This was supposed to be remembered as Pete Crow-Armstrong’s arrival, the season Cam Schlittler carved out a reputation as a true ace, and the 2026 campaign in which the White Sox finally climbed out of baseball’s basement.
Instead, the lasting headline will be something far less celebratory: a year defined by disappointment, and not just from one underachieving club.
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The Mets failed to absorb the hard lessons of last season and somehow slid even further. The 2025 ALCS field turned into a warning label for almost everyone except the Yankees — yes, Blue Jays, Mariners and Tigers, that includes you. More broadly, the American League was so shockingly weak that even some of baseball’s most frustrating teams remained mathematically alive for a postseason spot with three weeks still on the schedule.
Pittsburgh appeared to build a stronger roster around Paul Skenes, only for Skenes to regress and drag the Pirates down with him. Terry Francona’s familiar managerial magic did not carry the Reds for a second straight season, and Tony Vitello’s college-baseball energy failed to translate into a spark for the Giants.