Now that we’ve passed the halfway point of the MLB season, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to dismiss some disappointing performances as temporary slumps. From championship hopefuls struggling to stay in the playoff race to star players enduring surprisingly poor seasons, the first half has produced its fair share of letdowns.
While there’s still plenty of baseball left to play, enough games have been played to paint a much clearer picture of who has lived up to expectations and who hasn’t. Some still have time to turn things around, while others are running out of opportunities to change the narrative.
With the All-Star break approaching and the playoff race beginning to intensify, here’s a look at the teams and players who have delivered the most disappointing first halves of the season.
New York Mets
Death, taxes and the Mets underachieving. Some things never change. After another offseason filled with optimism, the Mets have once again spent much of the season looking nothing like a contender. They sit at the bottom of the NL East, and at this point the playoffs feel more like wishful thinking than a realistic possibility.
The frustration has already led to a managerial change, with Carlos Mendoza recently getting the axe. While injuries have certainly played a role, they don’t fully explain another season of inconsistent pitching, underperforming stars and sloppy defence. For a team with one of baseball’s highest payrolls, this first half has been nothing short of a massive disappointment.
Julio Rodriguez
Julio Rodríguez entered 2026 as one of the favourites to challenge for the AL MVP. Instead, he’s delivered an underwhelming first half.
We’re just past the midway point of the season and the Mariners’ centre fielder is hitting .254 with 14 home runs, 40 RBIs and a .739 OPS. Those are respectable numbers for most players, but far below the standard expected from one of baseball’s brightest stars and the face of Seattle’s franchise.
Perhaps most concerning has been his inconsistency. Rodríguez has struggled to put together prolonged stretches of elite production, making it difficult for the Mariners to rely on him as the offensive catalyst they expected. The Mariners remain in the thick of the divisional race, but they’ll need their franchise player to lead the way if they want to repeat as AL West champions.
Toronto Blue Jays
After last year’s incredible run to the World Series, expectations for the Blue Jays couldn’t have been much higher entering 2026. Many believed Toronto had established itself as a legitimate championship contender, with the goal being another deep postseason run.
Halfway through the season, those expectations feel like a distant memory. The Blue Jays have struggled to recapture the magic that carried them to Game 7 last October. Through 85 games, they sit at 40-45, leaving them well behind the Rays and Yankees in the AL East.
While the team’s offseason additions have generally performed well, many of the core players who fueled last year’s success have taken a step backward. If Toronto hopes to make another postseason run, its stars will need to rediscover the form that made last year’s playoff run possible.
Bo Bichette
The Mets have already earned a spot on this list, but Bo Bichette deserves his own mention. After signing a three-year, $126 million contract in January, Bichette was expected to help transform New York’s lineup and keep the club in the World Series conversation. Unfortunately, his first season in Queens has been an unmitigated disaster.
Through 85 games, Bichette is batting .251 with a .296 on-base percentage and a .383 slugging percentage. Those numbers are well below the standard he set during Toronto’s World Series run last season, when he hit .311 in the regular season and batted .348 during the World Series.
Bichette still has time to change the narrative, but any Mets fan will tell you he’s been a major letdown. Considering he was signed to one of the richest free-agent contracts of the offseason, the start of his tenure in New York has been one to forget.
Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox began the year believing they had taken meaningful steps toward returning to contention, yet Boston finds itself near the bottom of the AL East with an inconsistent offence and an inability to win close games. At one point, the Red Sox fell to 11 games under .500 and were 0-27 when trailing by three or more runs, highlighting just how difficult it has been for them to mount comebacks.
The team has shown signs of life recently, winning five straight games heading into July, but that hot streak has done little to erase an underwhelming first half. For a franchise that expects to compete for playoff spots year after year, simply climbing back toward .500 is hardly cause for celebration.
Kyle Tucker
When the Dodgers signed Kyle Tucker to a four-year, $240 million contract during the offseason, they made one of the biggest free-agent splashes in MLB history. Tucker was expected to seamlessly slot into an already loaded lineup and help the defending champions chase another World Series title.
While Los Angeles has continued to win, Tucker hasn’t delivered the production many expected in his first season with the club. Through the first half, he’s batting just .242 with seven home runs, 44 RBIs and a .721 OPS. Even Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has publicly acknowledged Tucker’s struggles with plate discipline and consistency.
Fortunately for the Dodgers, their star-studded roster has been good enough to overcome Tucker’s slow start. But considering the size of his contract and the expectations that came with it, he’s undoubtedly been one of the biggest individual disappointments in baseball.