Mariners, Mets among teams that can still make MLB playoffs after slow 2026 starts

We’d all love our favorite MLB teams to jump out to great starts to the season and keep up that momentum over a full 162-game season, but that’s not always the case. Some teams require more time to gel and get rolling after a slower start. 

In fact, we’re seeing just that this year with the Philadelphia Phillies, who were 9-19 at one point but now are 25-23 entering Tuesday. The Phils were viewed as a top contender in the National League, but they really stumbled out of the gate. Improvements under interim manager Don Mattingly now have the Phillies looking like a playoff contender once again. 

So who are some other teams off to poor starts who can turn things around? With SeatGeek the Official Ticket Marketplace of MLB, we’re keeping a close eye on all 30 teams across the league. We’ve identified six teams that are under .500 entering Tuesday that we think have the ability to get rolling and emerge as a playoff contender when it’s all said and done. 

MLB teams that can bounce back after slow 2026 starts

Here are six slow-starting teams that can make a legitimate postseason run, along with the main reasons they could fall short of their World Series aspirations.

Seattle Mariners (23-26)

Why they can

This is a largely veteran roster that came this close to making the World Series last year, and the majority of that cast is back this year. Injuries are an issue (more on that in a moment) but this is a very good roster, especially in a wide-open American League and, in particular, AL West. Of all the teams we’ll talk about here, Seattle easily has the best chance of winning its division. 

The Mariners also have something few other teams have, which is a ton of starting pitching. Postseason hero Bryce Miller is back and healthy after missing the first month-plus of the regular season. Emerson Hancock, who has been the team’s No. 6 option for a while now and was only in the rotation because of Miller’s injury, has been arguably the best starter the Mariners have. There is some concern with Luis Castillo’s performance (6.34 ERA), but he’s a proven veteran arm who has been excellent in Seattle. Even with his tough start, the Mariners are well equipped to handle things given Miller is back and Hancock is enjoying a breakout season. 

Why they can’t

There are two main things that are concerning for the Mariners right now.

First, the injuries. Cal Raleigh and Brendan Donovan – Seattle’s No. 1 and 2 hitters in its everyday lineup – are on the IL for the next few weeks at least, while two of the team’s top relievers are also hurt in Matt Brash and Gabe Speier. Reliever injuries are easier to deal with than missing two of your biggest bats, but given the Mariners have a propensity for playing close games, missing two arms like Speier and Brash is hard to deal with.

Second, how they score runs. The Mariners have leaned heavily on the long ball over the last few years, and while they have been one of baseball’s better teams in terms of win-loss record since 2021, a heavy reliance on homers can lead to some cold stretches. The Mariners score nearly 50% of their runs via homers, which is the highest percentage in baseball. They’re 10th in home runs but 19th in runs scored right now. 

Texas Rangers (22-25)

Why they can

Last year, the Rangers were built around pitching, and that’s been the case again this year. While Nathan Eovaldi has been more good than great like we’ve seen in recent years, Jacob deGrom is awesome. Those two give Texas as dangerous of a 1-2 punch as there is in baseball. Texas has also had a much better bullpen than in recent years despite there not being any real big names on that front. MacKenzie Gore was a big offseason addition for the Rangers, and while he has a 4.78 ERA, the young lefty is extremely talented and, if he gets going, gives Texas maybe the best starting pitching trio in the game. Overall, the Rangers’ 3.58 team ERA is fifth in all of baseball. Young third baseman Josh Jung has been great with an OPS over .800, and while he’s slowed down after a red-hot start, veteran outfielder Brandon Nimmo, who the Rangers traded for this winter, has been a great addition atop the lineup. 

And, like the Mariners, Texas is in a very easy and wide-open AL West, which only helps the Rangers’ postseason chances at this point. 

Why they can’t

The Rangers led MLB in ERA last year but had one of the league’s worst offenses, finishing in the bottom 10 in runs scored. Outside of Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford, the lineup was rough. Unfortunately for the Rangers, it’s more of the same this year as Jung and Nimmo have really been the only two hitters to play well to begin 2026. Seager is hitting under .200 with an OPS well under .700, Jake Burger’s eight home runs leads the team but he is also OPSing under .700, Langford has played just 20 games and Evan Carter’s OPS is closer to .600 than .700. 

The Rangers are 28th in runs scored, 26th in batting average and 26th in OPS. Seager should get going, which will help, but it looks like Texas may very well spoil another great pitching season with an extremely lackluster offense. An early-season trade for another bat certainly has to be on the table for the Rangers, especially because winning the AL West is easily achievable. 

Detroit Tigers (20-28)

Why they can

The biggest thing with the Tigers right now, outside of the general struggles and poor record, is not having two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, who’s on the injured list due to an elbow surgery. Skubal is due back in the near future – likely in June – and that alone will have Detroit winning essentially every fifth day for the rest of the year. Casey Mize has a 2.43 ERA and is back from injury and Keider Montero owns a 3.65 ERA in eight starts as a breakout arm for Detroit. 

The Tigers are also in a very winnable division in the AL Central, and there’s still quite a lot to like with the lineup. Catcher Dillon Dingler has quietly been one of the top hitting catchers this year, Riley Greene has flirted with a .900 OPS, Kerry Carpenter is a solid bat and, of course, rookie Kevin McGonigle is a top contender for Rookie of the Year and Colt Keith is hitting .293.  

Why they can’t

Losing a pitcher of Skubal’s caliber is never easy, and the Tigers’ 20-28 record right now shows they may not be winning many games even if Skubal was well and healthy. That being said, the team has two veteran arms who should be helping the Tigers minimize Skubal’s loss in Framber Valdez and Jack Flaherty, but those two have not performed up to their standards this year. Valdez, a prized offseason addition, has an ERA over 4 at 4.58 and is hardly what Detroit was expecting when it signed the veteran lefty to a big deal in free agency. Flaherty has a 5.77 ERA as he’s been the biggest weak link in the rotation this year. 

Offensively, the Tigers are bottom 10 in runs and home runs. Greene, McGonigle, Keith, Dingler and Carpenter are all performing well overall, but key bats like Spencer Torkelson and Gleyber Torres haven’t done much to write home about. If there’s anything to really point to as the biggest issue outside of Skubal’s injury, it’s the overall state of the lineup. 

Blue Jays (21-26)

Why they can

This is largely the same Blue Jays team that was a hair away from winning the World Series last year, so that alone is reason enough to believe. But Toronto is five games under .500, and it honestly could be worse considering the crazy amount of injuries the team has dealt with both in the lineup and the rotation thus far. At some point, that injury luck will even out, and the Jays should get a steady stream of reinforcements as the season continues. 

The Jays lost Bo Bichette in free agency, but they made two great additions in adding Dylan Cease to the rotation and Kazuma Okamoto to play third base. Cease is an early Cy Young contender with a 2.47 ERA and 75 strikeouts in nine starts. Okamoto has arguably been Toronto’s best player this year, leading the team in home runs with 10 and RBIs with 27. The lineup has proven veterans like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer and others who all should at some point do what we’re accustomed to seeing. The team’s 4.03 ERA is 13th in MLB, which is solid, and Kevin Gausman is once again rock solid while playoff hero Trey Yesavage owns a 1.40 ERA in four starts after beginning the year on the injured list. 

The AL East is tough and things have been ugly early, but it’s hard to count out the Jays just yet. 

Why they can’t

Like I said – injuries. Max Scherzer, Shane Bieber, Alejandro Kirk, Anthony Santander, Addison Barger, Yimi Garcia, Jose Berrios, Tommy Nance and Nathan Lukes are all on the injured list right now, and all have differing bills of health and estimated return dates. That’s a lot of talent and production to be sitting out. 

Offensively, Okamoto has been a pleasant surprise, but Guerrero’s .752 OPS is well below his lofty standards, and he also has just three home runs and 10 extra-base hits. Springer has also left the yard just three times and has a .604 OPS. Add in that Davis Schneider and Andres Gimenez have OPS totals under .600 and .700, respectively, and the lineup just isn’t very scary right now. 

Cease, Gausman and Yesavage are a terrifying trio, but with so many other arms banged up, the rotation depth is really being tested, and it’s largely falling flat. The bullpen is also fringe average, making things more suspect on the pitching side. Toronto is just 9-for-19 in save opportunities, with Jeff Hoffman only converting three of six chances. 

Royals (20-28)

Why they can

The Royals have played better in May than in April, going 8-9 thus far after going just 10-17 last month, but they still find themselves eight games under .500. Kansas City was a team I actually picked to win a Wild Card spot before the year, and the same reasons I bought in before the season began are why I think they could still make a run.

It starts with the pitching. Seth Lugo is a great veteran arm who owns a 3.68 ERA in 10 starts. Kris Bubic owns a 4.11 ERA. And Michael Wacha has been the best of the bunch with a 2.83 ERA. The rotation is just rock solid and is proven with veteran arms. That can really help prevent a team from getting too down or allowing losing streaks to really pile up. 

Offensively, the Royals have a guy named Bobby Witt Jr. playing shortstop every day – maybe you’ve heard of him. Witt had a rocky start but has been hot of late. He’s now the proud owner of a .861 OPS with a team-leading seven home runs, 20 extra-base hits and 14 stolen bases. Jac Caglianone has also taken a massive step forward in Year 2 with a .764 OPS, and Kyle Isbel is hitting .275. Add in names you know by now like Salvador Perez, Maikel Garcia and Vinnie Pasquantino and there still is a lot to like with this lineup.

Why they can’t

Yeah, so Witt, Caglianone and Isbel have been great, but those other guys I mentioned at the end? They’ve had horrible starts to 2026. Perez is OPSing under .600, Pasquantino is hitting .198 and Garcia has a .721 OPS. Witt can carry a lineup and there are some other guys doing some damage, but at some point at least one of those three big names has to really get going. That just hasn’t happened yet, and Kansas City is bottom five in runs scored. 

Additionally, the Royals have really struggled on the road. They’re 13-11 at home with a plus-17 run differential, but they’re just 7-17 away from Kansas City with a minus-40 run differential. Shining at home is awesome, but you play 81 road games a year. K.C. is on pace to win roughly 24 road games in 2026. 

And a name you may have noticed I didn’t list earlier is standout southpaw Cole Ragans. He has a 4.84 ERA and is again on the injured list. While it sounds like he’s progressing well, Ragans battled injuries last year and took a massive step backward after a breakout 2024 campaign. A healthy and shining Ragans would be a huge boost, but he hasn’t pitched particularly well even when healthy this year. 

Mets (21-26)

Why they can

The Mets have had a really tough start to the year, in large part because of the lineup. They lost star slugger Pete Alonso to the Orioles in free agency, and they opted to go a different route with the lineup by signing proven hitters who are more contact-oriented as opposed to sluggers, namely Bo Bichette and Jorge Polanco. The team also returned superstars in Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto. It hasn’t quite clicked just yet, though they’re 12th in runs scored in May and are 11-5 this month. There are some promising signs and a lot of really good and proven hitters in the mix as well. 

The Mets haven’t completely folded thanks to the pitching, with rookie Nolan McLean looking like a Rookie of the Year favorite with his 2.92 ERA and sub-1 WHIP through nine starts. Clay Holmes has also been excellent (more on him later), as has new face Freddy Peralta. The Mets also own a top-10 bullpen in terms of ERA, even after losing Edwin Diaz in free agency.

Why they can’t

We’ll start with Holmes, who took a line drive off the leg and may need surgery. Regardless, he’ll be out for some time, which is a huge blow considering he owns a 2.39 ERA through nine starts this season. Outside of Holmes, McLean and Peralta, New York’s rotation has been suspect, such as David Peterson having a 5.40 ERA in 10 games (five starts). How the Mets navigate this loss will play a major role in whether or not they continue to win in May and rise up the standings. 

Offensively is where the biggest question marks remain. Soto has done what he normally does, but Lindor may not be ready for another few weeks and those aforementioned new faces like Bichette, Polanco (out since April 14) and Marcus Semien have all been dreadfully cold out of the gate. Bichette owns an OPS of just .570 right now. There are some big names who have proven track records, but too many have struggled thus far and, outside of Soto, there may not be enough home run thump to help keep runs on the board while some of these contact bats struggle to get the job done.