The 2025 Major League Baseball season will kick off on March 18th, with the Chicago Cubs taking on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Tokyo series as part of the MLB World Tour presented by Guggenheim. The reigning champion Dodgers have bolstered their roster by spending over 450 million dollars this offseason, but let’s examine their competition.
AL East:
Considered one of the top divisions across the league, the American League East has reloaded and looks as tough as ever this season. The Red Sox have made a serious push to land phenom Garret Crochet in a trade with the White Sox and landed postseason hero Walker Buehler in free agency. The Blue Jays have quite the predicament on their hands in their looming contract decision with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The slugger is set to hit free agency for the first time this upcoming offseason and has an asking price out of the reach of Toronto. The Tampa Bay Rays franchise is at a crossroads; they will be playing at the Yankees’ spring training park, George M. Steinbrenner Field, and their owner Stuart Sternberg has been pressured to sell the team by fellow owners, and Commissioner Rob Manfred.
NL East:
Another division with teams that have stacked the deck and have championship aspirations, the National League East has three of the consensus top 5 teams in the NL. The Phillies, who are looking to improve from last season’s NLDS appearance, have bolstered their rotation by swinging a trade for starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo from the Marlins. The Braves will be deploying a team that is very similar to last season but will have a lot of players returning from injuries, including young stars Michael Harris II, Spencer Strider, and Ronald Acuna Jr. The Nationals have a young core that is looking to make waves this season, but it will be very challenging as they will have to battle with as talented teams as the Mets, Braves, and Phillies. The Marlins did not make any major splashes; instead, they added Cal Quantrill. It will likely be a trying season for Miami.
AL Central:
The American League Central includes a favorite in the AL in the Kansas City Royals, but it will not be a walk in the park for Kansas City to win the division. They will have to face off with the Cleveland Guardians, a team that has proven to be a powerhouse of the division. The Minnesota Twins have struggled with injuries in recent memory, most notably all-star centerfielder Byron Buxton and slugging third baseman Royce Lewis. However, if the premier players from Minnesota can stay healthy, it could be a fun season for Twins fans across the country.
NL Central:
One of the weaker divisions throughout the league, there is very little hype surrounding the National League Central. The Cubs are looking to turn their franchise around after trading for vaunted right fielder Kye Tucker this offseason, they are also looking for big seasons from Shota Imanage and Seiya Suzuki. The Pirates seem to have a bright future with reigning rookie of the year, Paul Skenes gearing up for his second season in the bigs. Pittsburgh also has the 15th ranked prospect in Bubba Chandler who is expected to make his MLB debut at some point this season. The Brewers are a team that is consistently in the playoffs and their young core of Jackson Chourio, Bryce Turang, and more is looking to improve on last season’s NL Wild Card appearance
AL West:
The American League West has been a division dominated by the Astros for the past decade. From 2017-2023 there was not a year where the ‘Stros were not in the ALCS. But after losing Carlos Correa 3 offseasons ago and losing Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker in the same offseason, it could be a new day in the AL West. The Mariners are a young team with a rotation that is among the best in the sport, but it was an offense that ranked 23rd in runs scored last season. The Rangers are hoping to bounce back after making the World Series 2 seasons ago, but they finished third in the division last season. The Angels have very little hope, but the Athletics might be in a worse spot as they will be playing their first season in Sacramento before they eventually move to Las Vegas
NL West:
The Dodgers are the clear-cut favorite to win the World Series as well as the National League West. The reigning World Series champs have caused an uprising with their strategy of signing contracts with deferred money. Despite spending over a billion dollars last offseason, this year might have taken the cake. They added starting pitching depth in the form of Blake Snell and bullpen help with Kirby Yates, and Ryan Braiser. Los Angeles also hopes for healthy seasons from Tyler Glassnow, Clayton Kershaw, and Dustin May. It’s easy to say the Dodgers are going to be NL West champs in September, but the Padres are also a team that will be contending for the World Series. San Diego decided not to trade Michael King or Dylan Cease, confirming that they believe they have what it takes to make a playoff run. The Giants lost out on Blake Snell to their division rival Dodgers and did not make much noise in Free Agency as did the Rockies.
Yankees:
It was a trying Spring Training for the Bronx Bombers as the injury list quickly filled up. First, it was Giancarlo Stanton who went down with a double tennis elbow, and then it was Luis Gil. The reigning AL rookie of the year has a high-grade lat strain and will miss a good chunk of the season. After that was the ace, Gerrit Cole, who will miss the entire season recovering from Tommy John Surgery. Injuries aside, the Yankees had a big offseason bringing in former MVPs Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt. They also brought in one of the league’s premier pitchers, Max Fried. Brian Cashman showed his trust in Aaron Boone by inking him to a 3-year contract extension. It is a season with high expectations as the Yankees will look to return to the World Series and avenge last year’s defeat.
Mets:
Juan Soto, the generational talent that the Mets signed to a 15-year, 765 million contract this offseason. It has caused controversy as fans across the league are torn on the amount of money that Steve Cohen handed over. Soto was not the only major addition the Mets made this offseason as they brought back starting pitcher Sean Manaea and fan-favorite first baseman Pete Alsono. The expectations are sky high for this team after the offseason they had and their Cinderella run to the NLCS last season. There are some injuries that the Mets will have to deal with to start the season as Francisco Alvarez will miss the first couple of weeks with a fractured hand and Sean Manaea will miss the start of the season with a strained oblique. Carlos Mendoza’s team is locked and loaded, Mendy just has to push the right buttons and everything should go as planned for the Metropolitans.
