Which Team Has Been the Biggest Disappointment Halfway Through 2026?

With the season past its halfway point, we’re starting to see each team’s true identity.

There have been plenty of surprises thus far: the Chicago White Sox leading the AL Central, the Miami Marlins rattling off 20 wins in June, and the Tampa Bay Rays finding a way to lead the AL East.

But with these successes, there’s been plenty of failure around the league.

Big spenders like the New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays entered 2026 as favorites to win the World Series. The Boston Red Sox hoped to build on their Wild Card appearance and make a deep playoff run.

These three teams have something in common so far in the 2026 season, and it’s something they didn’t want to see. They all sit under .500, are potentially going to miss the playoffs, and could sell at the deadline.

What went wrong for these clubs, and who’s been the most disappointing out of the bunch?

Toronto Blue Jays

After just missing out on a World Series title in 2025, the Toronto Blue Jays looked as if they were right on the cusp of becoming a powerhouse in the American League.

But 2026 hasn’t been as kind to the Blue Jays as they had hoped.

Both Dylan Cease and Kazuma Okamoto have proven to be worthy signings. The returning players from last year’s squad are instead what’s holding Toronto back.

The biggest culprit is Vladimir Guerrero Jr. For someone who has been an All-Star for six years in a row, you’d expect more out of his bat.

So far this season, he’s slashing .266/.348/.349 with just four home runs. Through July 5 of last season, he had already slugged 12 home runs. His ISO is well below his mark from any other season of his career, currently at .083, the fifth-lowest in MLB.

He’s chasing more than ever in his career as well, holding a 31% chase rate, almost 10% more than last season. Along with that, his barrel rate has dramatically decreased, going from 12.2% last season to just 6.7% this year, the 13th largest decrease among qualified batters.

But Guerrero can’t take all the blame. George Springer has been extremely disappointing as well.

Coming off one of his best seasons (5.2 fWAR), Springer is slashing just .221/.308/.373 with 0.1 fWAR this year. Like Guerrero, his barrel rate has dipped, going from 16.2% to 7.3%, the second-largest decrease in MLB. He has also seen an increase in his chase rate, from 20.5% to 25.2%.

When two of the best bats from an American League pennant-winning team are struggling, the rest of the offense will suffer because of it, and it has shown. The Blue Jays rank 28th in runs per game, 25th in batting average with RISP, and 29th in runs scored with RISP this season.

When it comes to the pitching side of things, the staff has been okay at best for Toronto.

Cease, Kevin Gausman, Louis Varland, and Trey Yesavage have all been productive and are doing exactly what their team needs.

However, health issues for pitchers like Cody Ponce, Shane Bieber, and Max Scherzer have caused issues for the rest of the rotation. Replacement arms like Patrick Corbin and Eric Lauer were (or continue to be) ineffective, both with ERAs over 5.00 for Toronto.

The bullpen has frequently stepped in when the starters have struggled. So far, the Toronto bullpen has been severely overworked. Even with one of the better bullpen ERAs in the league, the arms in the bullpen are eventually going to wear out fast without help.

The Blue Jays aren’t dead yet, however, and they could still be buyers at the deadline in a weak American League. They’re sitting just three games back from a Wild Card spot, so depending on how the next few weeks unfold, fans could see the front office add in hopes of a late-season surge.

Boston Red Sox

Standout seasons from Garrett Crochet, Jarren Duran, and Trevor Story, alongside star rookie Roman Anthony, provided the Boston Red Sox with hope entering the 2026 season.

After having one of the league’s better offseasons – adding Sonny Gray and Ranger Suárez to the rotation, alongside Wilson Contreras and Caleb Durbin to the lineup – Boston was looking like a contender once again.

But so far, it’s truly been a disaster.

Anthony, Crochet, and Story have spent most of 2026 on the IL. Role players brought in to fill their shoes haven’t been able to match their production.

Marcelo Mayer has struggled through his sophomore season, holding a -0.1 fWAR before going on the IL. Trade acquisition Andruw Monasterio has been even worse, with a -0.8 fWAR. Isiah Kiner-Falefa was looking to have a productive season, but also sits on the IL with no return in sight.

A trio of catchers has split time behind the plate. After Carlos Narváez’s superb rookie campaign, 2026 has seen him have his sophomore slump. This has caused Boston to lower his playing time, with neither Narváez, Micky Gasper, nor Connor Wong standing out. All three have combined for 0.7 fWAR.

Jarren Duran needed to step up for this squad, but has yet to do so, sitting with 0.4 fWAR and slashing .197/.259/.361. After having a great May, he followed it up with a horrible June. His .395 OPS was the third lowest for a Red Sox in June ever (min. 100 PA).

His whiff and chase rates are the highest they’ve ever been, his K% HAS increased by more than 5% from last season, and his hard-hit rate has dropped by more than 8%.

The offense as a whole has been terrible for Boston. They rank last in home runs, 28th in runs scored, and 23rd in OPS as a team. When they’re down, there’s no chance they can come back. When trailing by 3 or more runs, their record sits at 0-34.

Playing at Fenway hasn’t been any better. They’ve gone 17-27 at home, on pace for their worst home record ever. When you can’t win at home or come back from any deficits, being a good ball club is impossible.

Brayan Bello’s disappointing campaign has seen him optioned to Triple-A Worcester. Now in the third year of his six-year $55 million contract, Bello owns a 6.34 ERA with 0.0 fWAR. Among AL pitchers with at least 60 innings pitched, Bello ranks second worst with an ERA- of 145.

For someone who was once an Opening Day starter and a key rotation piece, his fall has been hard to watch.

Still, youth has been the one positive the Red Sox can take from this rough season. Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu have proven to both be essential to the outfield. Connelly Early, Payton Tolle, and more recently Jake Bennett are slotting themselves nicely into the rotation.

Boston is likely to trade some of its most valuable assets at the deadline. Sonny Gray, Aroldis Chapman, Duran, and even Wilson Contreras are all potential trade candidates. With 2026 looking like a lost cause, the best Boston can do is get as much value as they can from these guys and retool heading into 2027.

New York Mets

Out of the three teams listed here, the New York Mets have been the most disappointing of them all.

The Mets have continued to throw money year after year at their problem of a losing ballclub, and, too often, it has failed to work. The 2026 Mets are no exception.

Under owner Steve Cohen, the Mets’ payroll has increased every year, with no World Series title in sight. The closest they got was in 2022, losing the NLCS in six games to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who, in a sense, are the more successful version of the Mets.

This trend will continue, as the Mets are in the basement of the NL East with no real hope. Their large roster overhaul in the offseason has proven to be ineffective for New York.

The trade of Brandon Nimmo for Marcus Semien has backfired. Semien has had one of his worst seasons at the plate, resulting in a -0.3 fWAR, and now sits on the IL. While Semien has struggled, Nimmo has been much more productive in Texas. His slash line of .258/.329/.412 with 1.2 fWAR would be much more welcome in New York than Semien’s season.

Bo Bichette has been disappointing as well, compared to his 2025 season. His slash line is just .258/.304/.385 with a 1.2 fWAR so far. Choosing him over Pete Alonso is also questionable. Alonso has had a more productive 2026 up to this point, with 19 home runs and a 1.9 fWAR.

Outside of Juan Soto continuing to be one of the premier bats in MLB, the offense has been horrible. The Mets rank 26th in batting average, 29th in OPS, and 27th in runs scored.

The starting pitching for New York has been horrible as well. Freddy Peralta has been inconsistent at best. His start on June 20th against the Phillies was the worst of his career; he went 2.2 innings with 10 earned runs on 10 hits. His strikeout rate of 21.8% is the lowest of his career as well, down 6.4% from last season.

Kodai Senga has been even worse. After being a reliable arm in his past two full seasons, he has become one of the worst pitchers in MLB.

Among pitchers with just 30 innings pitched, his 8.66 ERA ranks last by a wide margin, with the next closest being 7.76. His 14.0% walk rate ranks 12th worst as well.

The bullpen has been the one saving grace for the Mets, but they rarely ever have a chance to keep them in it. New York ranks last in save opportunities, with just 24. Devin Williams has been solid; his 32.3% strikeout rate ranks 12th among relief pitchers.

The real stars of the bullpen have been Huascar Brazobán, Brooks Raley, and Luke Weaver. All three have been lights out all year and are a bright spot for a broken Mets team. This trio out of the bullpen has racked up a combined 2.5 fWAR, and each has an ERA under 2.60.

Like Boston, the Mets will likely sell at the deadline, as they currently sit 11.5 games out of a Wild Card spot. However, there is a possibility that they’ll be buying instead, relying on a second-half surge to put them into postseason contention.

Choosing to buy will just hurt the Mets, however. Even with injuries to key players, salvaging a season like this is nearly impossible. Cashing in on their few valuable assets, such as bullpen arms, will help the team long term. Finding young players to build the future around will provide more value than continuing to dish out money to their problems. It hasn’t been the answer yet, and it likely won’t even be with current ownership.