Courtesy of Lesly Juarez
Following last year’s World Series, which saw two of the league’s biggest market teams, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees, go head to head, and the generally favored Dodgers coming out on top in five games, baseball fans have been eagerly awaiting or dreading the coming of the 2025 season. Regular season upsets and offseason moves (or the lack thereof) may make 2025 a season unlike any in recent years.
American League
AL East
New York Yankees – (94-68, World Series Appearance, AL Champions)
In spite of collapsing in five games in the World Series and losing superstar Juan Soto to their crosstown rivals, the Yankees are aiming to come back big this year with the help of their remaining core alongside some fresh signings. Notable All-Star acquisitions include lefty Max Fried, righty Devin Williams, OF/1B Cody Bellinger, and 1B Paul Goldschmidt. Going into 2025, however, the Yankees are already plagued with several injuries that may stunt their performance, including their All-Star and Cy Young winning Ace SP Gerrit Cole requiring Tommy John surgery, and DH Giancarlo Stanton, 3B DJ LeMahieu and SP Luis Gil also on the IL. It should also be noted that going into this season, the franchise is reversing its infamous facial hair policy that was instituted in 1973, with GM Brian Cashman and owner Hal Steinbrenner agreeing that retaining the policy could have hurt chances of acquiring free agents in the future.
Baltimore Orioles – (91-71, Wild Card Appearance)
The star-studded Orioles were unable to make it past the Royals in the Wild Card round last year. Their offseason has been a mixed one, with the team losing as well as gaining talent. All-Stars RF Anthony Santander and righty Corbin Burnes elected for free agency and signed elsewhere. However, the Birds acquired two-time Gold-Glove OF Tyler O’Neill, the Japanese star right-hand pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano, and righties Charlie Morton and Andrew Kittredge. Between signing several talented arms and still having one of the best farm systems in baseball, the Orioles may at the very least continue to be a serious contender entering this season, especially with All-Star and Silver Slugger SS/3B Gunnar Henderson due to be off the IL around the start of the season.
Boston Red Sox – (81-81)
Although the Sox fell flat last year at .500 and missed the Postseason, they made some moves this offseason that may make them very strong contenders going into 2025. Although they lost pitchers Kenley Jansen, Chris Martin, and OF Tyler O’Neill, they gained lefty Garrett Crochet, relievers Aroldis Chapman and Walker Beuhler, and 3B Alex Bregman. Notable IL victims include LF Masataka Yoshida and SPs Kutter Crawford and Lucas Giolito. These signings could very likely reinforce an already solid core and see the Sox to a much more productive year.
Tampa Bay Rays – (80-82)
After a disappointing regular season, the Rays are likely set for yet another year of disappointment after an equally frustrating offseason. On top of being unable to play in their home ballpark, Tropicana Field, due to damage sustained from Hurricane Milton, the team sustained further damage with the loss of OF Jose Siri and a whole host of non-noteworthy small time trades, signings, and minor league moves. SS Ha-Seong Kim is also not due to return from the IL until at least late May. Unless ownership gets their act together, the Rays may unfortunately continue to be a farm system for the rest of the league.
Toronto Blue Jays – (74-88)
After a difficult season in which they placed last in the division and an offseason that was off to a slow start, the Jays made some respectable moves that could propel them to a better performance this year. While retaining part of their core that includes All-Star 1B Vladdy Guerrero Jr., they added All-Stars OF Anthony Santander and future HOFer SP Max Scherzer, hoping these moves would be enough to bring about a better season.
AL Central
Cleveland Guardians – (92-69, ALCS Appearance)
The Guardians had an incredible 2024 with a great 92-win regular season and duked it out with the Yankees in the ALCS before ultimately collapsing in five games. It appears they took a less aggressive route this offseason with small moves, losing SP Pedro Avila, 2B Andrés Giménez, and signing SPs Shane Bieber and Jakob Junis while retaining much of their core roster. It also doesn’t help that a great deal of the roster will still be on the IL through the start of the season, including 1B David Fry. With that being said, sometimes not shaking up the roster can be a good thing in baseball and they could very well have another top-shelf season this year.
Kansas City Royals – (86-76, ALDS Appearance)
The Kansas City Royals, like the Guardians, had a relatively unassuming offseason, which is unfortunate for fans given their talent and postseason run last year. Losing the mercenary OF Tommy Pham and Astros legend 1B Yuli Gurriel to free agency, the Royals signed several of their core to one-year contracts to avoid arbitration and added All-Star pitchers Michael Lorenzen and Carlos Estévez.
Detroit Tigers – (86-76, ALDS Appearance)
While everyone talks about the Cinderella run that the New York Mets had in 2024, an often overlooked season of similar capacity happened with the 2024 Tigers, who went from completely unnoticed during the bulk of the regular season to surprise postseason contenders through the ALDS. Adding World Champion SP Jack Flaherty and pitcher Tommy Kahnle and retaining the core that led them to their playoff run, the Tigers could be preparing to shock the world of baseball once again.
Minnesota Twins – (82-80)
The Twins, who had a quiet 2024 season, had an arguably just as quiet offseason, retaining much of their core and acquiring pitcher Danny Coulombe, OF Harrison Bader, and a milieu of Minor League players. It is not likely that the Twins will have a better season than they did last year owing to their inability to make strong moves.
Chicago White Sox – (41-121)
The Chicago White Sox are coming off of the worst regular season in the MLB’s modern era, taking the crown (if you could call it that) from the Mets’ inaugural season in 1962. On top of only some very minor moves, the Sox lost their needle in the haystack with regards to All-Star SP Garrett Crochet in a fleece of a trade with the Red Sox. As a result of this lackluster offseason, it would truly be one of the great miracles of the sport for this team to crack anywhere near .500 this year, or they could very well break their own loss record.
AL West
Houston Astros – (88-73, Wild Card Appearance)
The baseball empire of Houston seems to be on the decline following their less-than-notable Wild Card appearance last year, with 2025 to feature only one familiar face from their infamous 2017 World Championship team, All-Star 2B Jose Altuve. Losing talent to free agency, such as All-Stars 3B Alex Bregman, SP Justin Verlander, and a host of other players, their only notable acquisition was three-time Gold Glove recipient 1B Christian Walker.
Seattle Mariners – (85-77)
The Mariners had an okay season in 2024, having just missed out on the Postseason. They had an equally as satisfactory offseason, retaining much of their core and signing Silver Slugger 2B Donovan Solano and All-Star INF Jorge Polanco. Just like their offseason, the Mariners may be on track for another okay regular season.
Texas Rangers – (78-84)
The Rangers went from World Champions to a losing team in 2024, but in spite of this, they didn’t have that bad of an offseason. They received power-hitter 3B Jake Burger by trade, World Champion and All-Star DH Joc Pederson, and RP Chris Martin along with some other minor trades and acquisitions. The Rangers are likely to break .500 this year and distance themselves from their downfall following their championship win.
Athletics – (69-93 as Oakland Athletics)
The story of the Athletics is a tragic one. On top of being consistent underachievers, owing to their owner John Fisher’s general unwillingness to spend big on talent, he uprooted the franchise, which has had a loyal following in Oakland for decades, in the pursuit of more wealth and moved it to Las Vegas in a move that has angered fans of all teams. They did make some notable moves this offseason, signing All-Star SP Luis Severino, 3B Gio Urshela, and extending All-Star DH Brent Rooker and OF Lawrence Butler. In the face of massive overhauls to the franchise, the Athletics have a chance to improve going into 2025.
Los Angeles Angels – (63-99)
The Los Angeles Angels, who are notable for having had two of the greatest talents in the history of the sport at the same time, OF Mike Trout and DH/P Shohei Ohtani, and got nowhere with them, made some moves to try and improve this coming season. The Angels signed World Champion and All-Star Travis d’Arnaud, INF Kevin Newman, and All-Star pitcher Yusei Kikuchi. It should also be noted, that IL merchant Anthony Rendon was once again placed on the IL going into this season. If Mike Trout is able to stay healthy this year, the Angels could fall around .500, if not slightly better this year if they are lucky.
National League
NL East
Philadelphia Phillies – (95-67, NLDS Appearance)
The Phillies, after a tremendous regular season, fell flat in their first round of the playoffs in 2024 in an upset to the New York Mets and had a quiet offseason wherein most of it involved retaining their solid core. Unless they face a myriad of injuries, the 2025 Phillies will continue to duke it out with the Mets and Braves for the top of their competitive division.
Atlanta Braves – (89-73, Wild Card Appearance)
Following a season plagued with injuries that ended without advancing past the Wild Card stage, a healthy 2025 Braves are seeking to push even further this year. Although they lost World Champions and All-Stars SP Charlie Morton and C Travis d’Arnaud, the Braves signed All-Star OF Jurickson Profar and will have their core superstars SP Spencer Strider and RF Ronald Acuña Jr. return to the lineup from the IL soon.
New York Mets – (89-73, NLCS Appearance)
The 2024 Miracle Mets were expected to have a rebuilding year following the disappointing 2023 season that came after an incredible 2022 run, but instead took the league by storm by becoming the best team in baseball from June onwards and pushing all the way up to the NLCS before falling to the subsequent World Champion Dodgers. Though much of this success is attributed to McDonalds’ Grimace throwing a ceremonial first pitch, it is more likely due to their solid core which the team retained going into 2025. In addition to resigning most of their key free agents, The Mets notably signed the young World Champion and All-Star RF Juan Soto from the Yankees for the largest contract in professional sports history; $765 Million for 15 years. In addition, the Mets added OF Jose Siri, SP Frankie Montas, All-Star SP Clay Holmes, and World Champion RP A.J. Minter while losing All-Stars INF Jose Iglesias and SP Luis Severino. Though they are entering 2025 with a number of injuries within their core, the Mets are expected to go toe-to-toe once again with the likes of the Dodgers, Phillies, and Braves for the top of the National League.
Washington Nationals – (71-91)
The Washington Nationals are expected to once again duke it out with the Marlins for who takes the bottom of the division. Some notable acquisitions include World Champion 1B Nathaniel Lowe and All-Star 1B Josh Bell, supplementing the mostly consistent core lineup.
Miami Marlins – (62-100)
The Marlins are also not expected to be serious competition in the division with a rather lackluster offseason. Besides losing INF Jake Burger and SP Jesús Luzardo, the franchise had a very quiet offseason and may not improve in 2025.
NL Central
Milwaukee Brewers – (93-69, Wild Card appearance)
The Brewers had a stellar season under the leadership of 2024 NL Manager of the Year Pat Murphy that would ultimately be silenced with one home run by the Mets’ Pete Alonso in the first round of the postseason. To add insult to injury, the Brewers lost several familiar faces, including SS Willy Adames, AllStar RP Devin Williams, and SP Frankie Montas. They did, however, receive Yankees legend All-Star RP Nestor Cortés Jr. and All-Star SP José Quintana. Even though they had a fairly mixed offseason, the Brewers may at the very least have an 85+ win season given their talented core and excellent leadership.
St. Louis Cardinals – (83-79)
The Cards had a reasonably mediocre 2024 season and seem prepared for yet another one given their disappointing offseason, in which they lost their future HOF superstar 1B Paul Goldschmidt and only made some very minor moves in spite of this while retaining most of what remained of their core lineup.
Chicago Cubs – (83-79)
The Cubs seem poised for a turnaround of a season after a strong offseason. The Cubs received World Champion and All-Star RF Kyle Tucker and RP Ryan Pressly, as well as 3B Jon Berti and All-Star OF/1B Cody Bellinger. Building onto a core that already has a great deal of potential, the Cubs are very likely to improve greatly this year.
Cincinnati Reds – (77-85)
The stardom of stolen base merchant and All-Star SS Elly De La Cruz was unfortunately not enough to help the Reds to a winning season last year, nor was it enough to convince ownership to invest in a productive offseason. Their major acquisitions include World Champion INF/OF Gavin Lux and All-Star OF Austin Hays, as well as a number of smaller-scale moves. The 2025 Cincinnati Reds may continue to be middle-of-the-road at best.
Pittsburgh Pirates – (76-86)
Going into 2025, the Pittsburgh Pirates have failed to build a team around their superstar starting pitcher, All-Star, and 2024 NL Rookie of the Year, Paul Skenes. Without making many notable moves outside of preserving their solid core through extending Pirates legend Andrew McCutchen, the franchise is set to continue to spoil the formative years of Skenes’ blossoming career.
NL West
Los Angeles Dodgers – (98-64, World Series Champions, NL Champions)
Little more can be said about the Dodgers aside from the fact that they have an immensely generous owner who not only funded their 2024 World Series win through signings like Shohei Ohtani, but also made significant subsequent offseason deals as well that will make this West Coast monster even tougher to top in 2025. While keeping their core free agents, the Dodgers acquired All-Stars SP Blake Snell, OF Michael Conforto, RP Tanner Scott, Japanese star SP Roki Sasaki, and the Korean star INF Hyeseong Kim alongside a great deal of smaller moves. If the 2024 Dodgers were a scary competitor, they are far and away even tougher this year.
San Diego Padres – (93-69, NLDS Appearance)
The Padres, though they had a strong core leading into their appearance in the NLDS, did not make as strong of an impact in the offseason. They did not complement their superstar talent as they lost All-Stars RP Tanner Scott, OF Jurickson Profar, Silver Slugger INF Donovan Solano, and Korean star Ha-Seong Kim and only made a host of small-time moves in the face of this. As a result, it would be a great surprise for the Padres to make an improvement on their 2024 performance.
Arizona Diamondbacks – (89-73)
Like their competitors in the 2023 World Series, the Diamondbacks are also on an unfortunate decline. This offseason, the DBacks lost talent, such as All-Star 1B Josh Bell, three-time Gold Glover 1B Christian Walker, and World Champion and All-Star DH Joc Pederson. Although they retained several of their other core players, the DBacks’ only other moves were very small, so it is very likely that they may regress in 2025.
San Francisco Giants – (80-82)
The Giants may not see much of a reprieve from their underwhelming 2024 season as they were unable to put together a reasonably productive offseason, losing All-Stars OF Michael Conforto and SP Blake Snell, and signing SS Willy Adames and future HOFer SP Justin Verlander, who appears unfortunately past his prime. Even though the signings that they did make weren’t bad by any measure, it doesn’t compensate for who they lost and who they could have gone after to improve their lineup.
Colorado Rockies – (61-101)
Aside from the Marlins, another team that may come to mind when one thinks of teams that did next to nothing this offseason would have to be the Colorado Rockies. After their heart and soul, All-Star, Silver Slugger, and career Rockie OF Charlie Blackmon retired following a disappointing 2024 season, the generationally cursed Rockies may continue to see disappointment after making only very small moves this offseason.
