No team likes to consider itself out of contention, especially when the standings say that, with a hot streak and a bit of luck, a team could find itself leading in its league’s respective playoff race.
Only seven of MLB‘s 30 teams sit at least 10 games out of a playoff berth, and with so many clubs still believing that they’ve got a chance to play meaningful baseball in October, even the most astute and experienced general manager can fall victim to poor decision-making.
For the teams on this list, adding veteran pieces to the puzzle as the July 31 trade deadline approaches—and jettisoning younger talent to acquire them—would be prime examples of smart people making bad decisions.
*Unless otherwise noted, all standings and statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference and are current through games of July 11.