While it's usually too early to pay much attention to the MLB standings in the first week of May, a handful of playoff hopefuls are off to horrible starts.
Let's look at six struggling teams sitting multiple games under .500 after the first month of the campaign and judge how much they should be panicking.
We've rated each situation on a siren emoji scale, where one (🚨) is the lowest reading on the panic meter and five (🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨) is the highest.
New York Mets
Level of concern: 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨
Record: 10-21
Winning %: .323
The Mets are in full crisis mode. David Stearns' offseason roster makeover has fallen flat, as New York owns the worst record in the majors despite operating with the highest payroll. (Are we sure we need a salary cap?)
The Mets are 11.5 games back in the NL East and eight out of the final wild-card spot. They also just wrapped up a disappointing homestand, going 3-6 against the Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies, and Washington Nationals - three clubs with losing records.
Although Juan Soto, Jorge Polanco, Luis Robert Jr., and Francisco Lindor have already hit the IL at different points this year, injuries aren't the main driver behind New York's failures. This roster has enough talent to win, and they just aren't. The Mets sit 29th in runs scored and last in OPS (.631). Meanwhile, the pitching staff has been only slightly better, combining for a 4.17 ERA. If the arms aren't almost perfect every night, this squad isn't going to win games.
Stearns made several moves this winter to rebuild a roster that underachieved last season, but almost all of those acquisitions are off to awful starts. Bo Bichette has a .589 OPS, while Marcus Semien is slugging .291. Each of the Mets' seven qualified hitters owns a wRC+ under 100. It's almost unbelievable how poorly everyone's performed offensively.
On the bright side, the pitching trio of Clay Holmes, Nolan McLean, and Freddy Peralta has been very good. That group will need to keep delivering and hope the offense can turn the corner if there's any chance of a miracle. The more likely scenario is that the hole is already too deep, and this team is looking like sellers at the deadline. It feels like a managerial change is inevitable. And after two potentially disastrous seasons, Stearns' tenure could also be running out.
Philadelphia Phillies
Level of concern: 🚨🚨🚨🚨
Record: 12-19
Winning %: .387
If it weren't for the Mets, the Phillies would arguably be the biggest disappointment to open the season. It's hard to believe a team with as much talent as Philadelphia can possess an MLB-worst minus-45 run differential through just 31 games and it not be a result of unrelenting injuries.
Dave Dombrowski received plenty of criticism when he opted to run it back this winter, and the early returns have already cost manager Rob Thomson his job.
Even Alex Cora, recently fired from the Boston Red Sox, wanted no part of joining this club.
Outside of Cristopher Sánchez, the rotation has been horrendous. Jesús Luzardo (5.50 ERA), Aaron Nola (6.03), Andrew Painter (5.25), and the now-released Taijuan Walker (9.13) have contributed to the NL's worst rotation ERA. Zack Wheeler's return should help, and Luzardo's been much better recently, but the Phillies can't play from behind every night if they expect to turn things around.
Though Dombrowski didn't have a great offseason, re-signing Kyle Schwarber was essential, and he's been fantastic. Schwarber and Bryce Harper have combined for 17 of the team's 33 home runs (52%). The lack of help from the supporting cast has been a huge part of the problem. This lineup is supposed to hit, and it's been bleak outside of those two. Trea Turner is underperforming, while Bryson Stott (48 wRC+) and Alec Bohm (24 wRC+) have been two of the worst hitters in the majors.
Dombrowski will do whatever it takes to win, so expect him to be aggressive in finding help. Still, it feels like the clock keeps ticking faster on this competitive window.
Boston Red Sox
Level of concern: 🚨🚨🚨🚨
Record: 12-19
Winning %: .387
It's amazing how quickly the perception of the Red Sox shifted in Boston. This club was coming off its first playoff appearance in four years and entered 2026 with some serious momentum. However, instead of building off the success, the Red Sox faltered out of the gate, leading to the dismissal of longtime manager Cora and half of his coaching staff.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow whiffed on a number of high-profile bats this winter, and the offensive struggles are a result of that. The Red Sox rank 24th in runs, 28th in OPS, and 29th in both homers and slugging. They've already been shut out three times and have scored two or fewer runs in 14 of 31 games.
Jarren Duran owns a 31 wRC+, and Roman Anthony looks completely overmatched at times, slugging just .292 with a 27.8 K%. Meanwhile, Trevor Story, the team's highest-paid position player, already has 40 strikeouts and a .197/.237/.295 slash line.
It's basically been a worst-case scenario for the Red Sox offense. This team isn't as bad as it has played, but its ceiling isn't that high either. No amount of coaching changes will fix it. Boston just doesn't have enough talent.
Breslow believed that investing in pitching and run prevention would compensate for the club's lack of run scoring. So far, the arms aren't delivering either. Boston ranks 22nd in ERA and currently has ace Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray on the IL.
The biggest thing saving Boston is the mediocrity of the rest of the American League. Despite their struggles, the Red Sox sit 3.5 games out of a playoff spot.
San Francisco Giants
Level of concern: 🚨🚨🚨🚨
Record: 13-18
Winning %: .419
The Giants are running a high payroll and are loaded with veterans with decorated resumes, but this group is struggling to find success for whatever reason.
A lineup that deploys Willy Adames, Luis Arraez, Matt Chapman, Rafael Devers, and Jung Hoo Lee shouldn't rank last in the majors in runs scored and home runs - even if it does play in a pitcher's park.
Adames and Devers joined the club at a high financial cost and were expected to be the core offensive components the organization had long sought. Through the first month of the season, they've been two of MLB's worst hitters.
Adames is slashing .200/.244/.358 with a 30.8 K%, while Devers sits 174th out of 185 qualified hitters in OPS (.537) and second-worst among players with a minus-0.8 fWAR.
We've seen Devers start cold before, only to heat up later, but that was when he played home games at Fenway Park. If you're the Giants, you have to be somewhat concerned about all the dark blue covering your highest-paid player's Baseball Savant page.
If Devers and Adames get going, things in San Francisco can turn around quickly. If not, we'll see how much patience the fan base has with rookie manager Tony Vitello and franchise legend Buster Posey leading the front office. Remember, this is an organization that has reached the postseason just once since 2017.
Houston Astros
Level of concern: 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨
Record: 12-20
Winning %: .375
It really feels like the Astros are paying for an almost decade-long run of AL dominance. Houston entered the season facing significant depth issues, and it really can't afford not to be operating at full health.
The lineup and rotation face enormous questions, and injuries to Hunter Brown, Tatsuya Imai, Josh Hader, and Cristian Javier have decimated the pitching staff. Houston owns an MLB-worst 6.08 ERA through 32 games - a full run higher than the 29th-ranked Washington Nationals. Additionally, the club has allowed the most home runs, walks, and the highest WHIP in the majors, surrendering at least five runs in 20 games and eight or more runs in 11 contests.
Simply put, the Astros' pitchers are getting crushed almost every night.
On a brighter note, Yordan Alvarez looks like the best hitter in baseball once again, and things might have been worse if it weren't for the superstar's heroics.
It's not time for full-blown panic in Houston yet, but the clock appears to be ticking on this group. The front office might soon need to seriously consider whether it's time for a rebuild. That won't be an easy decision with Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, and Alvarez all signed through at least the next three seasons.
Toronto Blue Jays
Level of concern: 🚨🚨
Record: 14-17
Winning %: .452
The reigning AL champs appear to be coming out of their early-season struggles, which were fuelled, at least in part, by an unrelenting amount of injuries. Toronto enters May with a 14-17 record, nearly mirroring last season's 14-16 mark at the end of April.
The Blue Jays were a season-worst five games under .500 on April 18. At the time, they were without a number of regulars, and Jeff Hoffman was struggling in the closer's role. Since then, Hoffman has been replaced by Louie Varland, and the bullpen hierarchy has settled into place. The club's also starting to get healthy again, with George Springer and Trey Yesavage returning earlier this week. Additional reinforcements don't appear far.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is off to an excellent start, posting a .907 OPS despite recording only two home runs. He's continuing to hit the ball at an elite level while not striking out, and it's only a matter of time before the power comes. The lineup has shown other signs of life, too. Kazuma Okamoto is starting to settle in, Ernie Clement leads MLB in doubles, and Addison Barger is close to returning from the IL.
Despite the rotation depth being tested with numerous injuries, the starting pitching is in pretty good shape. Kevin Gausman is throwing like an ace. Dylan Cease ranks second in the AL in strikeouts. Yesavage looked excellent in his season debut. Patrick Corbin has been solid after signing in early April.
It's fair to say that the Blue Jays failed to take advantage of a soft schedule to open the year, but it's hard not to be OK with where they're at, especially with more help on the way.
