good, but is anyone in this division particularly formidable? The Guardians lead the way, but they're only 8-6 and have a negative run differential. In fact, the Tigers have the best run differential in the division and are tied for the second-best run differential in the American League.
I get that the results haven't been good and that run differential isn't everything, but run differential is a pretty decent indicator of how good a team is. Chances are, if you win games by multiple runs and don't get blown out often, you have a good team.
Philadelphia Phillies (7-7)
Bo Bichette wouldn't have helped
An argument can be made that the Philadelphia Phillies are lucky to be .500, as they're currently 23rd in the majors in runs scored. Phillies fans were eager to see Dave Dombrowski add reinforcements to a lineup that's consistently struggled in October, and after failing to do that, it comes as little surprise to see the offense underperform. A player Phillies fans were clamoring for was Bo Bichette, and watching him sign with the New York Mets of all teams, frustrated them to no end.
Well, while Bichette just launched his first home run of the season and has admittedly looked better at the plate recently, he has just a .628 OPS on the year, a mark that's well below league-average. He'd be an upgrade over the likes of Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott with how they've hit thus far, but not by as much as you'd think.
There's reason to believe Bichette will have a Bichette-esque season, but for now, it's not like Bichette would be helping the Phillies' reeling offense much, if at all, if he were hitting like he is in Queens.
Chicago Cubs (6-8)
Wrigley Field weather is why the Cubs' offense is struggling
Like the Phillies, it's pretty impressive that the Chicago Cubs are only two games shy of the .500 mark despite massive pitching injuries and an underperforming offense. The Cubs have had better luck offensively than Philadelphia, ranking 16th in runs scored as of this writing, but they're just 22nd in OPS. It feels as if the only producers offensively for Chicago have been Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ, while the likes of Pete Crow-Armstrong, Alex Bregman and Michael Busch lag behind.
Something Cubs fans can point to as to why their offense is struggling, though, is the weather at Wrigley Field. While the wind doesn't always blow in during April, the weather is almost always chilly. The cold air saps power, and can explain why a guy like Busch has yet to go deep. In fact, the trio of Busch, Crow-Armstrong and Bregman combined to hit 83 home runs in 2024 despite Bregman missing time with injury and Crow-Armstrong having a miserable second half. This season, they've hit just three home runs combined, with two of them coming in one game from Bregman.
It'll be hard for the Cubs to score without their best players hitting, and it'll be hard for those players to hit if the fly balls don't carry. When the weather warms up, there's a good chance the bats will, too.
Toronto Blue Jays (6-8)
The Blue Jays started slowly in 2025, too
The Toronto Blue Jays have run into as much brutal injury luck as any team in the majors with several key hitters and pitchers on the shelf. While that has obviously played into their early-season demise, it's hard for Jays fans to use this to cope with when much of the league has injury woes. Something the Jays can use to make themselves feel better is 2025, though.
Toronto made it to within two outs of a World Series title in 2025, but you wouldn't know that based on how the season started. Around this time last season, the Jays were 5-5, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was less than a year away from free agency. Even after Guerrero signed, the Jays were four games under .500 in early May, yet they still won the AL East and were as close as a team could realistically get to winning a World Series title without actually recording that elusive final out.
Every game does matter, but World Series trophies are not won in April. Teams can start slowly and get to the Fall Classic, and the Blue Jays should know that better than any other team. Knowing that this team has proven it can battle back from adversity should have Jays fans feeling fairly confident that the season will get turned around momentarily.
Houston Astros (6-8)
Mariners have been even worse despite Houston's injuries
The Houston Astros entered the season being unable to afford a slow start, mostly because of how good the Seattle Mariners project to be in 2026. Well, while the Astros have started slowly, what if I told you the Mariners have been even worse? That's right - the Astros might be 6-8, but the Mariners are 5-9.
It felt as if the AL West was the Mariners' division to lose. Seattle won the division last season and seemingly got better in the offseason by adding guys like Brendan Donovan and Jose A. Ferrer. Houston was able to sign Tatsuya Imai, but their overall roster did not look nearly as good on paper as Seattle's.
The fact that the Mariners have played worse than Houston despite the Astros dealing with a bevy of injuries suggests that this division could be tighter than expected. The Mariners are probably still the favorites, but why can't Houston, if they can avoid more catastrophic injuries, make things interesting? As bad as things look, only the Texas Rangers are above .500, and they're only 7-6. This division is extremely winnable even with the Astros' slow start, especially since Seattle is just as bad right now.
More MLB news and analysis: