Two Contenders Trending Downward at 4th of July Mark

These two teams are struggling, leading to some concerns

New York Yankees left fielder Jasson Dominguez (24) hits a base hit in the fifth inning of the MLB game against the New York Yankees at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The 2026 season is about to reach the halfway point. It's starting to become much clearer as to who the real contenders are and who the pretenders are. Some teams have performed better than expected, while others have performed below their expectation level.

But as the trade deadline moves closer, the playoff picture will continue to crystalize when teams start buying and selling. But as the halfway point nears, there are a few teams that appear to be slumping quite a bit and could possibly find themselves clinging to their playoff lives at some point.

Here are two teams that are starting to show signs of declining.

New York Yankees

Aaron Judge is shown after batting practice, Tuesday, October 9, 2018. Alds Game 4 | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Yankees are clearly missing Aaron Judge, and it's not any coincidence that since he went down, they have been struggling. In fact, they have now lost seven games in a row and have fallen to four games back of the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East.

Once Judge comes back, they should be okay, but until then, they'll need to look for ways to add a right-handed bat to their mix and pick up the slack left by Judge's injury.

They fell short in the ALDS last year, and they're going to need some reinforcements if they want to avoid an early playoff exit again. Fortunately for them, they still lead the wild card race, so hope is not lost, but they need to turn it around quick.

St. Louis Cardinals

Jun 15, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Dustin May (3) reacts as he walks off the field after the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cardinals escaped with a series win over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday, but now they must await the word on right-hander Dustin May, who left the game after being hit in the foot by a comebacker.

They also have not been playing their best baseball, and they simply don't have the pitching depth necessary to be a true contender. That could depend on what they do at the trade deadline, but they don't appear to be in the market for any significant upgrades.

It may only be a matter of time before St. Louis falls out of contention, so that could ultimately lead to them selling at the trade deadline. The focus is still on the future for St. Louis, and this was never a team built to contend in 2026.

We'll see how the rest of the season plays out, but fans shouldn't expect to see the Cardinals in the playoffs when October comes around.