The 2025 MLB regular season has been far from what baseball fans originally expected. The Los Angeles Dodgers are slowly losing their first-place standing in the National League West, Juan Soto is getting booed inside Citi Field, and Aaron Boone continues to find new iterations of the same Goodyear Blimp advertising.
Having played just under 120 games, the panic button seems more than reachable for these three teams. Whether or not the button is bigger or smaller than usual—that’s simply up to your interpretation. So, which team is really closing their eyes and holding their breath the most?
Let's take a look at the panic meter (out of 10) for three playoff contenders currently in slumps.
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New York Yankees: 9
If you didn’t think the situation surrounding the New York Yankees was hitting an all-time low, it’s not the greatest sign when a franchise with 27 World Series championships has paying fans wearing brown paper bags over their heads.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the Yankees are playing their worst stretch of baseball this season. A team that looked unstoppable in the first half has seemingly fallen to the third Wild Card spot in the American League. Trade deadline acquisitions Amed Rosario, Jake Bird, and Austin Slater are currently non-factors on the main roster. Devin Williams has already surpassed his last three combined season-earned run totals from his time in Milwaukee in just 49 appearances — raising questions about whether he’s built for a high-market team.
Oh, and manager Aaron Boone still believes it’s “right in front of them.”
No matter how you phrase it, the Yankees should be hitting the panic button repeatedly. Prior to Luis Gil’s start on Saturday afternoon, a Yankees starter hadn’t gone past the fifth inning in nearly three weeks. Max Fried has a 6.00 ERA in his last seven starts. There comes a time when dancing around the issue of bad baseball needs to end.
Yes, you can look at their remaining schedule and think there’s some light at the end of the tunnel. But there’s no existing world where a 14-19 record against your own division gets you further than their current postseason positioning. It might be time to start distributing more paper bags across the stadium if this level of play continues.
New York Mets: 7
Unfortunately for Mets fans, life would be a bit easier if the Yankees were the only New York team going through a rough stretch. That’s simply not the case.
The Amazins have lost 11 of their last 12 games, falling 5.5 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East, yet they still hold the third Wild Card spot. The starting pitching has seemingly collapsed, allowing seven or more earned runs in seven of those 12 games. And holding a lead hasn’t been much better — just ask the Brewers, who overcame a 5-0 deficit only to walk it off in the ninth inning.
This final stretch will make or break their October vacation plans. They have seven more series against division rivals, not to mention a three-game set against a 68-win Detroit Tigers squad.
No matter how much money was thrown at Juan Soto this past offseason, the only thing Mets fans will remember is going from NLCS contenders to a shadow of their future aspirations.
Chicago Cubs: 4
It might be surprising to see a team that’s 17 games above .500 appear on an MLB panic meter, but needless to say, they’re far lower on the list compared to others around the league.
The Chicago Cubs have posted a 5-5 record over their last 10 games, dropping to six games behind the Brewers for first place in their division, though they still hold the top Wild Card spot in the National League. If there was any doubt about Chicago’s staying power this deep into the season, three words should put those thoughts to rest:
Pete. Crow. Armstrong.
The 23-year-old hasn’t just worked his way into MVP talks three years into his career — he’s been the leading factor in Chicago’s success. He posted his highest monthly batting average in July at .308, with a .637 slugging percentage. While August hasn’t been quite as kind, it’s only a matter of time before he ramps back up to his MVP form.
If there’s one area of concern worth watching, it’s the starting pitching. Justin Steele is out for the remainder of the season, Jameson Taillon has no timetable for return, and Michael Soroka remains a question mark. Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga are holding down the fort for now, but a third reliable starter is still missing if the Cubs want a serious playoff push.