There’s nothing quite like the emotional rollercoaster of a baseball season. One minute your team is racking up wins, making savvy trades, and looking like a World Series sleeper—and the next, they’ve gone ice cold and missed the playoffs entirely. These teams have a knack for making you believe just long enough to break your heart.
From hot starts to stacked rosters that fizzle out, some franchises just can’t seem to close the deal. Fans invest for six months only to end up saying, “Maybe next year,” more often than they’d like. Here are 10 MLB teams that keep getting your hopes up, then sending them crashing right back down.
10. Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies can look like world-beaters in one series and completely lose the next. Even when they’re good, they love to make things way more dramatic than they need to be.
9. San Diego Padres
Big names, big payroll, big expectations—followed by underwhelming results. The Padres keep setting the stage for greatness and then tripping over their own cleats.
8. Toronto Blue Jays
With a young, talented core, the Blue Jays always seem one step away from breaking through. But when October rolls around, they suddenly forget how to hit or pitch.
7. Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers always find a way to be in the mix, but rarely seem built for the long haul. They’ll grind out wins all season, only to come up short when the games matter most.
6. New York Mets
The Mets specialize in giving fans whiplash. No matter how much money they spend or talent they gather, chaos is never far behind.
5. Seattle Mariners
Every time the Mariners look like they’ve turned the corner, the wheels fall off. Even their best seasons seem to end with missed opportunities and “what if” moments.
4. St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals aren’t always bad, but lately they’ve mastered the art of promising potential and delivering mediocrity. Their fans expect consistency, and lately, it’s been anything but.
3. Minnesota Twins
The Twins love to dominate the regular season just enough to raise expectations. Then they hit the playoffs and forget how baseball works entirely.
Read More: Ranking the 10 Most Emotionally Draining MLB Teams to Support
2. Los Angeles Angels
With a generational talent, the Angels should be contenders every year. Instead, they somehow stay trapped in a cycle of injury, dysfunction, and disappointment.
Read More: Ranking the 15 Most Fun MLB Teams to Root For
1. Atlanta Braves
The Braves have been elite on paper for years, and they even won it all in 2021—but since then, it’s been heartbreak city. Dominant regular seasons followed by postseason faceplants have become their signature move.
Read More: 10 MLB Teams Stuck in Baseball Purgatory
