MLB history doesn't bode well for Tigers' playoff odds after 50 games

MLB history doesn't bode well for Tigers' playoff odds after 50 games originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

So far, through the Detroit Tigers' first 52 games, they are sporting a brutal 20-32 record. This is one of the worst records in Major League Baseball.

Unsurprisingly, such a poor record has many speculating about the trade odds of Tarik Skubal. But the only way the Tigers would trade him is if their playoff odds are incredibly slim, which they might not see as the case for a while this year.

However, as USA Today's Bob Nightengale highlighted, some MLB history in the last 30 years doesn't bode well for the Tigers to return to the playoffs in 2026, as the first 50-games of the season already paint a bleak picture for Detroit.

Tigers 20 win total in first 50 games is bad sign for playoff bid

"There have been only three teams in the 30-year history of the wild-card era who have made the postseason with 20 or fewer victories in their first 50 games," Nightengale writes.

In the last 30 years, there have been just three teams in MLB history to go from winning 20 games or fewer in the first 50 games of a season to make the playoffs.

Simply looking at their 20-32 record already painted a negative picture, but this is especially bleak for the Tigers with this historical context.

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There is a better chance to sneak into the playoffs with the third Wild Card team, and sitting 5.0 games back, the Tigers are not out of it yet.

But, history suggests that the Tigers are very likely to miss the playoffs this season, and their seven-game losing streak coming into Sunday's doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles certainly doesn't help.

It's not even June yet, and the Tigers are already facing a significant uphill battle to return to the playoffs. It's not over yet, but there's no doubt that history is not on their side this season, thanks to this statistic from the Wild Card era.

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