In 1962, the New York Mets set the modern day record for losses in a single season with 120. (The only team ever to exceed that total were the 1899 Cleveland Spiders with 134.....in a 154 game season!)
That 120-loss record set by the Mets is a very tough one to break. It has stood strong for 50 years. Detroit lost 119 games in 2003 or 2004, but no one else has come close. Some folks think that a team made up of just replacement players, e.g. good AAA minor leaguers, should be able to win 44 games in a year. If so, a team made up of replacements would lose 118 games in a single season. Every team should have at least a couple players above replacement value, right? So, logically, it would take a combination of bad players, bad coaching and bad luck to break the record.
To me, 2013 looks like a year that the Amazing Mets losing record, or should I say the UnAmazing Mets losing record, might be broken.
The Marlins have a shot. Is there anyone else left in Miami beside the oft-injured and now "Pissed-off" Giancarlos and the oft-injured and "not-yet-Pissed-off" Logan Morrison? Morale could be so low there that even regulars might be throwing in the towel on the field. I think, with their decimated roster and left-over disgruntled players, that the Fish have an outside chance to catch the Mets.
My other favorite to break the losing record is not the new worst team in the National League, but rather the old worst team, the Houston Astros. That already-very-bad team shed much of what was left of their payroll and talent after the All-Star break. The Astros are now being welcomed with open mouths by the Tigers, Blue Marlins, Rangers, A's, Angels, etc. to the American League where they are certain to be devoured quickly. Both the Marlins and the Astros will be terrible, but I give the edge to the Astros based on their much tougher strength-of-schedule.
My Over/Unders Predictions on Losses for 2013:
The Miami Marlins: 113
The Houston Astros: 122
Any other predictions on the loss totals for 2013 on these two franchises? Comments?