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Drought alert: MLB teams that could end long ones

By Bill Felber

Apr 1, 2021; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) pitches in the snow during the first inning against the Detroit Tigers on Opening Day at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 1, 2021; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) pitches in the snow during the first inning against the Detroit Tigers on Opening Day at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Eric Hosmer, Padres first baseman. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Eric Hosmer, Padres first baseman. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Several MLB teams will have a legitimate chance in 2021 to continue one of the more curious trends in baseball, the long-delayed return to glory.

The trend itself is undeniable. Since 2015, five of the six teams crowned champions of baseball ended droughts of at least 30 seasons. That trend continued in 2020 when the Los Angeles Dodgers claimed the World Series in six games over the Tampa Bay Rays, ending a 32-season drought.

MLB teams looking to end championship droughts

In 2019, the Washington Nationals ended two such droughts. They won the franchise’s first World Series title in its 50 seasons of existence, and they also brought the city of Washington its first baseball championship since 1924.

The Houston Astros won the franchise’s first title in 55 seasons in 2017. In 2016 the Chicago Cubs famously broke their franchise’s 108-season drought. And in 2015, the Kansas City Royals defeated the New York Mets to become world champions for the first time since 1985, 30 seasons.

How rare is a 30-season world championship drought? Prior to 2015, it had only happened 11 times in the more than 100-year history of the World Series.

Are there any teams that could end 30-season or longer droughts in 2021? Absolutely. Technically, a dozen teams will enter 2021 with a chance to do so.

For some, of course, that opportunity is mostly theoretical. The Pittsburgh Pirates haven’t won it all in 42 seasons, since 1979, and nobody expects them to do it in 2021 either. Ditto for the Baltimore Orioles, without a championship since 1983. That’s 38 seasons. And the Detroit Tigers, championship-less since 1984.

Many give the American League Tampa Bay Rays a legitimate shot to take the final step they nearly took in 2020. The Rays have never won a World Series, but that only encompasses 23 seasons for a franchise founded in 1998. Tenure also disqualifies the Colorado Rockies, who were created in 1993.

But at least five MLB teams enter 2021 with plausible opportunities to end franchise championship droughts of 30 seasons or more.

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