MLB fans, Opening Day is just days away! The season began early with the Dodgers sweeping the Cubs in the two-game Tokyo Series last week, and now the other 28 teams will start their campaigns later this week. As we await the first pitch on Thursday, let’s dive into the ultimate MLB preview, including predictions and teams to watch.
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Teams to Watch
For some teams, you just don’t know how their season will go until all 162 games are played out. As we enter the 2025 season, there are many exciting teams with uncertain futures to follow. Here are some of the teams to keep an eye out for this year.
New York Mets
Last June, the Mets were 11 games under .500. They appeared headed for their second consecutive sub-.500 season and fans could only wonder what happened to the 101-win Mets they saw just two years before. Then, an unexpected resurgence led by MVP runner-up Francisco Lindor saw the Mets win 89 games and make it to the NLCS, where they fell to the Dodgers.
Now, with superstar Juan Soto locked up for 15 years, the Mets look to make it back and contend for a World Series title. They can very well do it with one of the league’s strongest offenses, led by Soto, Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, and Mark Vientos.
The only issue is that they have an uncertain rotation. Sean Manaea will be out to start the season, and we don’t know when Frankie Montas will return. The Mets are known to bring the best out of their pitchers (a prime example being Manaea’s career revival last year), which can greatly benefit new acquisitions like Clay Holmes and Griffin Canning. If David Peterson can keep up his strong performance from last year, that’ll also be big for the pitching staff. Whether or not Kodai Senga can return to his 2023 All-Star form after being hurt almost all of last year will be a factor as well.
If pitching coach Jeremy Hefner can work his magic again, the Mets can very well have a solid rotation, but it’s too unclear as of now.
They’re also the Mets, who oftentimes manage to be the perfect example of how everything can go wrong. The Mets should be a fun team to watch this year, where the only thing getting in their way of a successful season will ultimately be themselves (and the powerful division rivals Braves and Phillies).
Texas Rangers
People seem to forget the Rangers won the World Series in 2023, probably because last season they regressed to the mediocrity that has been the story of their franchise for practically its entire history. This year, however, the Rangers may very well be returning to winning form. They have the best offense in the AL, led by Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, and Wyatt Langford.
If Jacob deGrom can stay healthy, they could make the most of their high-upside rotation, backed by young guys like Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter, and the veteran presences of Nathan Eovaldi and Tyler Mahle.
Expect the Rangers to make some noise this year in an American League that could be anyone’s.
Kansas City Royals
The AL Central race will be extremely close this year. The Guardians, Twins, and Royals can finish in any order and all three teams are young and hungry. The Royals, in my opinion, will be the most interesting of these teams to watch. Led by one of the best players in the league, Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City has a lot of potential, but their fate will ultimately rely on their biggest question marks.
An interesting player to watch this year for the Royals is Vinnie Pasquantino, who has been a solid first-base presence since his debut in 2022 but hasn’t quite reached the heights of his first season, where in 72 games he slashed .295/.383/.450. Entering his age-27 season, whether or not Pasquantino has what it takes to be considered among the league’s elite at first base will be a huge factor for the Royals.
Another factor that will determine Kansas City’s season is Seth Lugo. Lugo broke out from absolutely nowhere last season, where in his age-34 season he pitched to a 3.00 ERA and was the AL Cy Young runner-up to Tarik Skubal. Lugo’s been solid his entire nine-year career but never was anything close to what he was last year. The question is whether or not he can keep it up. Having another ace behind Cy Young contender Cole Ragans would be huge for the Royals, but it all depends on Lugo’s consistency.
The Royals should be one of the most exciting teams in baseball this year, as they look to make the postseason in back-to-back years after not making it since they won it all in 2015.
Boston Red Sox
It looks like the Red Sox will be back to competing this season. The acquisition of Alex Bregman should be great for their lineup, as Rafael Devers moves to the DH spot. Jarren Duran should once again be very good, as the 28-year-old centerfielder looks to repeat his All-Star season in 2024 where he slashed .285/.342/.492 in a MLB-leading 735 plate appearances.
The offense overall is well-rounded, led by Bregman, Devers, and Duran. They have a lot of breakout candidates such as Triston Casas and Ceddane Rafaela. Trevor Story hasn’t played in over 100 games since 2021 with the Rockies, but when he’s healthy, he’s a dangerous power presence. There’s a lot that needs to go right for this Red Sox offense, but their ceiling can be as high as one of the league’s best offenses.
Their pitching is led by Garrett Crochet, who should be in the AL Cy Young mix this year. Tanner Houck, an All-Star in 2024, is behind him. If they can return Walker Buehler to form in his first full season since Tommy John surgery, their rotation might be one of the best in the league, pairing well with their strong bullpen.
The Red Sox are one of MLB’s big question marks heading into the 2025 season, but if things go well for them, they have the upside of being one of the best teams in the AL.
Detroit Tigers
The Tigers‘ late surge last year landed them in the postseason when nobody expected it. This year, they hope to continue their success which got them to the ALDS in 2024. In a tight AL Central with the Guardians, Twins, and Royals, the Tigers just might have it in them to be a surprise playoff candidate once again.
They are one of MLB’s youngest teams, led by exciting players such as 24-year-old Riley Greene. 25-year-old Meadows and 23-year-old Colt Keith are potential breakout candidates for this season.
Detroit is also of course home of 2024 AL Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal, who leads a sneaky good rotation that includes Jack Flaherty and 25-year-old Reese Olson. 22-year-old prospect Jackson Jobe slots into the rotation as well, and is a popular potential 2025 Rookie of the Year candidate.
It’s going to be an uphill battle for the Tigers this year as an inexperienced team with three other possible playoff teams in their division, but don’t count them out to be a surprise again if all the young guys break out.
Arizona Diamondbacks
The D-Backs just barely missed the playoffs last year, with the Mets and the Braves taking the final two wild card spots on the final day of the regular season, but the 2023 NL champions should be back in business this year. The addition of Corbin Burnes this offseason solidified their rotation as one of the best in the bigs. Burnes will be the number one starter in a stacked rotation that includes Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Brandon Pfaadt.
Arizona’s lineup is talented as well, led by star second baseman Ketel Marte, who slashed .292/.372/.560 last season with 36 home runs and 95 RBI, enough to earn him third place in MVP voting. Corbin Carroll, Josh Naylor, Eugenio Suarez, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. also add to the well-rounded offense.
The Diamondbacks have enough assets to compete, but what will be hard for them is playing in the same division as the Dodgers, leaving them to have to battle for a Wild Card spot with likely three of the Braves, Mets, Phillies, and Padres.
Predictions
Here are my standings, awards, and World Series predictions:
| NL East | NL Central | NL West | AL East | AL Central | AL West |
| 1. Atlanta Braves (96-66) | 1. Chicago Cubs (89-73) | 1. Los Angeles Dodgers (110-52) | 1. New York Yankees (92-70) | 1. Kansas City Royals (88-74) | 1. Texas Rangers (92-70) |
| 2. Philadelphia Phillies (94-68) | 2. Milwaukee Brewers (84-78) | 2. Arizona Diamondbacks (92-70) | 2. Boston Red Sox (88-74) | 2. Minnesota Twins (87-75) | 2. Houston Astros (88-74) |
| 3. New York Mets (92-70) | 3. Cincinnati Reds (82-80) | 3. San Diego Padres (89-73) | 3. Baltimore Orioles (86-76) | 3. Cleveland Guardians (85-77) | 3. Seattle Mariners (79-83) |
| 4. Washington Nationals (80-82) | 4. St. Louis Cardinals (78-85) | 4. San Francisco Giants (73-89) | 4. Toronto Blue Jays (84-78) | 4. Detroit Tigers (80-82) | 4. Sacramento A’s (79-83) |
| 5. Miami Marlins (59-103) | 5. Pittsburgh Pirates (72-90) | 5. Colorado Rockies (56-106) | 5. Tampa Bay Rays (80-82) | 5. Chicago White Sox (48-114) | 5. Los Angeles Angels (77-86) |
NL MVP: Juan Soto (New York Mets)
AL MVP: Bobby Witt Jr. (Kansas City Royals)
NL Cy Young: Paul Skenes (Pittsburgh Pirates)
AL Cy Young: Tarik Skubal (Detroit Tigers)
World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers over Texas Rangers
The Dodgers are way too good. They have built a historic rotation and probably the best lineup in the league, too. Led by the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and more, the Dodgers have seemingly unlimited star power and the biggest question of the season will be if anyone can stop them. My answer is no. I’m predicting a historic season for the defending champions as they will be the first team to win 110 games since themselves in 2022, and the first team to repeat as World Series champions since the Yankees’ three-peat from 1998-2000.
The American League, on the other hand, gets complicated. I truly believe anyone can make it out of the AL this year, and buckle up because the wild card and divisional races should be extremely tight. The AL doesn’t quite have the factor of dominance that some of the NL teams have, but it is full of scrappy teams hungry for a playoff spot, many of whom are young. I picked the Rangers to make it out of the American League, but it’s truly uncertain. The AL should be very exciting to watch this season.
The first game on Thursday will be Yankees vs. Brewers at Yankee Stadium. First pitch is at 3:05 PM EST, with more games to come later in the afternoon and into the night. Play ball!
