I grew up knowing all about the Bambino Curse and Chicago Cubs’ long-standing pain. And in the last decade, both of those have changed with the Red Sox and Cubs making the playoffs (finally!).
Which teams are currently dealing with a drought? Which baseball teams have suffered the longest?. That’s what the table below is for.
Team with the Longest Current Playoff Drought: Seattle Mariners (18 years)
Team with the Longest Historical Playoff Drought: Cleveland Indians (40 years)
Team with the Shortest Historical Playoff Drought: Arizona Diamondbacks (5 years)
Note: The table is sorted by team name, and historical playoff droughts are based on the team’s current iteration (i.e., Oakland Athletics line does not include information related to Kansas City Athletics).
| Baseball Team | Current Playoff Drought | Longest Historical Playoff Drought |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 4 years (2017) | 5 years (2012-2016) |
| Atlanta Braves | made playoffs last year (2021) | 22 years (1970-1981) |
| Baltimore Orioles | 5 years (2016) | 12 years (1954-1965) |
| Boston Red Sox | made playoffs last year (2021) | 27 years (1919-1945) |
| Chicago Cubs | 1 year (2020) | 38 years (1946-1983) |
| Chicago White Sox | made playoffs last year (2021) | 39 years (1920-1958) |
| Cincinnati Reds | 1 year (2020) | 20 years (1941-1960) |
| Cleveland Indians | 1 year (2020) | 40 years (1955 – 1994) |
| Colorado Rockies | 3 years (2018) | 13 years (1996-2008) |
| Detroit Tigers | 7 years (2014) | 24 years (1910-1933) |
| Houston Astros | made playoffs last year (2021) | 18 years (1962-1979) |
| Kansas City Royals | 6 years (2015) | 28 years (1986-2013) |
| Los Angeles Angels | 7 years (2014) | 18 years (1961-1978) |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | made playoffs last year (2021) | 7 years (1967-1973, 1997-2003) |
| Miami Marlins | 1 year (2020) | 16 years (2004-2019) |
| Milwaukee Brewers | made playoffs last year (2021) | 25 years (1983-2007) |
| Minnesota Twins | 1 year (2020) | 16 years (1971-1986) |
| New York Yankees | made playoffs last year (2021) | 18 years (1903-1920) |
| New York Mets | 5 years (2016) | 12 years (1974-1985) |
| Oakland Athletics | 1 year (2020) | 10 years (1993-2002) |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 10 years (2011) | 34 years (1916-1949) |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 6 years (2015) | 32 years (1928-1959) |
| San Diego Padres | 1 year (2020) | 15 years (1969-1983) |
| San Francisco Giants | made playoffs last year (2021) | 15 years (1972-1986) |
| Seattle Mariners | 18 years (2002) | 20 years (2002-2021) |
| St. Louis Cardinals | made playoffs last year (2021) | 23 years (1903-1925) |
| Tampa Bay Rays | made playoffs last year (2021) | 10 years (1998-2007) |
| Texas Rangers | 5 years (2016) | 24 years (1972-1995) |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 1 year (2020) | 21 years (1994-2014) |
| Washington Nationals | 2 years (2019) | 7 years (2005-2011) |
If you would like even more granular information, Reddit user metatron207 created a spreadsheet that also includes information related to the team’s length of existence (note: this does include all versions of a team together; for example, Los Angeles Dodgers and Brooklyn Dodgers are both included in the Los Angeles Dodgers line).
