Hardest Team To Start

pgjocki · 02-28-2026, 04:54 PM

As we get close which team(s) do you think are going to be the hardest to manage as a GM and turn around this year?

I'm biased and think St. Louis is in for a rough year but should be good in the next 2 to 3 seasons if you get minor league development and don't overspend on free agents until ready to actually compete.

I think the White Sox are a train wreck and I'm not sure they can realistically be a playoff team without 3 to 5 years of development and massive roster turnover.

The Pirates are interesting in that they have some talent but you are up against an Owner who won't spend and the chances of keeping Skenes is almost nil.

Budget wise Tampa, Athletics,Twins, and Guardians are waste lands so you better be really good at maxing young guys, playing the waiver wire, and winning trades as soon as guys start making over $10m a year.

I'm not sure why Miami still has a team and their ballpark just is awful on your hitters. I find them incredibly boring to play and usually won't even a sim or two just to try stuff out.

Lastly, well there is Colorado. I've tried almost every year to win with the Rockies and I am 100% defeated as I've never won a championship with them and this year doesn't look to promising.

ChrisG · 02-28-2026, 06:31 PM

Colorado would be the obvious answer to me. Very little ML talent, poor farm system, hard to develop pitching.

If the financials end up being more realistic, the Padres could end up being tough. A tough division, a decimated farm system and a fair share of bloated contracts.

I think the White Sox have more promise than you think and the Marlins have a lot more promise than you think beginning in 2026. Tough financials ofc, but decent ML talent already up who could step up and a really good farm system as it stands.

kq76 · 02-28-2026, 07:20 PM

According to BetMGM (I don't gamble, but odds do fascinate me), the Rockies have the worst over/under win total this year and by a good margin (54.5 vs the Nats' 65.5). So at least you wouldn't be alone if you thought the Rockies would be the toughest to turn around.

When it comes to OOTP, I think it probably largely depends on the team's owner's characteristics. I took a quick look at them in OOTP26 and I'd assume that might hold for OOTP27. The Athletics and Pirates had the worst fiscal personality (penny pincher). So they're probably not easy. The following teams had a bad combo of both demanding and controlling: Rockies, Guardians, Royals, Dbacks, Orioles, Rays. Surprisingly, the Marlins had a normal FP and the White Sox had a (good) charitable FP. Some of them should maybe be updated. Many look fine, but some like the last two stick out.

ChrisG · 02-28-2026, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kq76

According to BetMGM (I don't gamble, but odds do fascinate me), the Rockies have the worst over/under win total this year and by a good margin (54.5 vs the Nats' 65.5). So at least you wouldn't be alone if you thought the Rockies would be the toughest to turn around.

Yeah...and I think the 2026 Rockies present a much harder long-term puzzle than even the 2025 White Sox did, despite coming off a worse record. The latter had and still has to some extent has a relatively loaded farm system.

I'm not sure how accurately this will be reflected in-game but, the Rockies have one of the most polarizing, boom-bust prospects in Ethan Holliday and besides Charlie Condon, who's fallen off some lists...next to nothing otherwise.

Plus the White Sox are in a bigger market.

pgjocki · 03-01-2026, 02:28 PM

Some good feedback and looking at mid-term v short-term I think the Padres, Phillies, and Blue Jays are in for a world of hurt. Eventually having multiple 35+ guys making $30 million a year is going to crush the budget.

I don't know how the AI will handle the budgets for the Dodgers and Mets in terms of just letting them continue to grow and outpace the rest of the league.

Part of me really wants the Mets to be set at 2 to 3 levels higher than everyone else in the settings in terms of owner budget but then maybe come back down if they win a Championship.

I'm going to take another look at Miami's roster though as soon as 27 is out.

ChrisG · 03-01-2026, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pgjocki

Some good feedback and looking at mid-term v short-term I think the Padres, Phillies, and Blue Jays are in for a world of hurt. Eventually having multiple 35+ guys making $30 million a year is going to crush the budget.

The good news is at least the Vladdy contract was frontloaded and becomes even cheaper in real terms with inflation lol. Berrios, Santander and Gimenez all off the books by 2030. Okamoto and Cease are real real wild cards; at least the former is off the books by 2030 too if he's a dud.

Kirk's contract is a relative steal and might cancel some of it out at least.

CBLCardinals · 03-04-2026, 11:28 PM

I’d say Rockies by a mile.

Dodgers have a massive budget every year, Rockies have very little MLB talent, not much on the farm system, etc.

Other awful teams this year project to be Angels, White Sox, Nationals, Twins. All at least have decent to good budgets….so may be able to turn them. AL Central has a low bar so Sox or Twins may be in the race 2027.

If you want a small market versus huge markets challenge - Tampa, Miami, and A’s would be fun teams to run IMO.

jmount78 · 03-06-2026, 10:03 AM

The Pirates have a terrible owner who give you a Dollar Tree budget. Doesn't even say hey, let's shop at Dollar General budget.

Great minor league system, but still need to add through free agency.

rburgh · 03-06-2026, 10:58 AM

Current Pirates team should at least contend for a playoff spot unless decimated by injuries. In addition to the home-grown pitching depth (Skenes, Keller, Ashcraft, Chandler, Mlodzinski, Barco, Jared Jones come June), Mike Clevinger and Urquiddy are also throwing well.

Cod · 03-06-2026, 04:16 PM

I think the Nationals will be a tough one with a middle of the road farm system, not a lot of international talent, and seem to be starting another rebuild.

02-28-2026, 04:54 PM	#1
pgjocki All Star Starter Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Maryland - just outside DC Posts: 1,642	Hardest Team To Start As we get close which team(s) do you think are going to be the hardest to manage as a GM and turn around this year? I'm biased and think St. Louis is in for a rough year but should be good in the next 2 to 3 seasons if you get minor league development and don't overspend on free agents until ready to actually compete. I think the White Sox are a train wreck and I'm not sure they can realistically be a playoff team without 3 to 5 years of development and massive roster turnover. The Pirates are interesting in that they have some talent but you are up against an Owner who won't spend and the chances of keeping Skenes is almost nil. Budget wise Tampa, Athletics,Twins, and Guardians are waste lands so you better be really good at maxing young guys, playing the waiver wire, and winning trades as soon as guys start making over $10m a year. I'm not sure why Miami still has a team and their ballpark just is awful on your hitters. I find them incredibly boring to play and usually won't even a sim or two just to try stuff out. Lastly, well there is Colorado. I've tried almost every year to win with the Rockies and I am 100% defeated as I've never won a championship with them and this year doesn't look to promising. __________________ - - - World Series championships: 1926, 1931, 1934, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1964, 1967, 1982, 2006, 2011

02-28-2026, 07:20 PM	#3
kq76 Global Moderator Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 11,924	According to BetMGM (I don't gamble, but odds do fascinate me), the Rockies have the worst over/under win total this year and by a good margin (54.5 vs the Nats' 65.5). So at least you wouldn't be alone if you thought the Rockies would be the toughest to turn around. When it comes to OOTP, I think it probably largely depends on the team's owner's characteristics. I took a quick look at them in OOTP26 and I'd assume that might hold for OOTP27. The Athletics and Pirates had the worst fiscal personality (penny pincher). So they're probably not easy. The following teams had a bad combo of both demanding and controlling: Rockies, Guardians, Royals, Dbacks, Orioles, Rays. Surprisingly, the Marlins had a normal FP and the White Sox had a (good) charitable FP. Some of them should maybe be updated. Many look fine, but some like the last two stick out. __________________ My OOTP Wishlist \| My FAQ List OOTP Wiki \| Your Recommended Team Nicknames, By City (A Crowdsourced Project) For Beta/Devs: Full screen (1920x1080) Last edited by kq76; 02-28-2026 at 07:21 PM.

03-01-2026, 02:28 PM	#5
pgjocki All Star Starter Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Maryland - just outside DC Posts: 1,642	Some good feedback and looking at mid-term v short-term I think the Padres, Phillies, and Blue Jays are in for a world of hurt. Eventually having multiple 35+ guys making $30 million a year is going to crush the budget. I don't know how the AI will handle the budgets for the Dodgers and Mets in terms of just letting them continue to grow and outpace the rest of the league. Part of me really wants the Mets to be set at 2 to 3 levels higher than everyone else in the settings in terms of owner budget but then maybe come back down if they win a Championship. I'm going to take another look at Miami's roster though as soon as 27 is out. __________________ - - - World Series championships: 1926, 1931, 1934, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1964, 1967, 1982, 2006, 2011

03-06-2026, 10:03 AM	#8
jmount78 Major Leagues Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: North Carolina Posts: 305	Without a Doubt Pittsburg The Pirates have a terrible owner who give you a Dollar Tree budget. Doesn't even say hey, let's shop at Dollar General budget. Great minor league system, but still need to add through free agency.

03-06-2026, 10:58 AM	#9
rburgh All Star Starter Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 1,009	Rockies, by a mile Current Pirates team should at least contend for a playoff spot unless decimated by injuries. In addition to the home-grown pitching depth (Skenes, Keller, Ashcraft, Chandler, Mlodzinski, Barco, Jared Jones come June), Mike Clevinger and Urquiddy are also throwing well.

02-28-2026, 06:31 PM	#2
ChrisG Major Leagues Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 419	Colorado would be the obvious answer to me. Very little ML talent, poor farm system, hard to develop pitching. If the financials end up being more realistic, the Padres could end up being tough. A tough division, a decimated farm system and a fair share of bloated contracts. I think the White Sox have more promise than you think and the Marlins have a lot more promise than you think beginning in 2026. Tough financials ofc, but decent ML talent already up who could step up and a really good farm system as it stands.

03-04-2026, 11:28 PM	#7
CBLCardinals OOTP Roster Team Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 1,945	I’d say Rockies by a mile. Dodgers have a massive budget every year, Rockies have very little MLB talent, not much on the farm system, etc. Other awful teams this year project to be Angels, White Sox, Nationals, Twins. All at least have decent to good budgets….so may be able to turn them. AL Central has a low bar so Sox or Twins may be in the race 2027. If you want a small market versus huge markets challenge - Tampa, Miami, and A’s would be fun teams to run IMO.

03-06-2026, 04:16 PM	#10
Cod All Star Starter Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 1,160	I think the Nationals will be a tough one with a middle of the road farm system, not a lot of international talent, and seem to be starting another rebuild.