We're nearly halfway through the 2025 MLB season, giving us enough of a sample size to figure out which teams are for real and which are not. A team like the San Francisco Giants, for example, has played its way into clear contention status based on how they've pitched all year and especially after acquiring Rafael Devers. On the flip side, it's abundantly clear that we won't see a leap from the Athletics that some felt was imminent in April.
While we have a handle on most of the league, the status of some teams, regarding whether they're legitimate threats or not, is still uncertain. In the case of these four teams, though, they appear to be more fraudulent than true postseason threats.
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Ranking MLB's biggest frauds in mid-June
4. Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays hoped to find themselves in postseason contention coming off a disastrous 2024 campaign, and to their credit, they've done so thus far. At 39-33, the Blue Jays sit in third place in the AL East and are in sole possession of the AL's second Wild Card spot. They might end up in the postseason when all is said and done, but it feels as if that has more to do with a weak AL than it does the Blue Jays being a formidable team. Their roster, as constructed, is incredibly flawed.
Offensively, the Jays rank 16th in runs scored and 19th in home runs. The only team below them in both categories that is also above .500 is the San Diego Padres, who happen to be top 10 in the majors in staff ERA. The Jays, on the other hand, rank 21st in that statistic. An argument can be made that they're subpar on both sides of the ball.
A big reason why I believe they're fraudulent is that the players I thought were going to carry the load have not shown up. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s OPS is down over 130 points. Bo Bichette's OPS is barely above league-average. Anthony Santander looked like a shell of himself when healthy and is on the IL currently. Chris Bassitt, Jose Berrios, and Kevin Gausman all have ERAs of 3.75 or higher. Jeff Hoffman has a 5.52 ERA and has allowed eight home runs in only 31 innings of work. They can all turn things around, and if they do, maybe my stance will change. It's mid-June, though. They've had time to turn it around and have not.
There are some things to like about this Jays team. Addison Barger looks like a budding star, Alejandro Kirk has been one of the best catchers in the league, and guys like Brendon Little and Yariel Rodriguez have broken out in the bullpen. However, it's easy to make the argument that they're not good enough on either side of the ball to be as good as they are currently, which is only a fringe postseason team.
3. St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals were a fun team to watch, particularly in May when they went 19-8, but they're 5-10 so far in June and have one of the eight hardest schedules the rest of the way per Tankathon. Overall, the Cardinals are still in a decent spot with a 38-35 record, sitting just 1.5 games back of the third Wild Card spot, but considering how they've played, their hard upcoming schedule, how tough the NL is, and what their roster looks like, I'm going to assume that they'll continue tailing off.
There are a couple of reasons why the Cardinals have fallen off in June. First, their 5.85 rotation ERA in June is the second-worst in the majors and the worst in the NL. Second, they've had less luck with runners in scoring position after thriving in those spots to begin the year.
I do expect them to improve in both of these areas, but the Cardinals lack the requisite firepower to remain afloat. Sonny Gray is good, but is he an ace at this stage of his career? Matthew Liberatore and Erick Fedde haven't been bad, but I wouldn't consider either of them a No. 2 or even No. 3 starter on a good team. As for the lineup, who is there to fear? Willson Contreras has rebounded after a brutal start, and Ivan Herrera is good, but they rank 24th in home runs. If they aren't getting clutch hits at an extremely high level like they were in May, they won't score enough. I mean, they don't have a single hitter in double digits in home runs yet, and we're in mid-June.
This team isn't bad. If they were in the AL, they might be leading a division. However, in the loaded NL and without stars to lean on, I have a hard time believing in this team too much, especially with a challenging schedule ahead.
2. Kansas City Royals
It's strange for me to have the Kansas City Royals on a list like this because I believed in them entering the year. In fact, they were my pick to win the AL Central. I thought their pitching would be outstanding and that Bobby Witt Jr. would carry a monster load for their offense. Well, their pitching is good, but their offense is such a disaster to the point where it's hard to envision the Royals even making the playoffs at this point, even in an easy AL.
The Royals are fifth in the majors in staff ERA, even with Cole Ragans underperforming and missing time with injury, and yet, they're 35-38 on the year. Their pitching is why they've been able to hover around .500, but their offense is why they're having such trouble getting over that hump.
The Royals are 29th in the majors in runs scored, dead last in home runs, and tied for 26th in OPS. Somehow, they're a worse offensive team than the 16-57 Colorado Rockies. They weren't an elite offensive team last season, but still ranked 13th in runs scored, and I thought that Jonathan India's arrival would help the unit take a leap. Instead, India has a .657 OPS, and just about everyone else other than Maikel Garcia has seemingly taken a step back.
Kansas City has 14 position players with at least 50 plate appearances this season, and only three of them have a WRC+ over 100. Only five of them have a WRC+ over 80. It's been bad. Maybe Jac Caglianone will show the world why he was such a hyped prospect. Maybe guys like India and Salvador Perez will finally get things going. Barring improvements from those players and multiple additions, it's going to be tough for this Royals team to score enough to be a threat, even with their pitching. That's just the sad reality.
1. Los Angeles Angels
We're in mid-June, and the Los Angeles Angels are actually in the AL Wild Card race. At 35-37, they're just 2.0 games back of the third Wild Card spot, which feels like unprecedented territory for this franchise that hasn't made the postseason in over a decade. As much as I'd like to say the Angels are for real and should be treated as a legitimate postseason team, I can't in good faith do that. Their run differential is a big reason why.
Run differential shouldn't be considered as a be-all end-all, but the Angels have a -57 run differential. That's good for the fourth-worst in the AL and the eighth worst in the majors. Their expected win-loss record based on run differential is 30-42, five games worse than their current mark. That's not good any way you slice it.
There are some things to like about this Angels team. Mike Trout, when healthy, is still good. Zach Neto, Logan O'Hoppe, Nolan Schanuel, and even Jo Adell are young players who have shown some upside this season. I like Jose Soriano in their rotation. This team just doesn't have enough talent to be seen as true contenders.