These 3 Slumping MLB Teams Can Already Kiss Playoff Dreams Goodbye

It's been a rough go for this trio.

Apr 10, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) dives into third base during the fourth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

The Major League Baseball season is only four weeks old, but we're ready to declare three teams dead in the water.

There's a bit of confirmation bias involved here, because none of the teams on this list made the playoffs last season, and only one finished with a record over .500. Compared to others who have had awful starts, like the New York Mets and Houston Astros, we're predisposed to think they'll be bad.

So without further ado, here are Fastball on SI's three first teams to be unofficially eliminated from playoff consideration in 2026 -- and good on any of them if they happen to prove us wrong.

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1. Colorado Rockies (9-14)

Apr 19, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies left fielder Mickey Moniak (22) gestures on a solo home run in the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The Rockies really haven't been a disappointment at all, and therein lies the problem. Had we written this list on opening day, they probably still would have been on it. It just isn't realistic to expect that a team can go from 119 losses to the postseason in a year's time.

On offense, the Rockies have to be hoping for more from Ezequiel Tovar and Brenton Doyle, two of their only holdovers from the last couple of seasons. But Troy Johnston looks like a nice piece, and Chase Dollander has pitched well to validate the Rockies' strategy of using an opener in front of him.

2. Kansas City Royals (7-16)

Doubting Bobby Witt Jr. isn't always the most appealing idea in the world, but his Royals have played like the worst team in the sport all season. Monday night's extra-innings loss to the Baltimore Orioles, in which Kansas City repeatedly shot itself in the foot, was the last bit of evidence that we needed to include them here.

A lot of the blame falls on Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino, who have OPS figures of .526 and .493, respectively. But even if those two pick themselves up, the Royals are at least an outfielder and a second baseman short of a contending lineup as currently constructed.

3. Chicago White Sox (8-14)

Apr 18, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami (5) jogs around the bases after hitting a solo home run during the seventh inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Marshall-Imagn Images | Scott Marshall-Imagn Images

It's definitely not all bad on the South Side. Munetaka Murakami has been an electric watch early in the season, while the rotation has been decent enough. Davis Martin, in particular, seems to be emerging as a potential stalwart for Chicago moving forward.

But when the only two hitters to be excited about are Murakami and Colson Montgomery, you still have a long way to go to build a postseason lineup, even in the raggedy American League Central.