MLB is the best and most competitive professional baseball league in the whole world.
However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t home to some lousy teams.
In fact, given the fact that 30 teams play in it, it’s almost impossible that all teams are respectable and competitive at the same time.
Yes, for every San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Rays or New York Yankees, there are a few Baltimore Orioles, Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Texas Rangers.
A few teams, most notably the Giants, Dodgers, and perhaps the Rays, have a shot at finishing with at least 100 victories.
Which teams could finish the campaign with at least 100 losses?
Baltimore Orioles
If you thought the early-season Diamondbacks were bad, these second-half Orioles are making them look like the 1927 Yankees.
As of Tuesday, the Orioles are the only team in MLB with fewer than 40 wins.
Their 38-85 record is by far the worst in Major League Baseball.
Baltimore #Orioles
• .309 record (38-85) – MLB worst
• 18 game losing streak – MLB worst
• 486 runs scored – ranked 27th
• 719 runs against – MLB worst
• -233 run differential – MLB worst— Dan Clark (@DanClarkSports) August 24, 2021
Baltimore has a bright future, at least considering that prospects such as Adley Rutschman, Grayson Rodriguez, and DJ Hall could make an impact as soon as 2022.
But their 2021 season has been monumentally bad.
Texas Rangers
At 43-81, the Rangers are the second-worst American League team after the Orioles.
They are in full-fledged rebuild mode after trading Lance Lynn, Joey Gallo, Ian Kennedy, and Kyle Gibson.
To avoid finishing with 100 losses, they would have to win at least 20 of their 38 remaining games, or put in a better way, play above .500.
Sorry, but that’s not going to happen.
The Rangers seem ticketed for a 100-loss campaign.
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates, for the third straight season, will finish with a losing record.
They are currently at 45-80, one of their worst seasons in recent memory.
They do have some interesting prospects for the future, and a budding young star in outfielder Bryan Reynolds.
Reynolds has been fantastic in 2021, but not enough to mask the mediocrity of the Pirates roster.
To avoid a 100-loss finish, Pittsburgh would need to win 18 of their remaining 37 games.
It’s certainly possible, but the most likely scenario involves them losing at least 100 contests.
There is not much that they can do at this point to prevent it from happening.
Arizona Diamondbacks
For much of the year, the D-Backs were the absolute worst team in baseball.
The Orioles now have that ‘honor’, at least considering wins and losses, but Arizona’s 42-84 record is the second-worst in MLB.
This team, as currently constructed, is inevitably going to lose at least 100 games, and 105 aren’t out of the question.
They would need to go 21-15 to avoid 100 losses in 2021, and it’s very, very hard to see that as a realistic scenario from a team with a -171 run differential.
These are the four MLB teams that will likely finish the 2021 season with at least 100 losses.
They have been the worst of the worst in a year with several powerhouses, but also a handful of mediocre and non-competitive clubs.
In 2015, no team in the MLB finished the season with 100 losses
In 2021 4 teams are on pace to finish with 100 losses or more
MLB needs to do something about this, fans don’t deserve for the franchises to tank
— ROYALS KINGDOM (56-68) (@kingdom_royals) August 19, 2021
While some people talk about a salary cap, perhaps the league should think about a way to implement a minimum investment to avoid teams from tanking.
NEXT: Nelson Cruz Contract: What Would A New Deal Look Like?