Assessing level of concern for 5 MLB teams off to slow starts

There's an old adage in baseball: You can't win a pennant or clinch a playoff spot in April, but you sure can lose them. Through the first week-plus of the 2025 season, several teams are in danger of finding this out firsthand.

Here, we look at how worried five teams should be amid their early-season struggles. We rate the level of concern, with five grimace emojis being the highest level.

Atlanta Braves

Record: 2-9
Level of concern: 😬😬😬😬😬

The Braves are already being forced to make baseball history in order to turn their dismal campaign around, as no team has ever made the playoffs after going 0-7 out of the gate.

Sure, their season-opening road trip through San Diego and Los Angeles didn't do them any favors, but it's also no excuse for how poorly the Braves have played. Only two of those seven losses were by one-run margins, and they've already lost a potential tiebreaker to the Padres. Their starters, save for Spencer Schwellenbach, have struggled. Reynaldo López hit the IL with a potentially serious shoulder injury after one start, and the bullpen hasn't performed anywhere close to expectations as a unit.

Even when including Tuesday's seven-run outburst against the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta's offense has generally been non-existent. The Braves have hit just eight home runs through their first 11 games, and their 82 wRC+ sits 23rd in the league. Third baseman and former Silver Slugger winner Austin Riley is sporting an 81 wRC+ with a 35.4% strikeout rate.

Other factors have also put Atlanta behind the 8-ball early. Jurickson Profar, the team's marquee offseason acquisition, received an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs after four contests; if Atlanta somehow bucks the odds and makes the playoffs, he'll be ineligible to participate. Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr. are still out, and while Strider's making rehab starts, it's still unclear when either star will be back in Atlanta, or what version of the stars the team will get.

The Braves finally got win No. 1 in their home opener last week, but they'll need more than that to right this ship. That slow start made this week's series against the Phillies one of the most important early April showdowns that we've seen in awhile, as they try to simply keep pace while digging out of this rut. The Braves are an incredibly talented team - arguably the most talented out of this group - but they're in some serious trouble.

Minnesota Twins

Record: 4-8
Level of concern: 😬😬😬

The Twins' stunning collapse last September seems to have carried over into 2025. If not for the schedule-makers gifting them an early series against the lowly White Sox, things could be even worse than they already are.

Minnesota is one of the worst offensive teams in the AL thus far (0.2 fWAR), while its 74 wRC+ is tied for 25th in baseball. Three of the Twins' eight homers belong to Harrison Bader. Star shortstop Carlos Correa is 7-for-43 with a 44 wRC+, while Byron Buxton owns a .502 OPS and has struck out 16 times in 41 at-bats. Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee opened the season on the IL, and the Twins' lackluster offense clearly misses them.

Things aren't much better on the mound, where the Twins' 4.11 ERA ranks 17th out of 30 teams. Starters Chris Paddack and Bailey Ober both have ERAs above 10. Pablo López, Minnesota's one reliable starter through three turns, injured his hamstring during Tuesday's start and is heading to the IL. Defense has also been an issue for the Twins, with sloppy glovework becoming the norm in their games.

So yeah, things are bleak in Minneapolis. But this is where the important caveat comes in: the Twins play in the AL Central. As we saw last year, anything can happen in this division.

Seattle Mariners

Record: 5-8
Level of concern: 😬😬😬😬

The Mariners missed the postseason by one game in each of the last two seasons and did little to address an offense that finished 21st in runs scored and 29th in batting average last season. That lack of activity looks like a mistake, as the lineup continues to struggle to score runs through the first 13 games of this campaign.

Seattle's 44 runs rank 21st in the league, while the club's .200 batting average sits 29th. Julio Rodríguez, Randy Arozarena, Cal Raleigh, and four other starters are each hitting below .200, and only one player, Jorge Polanco, has at least 10 RBIs.

To make matters worse, starting center fielder Victor Robles is out at least 12 weeks after injuring his shoulder, Ryan Bliss is sidelined with a torn biceps, and their starting pitching - which was supposed to be a strength - hasn't looked sharp. Seattle's starters have combined for a 4.55 ERA, which ranks 20th.

Bryce Miller, in particular, is off to a rough start. Opposing hitters are batting .302 against the 26-year-old, who is striking out hitters less often and walking more than his averages from last season.

Cincinnati Reds

Record: 5-8
Level of concern: 😬😬

It's been a frustrating start to Terry Francona's tenure in Cincinnati. A mystery illness swept their clubhouse, causing the manager and a number of players to be sent to the team hotel during a recent trip to Milwaukee.

The team sits below .500 and tied for last in the NL Central thanks largely to a non-existent offense.

Cincinnati's already lost three consecutive 1-0 contests - which hadn't happened since 1960 - and was mired in a 35-inning scoreless drought until last week, a stretch that's tied for the fourth-longest in franchise history.

As a team, the Reds are hitting .206 while getting on base at a .267 clip.

The offense has either shown up in bunches or almost not at all. Cincinnati's scored 14, 11, and 6 runs in a game, but three or fewer runs in nine of 13 contests.

The Reds finished 16th in runs, 19th in homers, and 21st in OPS last season, so another slow offensive start is a bit troublesome for a team that did little to improve the lineup over the winter. The club really needs the core of Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, Spencer Steer, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand to really take the next step this season.

Baltimore Orioles

Record: 5-8
Level of concern: 😬😬

The Baltimore Orioles were criticized for not doing enough this offseason after failing to replace Corbin Burnes with another top-tier starting pitcher. Thirteen games into their season, the Orioles sit below .500 because of a pitching staff that ranks 26th with a 4.78 ERA.

Charlie Morton and Dean Kremer have been particularly bad, combining for 26 earned runs in 27 2/3 innings, but the starting staff isn't responsible for all of the damage. Baltimore's normally potent bullpen has had a few blips on the radar, with Cionel Pérez (16.20 ERA) struggling, while returning closer Félix Bautista is still finding his legs (three walks and two earned runs in three appearances) since coming back from Tommy John surgery.

To make things worse, right-hander Zach Eflin went on the IL with a lat strain after a solid start to the campaign.

The Orioles have one of MLB's deepest lineups - minus the injured Colton Cowser, who is sidelined six-to-eight weeks with a fractured thumb - so the level of concern is moderate. Baltimore won't succeed, however, unless the pitching staff, which could see the injured Grayson Rodriguez return in May, starts to improve.