Two American League Teams Who Have Already Sealed Their Fate for 2026

This seems to be a pattern for the Red Sox. They have a couple of down years, reach the playoffs one year, and then fall back down to earth. The Red Sox were a wild card team last season and won 89 games during the regular season, but after being eliminated by the Yankees in the postseason, they have come crashing back down to earth.

They are 12-18 and sit in last place in the AL East. They also hold the second worst record in the junior circuit. While they are just two games back in the wild card race, things got so bad that the Red Sox ended up firing Alex Cora and four other coaches.

The drama surrounding that and the fact that the players seemingly had no say could ultimately be the deciding factor for the Red Sox. It's clear that there is discord within the organization, and sometimes, that can be hard to overcome.

Houston Astros

While the Astros haven't fired anybody yet, that could change very soon. It was clear at the end of last season that they were on their way down and that their dynasty had finally fallen.

They narrowly missed the postseason and now have the worst record in the American League. The main problem for Houston is their lack of pitching. Losing Framber Valdez clearly hurt the rotation, especially considering that Tatsuya Imai hasn't been as good as advertised and is also on the injured list.

At a certain point, it may be too late for the Astros to patch the holes in their pitching staff. The offense can only do so much to keep them in games, so it might be time to count the Astros out of the playoff picture.