The Flip Side of Surprise Is Disappointment

If you're a baseball fan who likes surprises, then the 2008 season has been a special treat. The Rays are the most notable team that has exceeded expectations, but the Twins, White Sox and Marlins are also surprise contenders.

Of course, those pleasant surprises have come at the expense of several clubs expected to be much better this season. Whether because of a big free-agent signing last winter, a deep October run last season or the (hint, hint) crushing burden of a massive payroll, the baseball landscape is littered with flops as August comes to a close.

The following is a countdown of the seven most disappointing teams this season.

7. Padres: Mired in last place in the abysmal NL West, it's easy to forget that this team won 89 games last year and was a (phantom?) Matt Holliday slide away from a playoff spot. Even when they were winning division titles, the Padres operated on a thin margin. Injuries and underperformance are at the root of their struggles.

Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Kouzmanoff and Brian Giles are the only offensive regulars who have played more than 100 games. Ace Jake Peavy spent a month on the disabled list, while No. 2 starter Chris Young has made only 13 starts. Veteran closer Trevor Hoffman has also been extremely shaky.

6. Indians: A recent hot streak has given Cleveland a measure of respectability, but they were one victory from the World Series less than a year ago. Early injuries to catcher Victor Martinez and designated hitter Travis Hafner took most of the punch away from the offense, ultimately forcing Mark Shapiro to deal ace CC Sabathia and third baseman Casey Blake.


The good news is that the Tribe could reap the benefits of those trades as soon as next season and be right back in contention.

5. Rockies: Colorado seems to be paying the karmic price for its miraculous run to the World Series last October in 2008. Troy Tulowitzki, who was so terrific in his rookie season, has missed large chunks of time. So has Matt Holliday and Rockie lifer Todd Helton.

The young pitching also hasn't come along as the Rockies would have liked. Franklin Morales, one of the top pitching prospects in the game entering the season, hasn't contributed in the majors as expected.

4. Mariners: GM Bill Bavasi, now out of a job in Seattle, made a major miscalculation about his club, assuming they were truly an 88-win team after winning that many games in 2007. With a run differential of minus-19, he should have known better than to assume that the Mariners were one big trade from overtaking the Angels in the AL West.

Unfortunately he didn't, acquiring lefty Erik Bedard, who has been miserable this season, and giving up several important pieces that could have helped this year and in the future in Adam Jones, George Sherrill and Chris Tillman. A darkhorse pick to win the division coming into the season, the Mariners were never that good. Bavasi fell victim to those expectations. The sobering news? The Bedard trade might have hurt Seattle this year, but it will most certainly negatively impact them for at least the next several years.

3. Braves: Some very smart folks over at ESPN picked Atlanta to win it all this year. Whoops. The Braves' veteran pitching staff, led by John Smoltz and Tom Glavine, collapsed early on and a woeful bullpen resulted in an inordinate number of one-run losses.

Now slugger Mark Teixeira is gone, and the Braves' farm system is significantly weaker (though still good) as a result. Like Seattle, it might take a few years for Atlanta to get out of this hole.

2. Yankees: Some things aren't the fault of anyone. Losing staff ace Chien-Ming Wang for the year was a major blow. Other things are. Eschewing Johan Santana for the likes of Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy and Melky Cabrera doesn't look very good right now. Neither does the decision to stretch out Joba Chamberlain in the major leagues.

Mostly, though, this team just got old very quickly. At some point the production of Derek Jeter was going to tail off. That's what happens to players as they age. Veterans also get injured, which is what happened to Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada. GM Brian Cashman has wisely decided to shift more of the organization's focus to the minor leagues, but that shift came too late for the 2008 Yankees.

1. Tigers: Wasn't this team supposed to score 1,000 runs? What wasn't obvious in March but is crystal clear now is that Detroit banked on a collection of veterans, players coming off career years and unproven National Leaguers. The offense has been OK, above average even, but it's far from the best in the American League.

Oh, and the pitching staff has been a mess from top to bottom all season long.

It'd be easy to call the Yankees the most disappointing team in baseball this year -- that comes with the territory of a $200 million payroll. Keep in mind, though, that the Tigers are also a top five payroll team, and unlike New York, they might not even manage to finish over .500.