Not good enough to contend, not bad enough to blow it up. These are the MLB teams living in that awkward middle ground known as baseball purgatory—where .500 records, aging veterans, and endless “next year” hope all come to hang out.
They’re too competent to tank and too flawed to make a real October run. Let’s count down the teams stuck in the baseball version of limbo.
10. Chicago Cubs
They’re always just one or two pieces away… and somehow never get those pieces. Cubs fans have entered the “quiet sigh” era of fandom.
9. San Francisco Giants
Every offseason they flirt with a superstar, then show up in April with more platoons than pop. The vibes are “clever but mid.”
8. Los Angeles Angels
Shohei is gone, Trout is stuck, and the team’s identity is basically “Mike Trout injury update.” There’s no plan here, just vibes and expensive regret.
7. Cleveland Guardians
The pitching is there, but the bats are on vacation. You can only win so many 3-2 games before the baseball gods get bored.
6. Boston Red Sox
They refuse to fully rebuild but also won’t go all-in, which is basically just baseball limbo in a $300 hoodie. Fenway deserves better than another year of 84 wins and “maybe next year.”
5. St. Louis Cardinals
The rotation is old, the core is aging, and the front office acts like it’s still 2015. They’re always respectable, just never scary.
4. Detroit Tigers
Too young to compete, too far along to tank, too confusing to fully understand. They’re on Year 97 of a five-year rebuild.
3. San Diego Padres
They spent all the money, made all the trades, and still somehow finished behind teams with half their payroll. This is what happens when vibes meet reality and lose 6-5.
2. New York Mets
The richest “almosts” in baseball history. The Mets are always one step away from greatness and two steps away from stepping on a rake.
Read More: 10 MLB Franchises That Are Stuck in Baseball Purgatory
1. Colorado Rockies
There is no plan, no urgency, and no logic—just vibes and a Coors Field humidor. They’re not rebuilding, not contending, and somehow not even trying to fake it.
Read More: Ranking the 15 Most Disrespectful MLB Fanbases
