With the end of winter merging into the beginning of spring, the weather is getting warmer, the sun is shining and the flowers are beginning to bloom. This can only mean one thing – baseball is back.
After an electrifying 2024 season, Major League Baseball is back and better than ever today on Opening Day. With new faces on new teams, rookies primed and ready to make their mark, as well as returning superstars, baseball season is here.
The season began on March 18 with the 2025 Tokyo Series which saw the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs face off at the fabled Tokyo Dome. The Dodgers took both games in Japan, moving to 2-0 in the very early season.
During the offseason, baseball saw one of the craziest offseasons in recent history. The biggest signing of the winter was undoubtedly Juan Soto. The Dominican outfielder signed a 15 year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets, becoming the highest paid athlete ever.
The Mets were able to bring back Sean Manaea, as well as a number of new faces including former New York Yankee Clay Holmes, who is set to be the opening day starting pitcher. Pete Alonso and Jesse Winker also signed extensions with the club. The Mets look to make back-to-back playoff appearances.
Elsewhere in the NL East, the Philadelphia Phillies brought in two new arms in Jesus Luzardo and Jordan Romano. They also brought in left fielder Max Kepler on a one year deal. The Phillies’ rotation is set to be one of the best in baseball. Ranger Suarez will begin the season on the IL with back issues. Taijuan Walker takes his place in the rotation.
The Washington Nationals also loaded up this offseason, bringing veteran first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and bringing back Josh Bell. Led by a number of young players, such as Luis Garcia, CJ Abrams, James Wood and Dylan Crews, the Nationals have a bright future ahead of them.
For the Miami Marlins, they have spent little to no money in free agency, and will rely on young players in Xavier Edwards and Connor Norby. Former Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara will make his return this year after missing the 2024 season.
For the Atlanta Braves, they bring back mostly the same roster. Ronald Acuna Jr. will be back in about May after tearing his ACL as Matt Olsen, Marcel Ozuna and Austin Riley round out the rest of the heavy hitters in the lineup. Newly acquired Jurickson Profar will be a mainstay in the lineup as well. Cy Young winner Chris Sale looks to repeat as the NL’s hurler. Acuna, Strider and Sean Murphy will begin the season on the IL as they work towards returns towards the end of April and beginning of May.
In the NL Central, the Pittsburgh Pirates did not add too many pieces to their offense, bringing Spencer Horwitz and Tommy Pham. Boasting one of the best starting rotations in baseball, the Buccos are led by Paul Skenes, Jared Jones and Mitch Keller. Jones will begin the season on the IL with an elbow injury that will keep him out for about six weeks.
The St. Louis Cardinals have gotten considerably worse. Led by Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras, the team will enter 2025 in a rebuild. Contreras moves to first base this year after the departure of former MVP Paul Goldschmidt.
The Chicago Cubs went buying in the winter and acquired Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros. Combined with Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki, the Cubs are set to bolster one of the best outfields in the game.
The Cincinnati Reds, led by Elly De La Cruz, are primed and ready to make their push towards the postseason. The Reds added to their rotation by bringing in Brady Singer, who will slot into a group of starters that has a lot of potential.
Rounding out the NL Central, the Milwaukee Brewers look to finish at the top of the division again. Led by Rhys Hoskins, Christian Yelich and Jackson Chourio, the Brew Crew look to win the division again.
In the NL West, the Los Angeles Dodgers are the big spenders. Bringing in Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki into an already stacked rotation, the Dodgers are the favorites to go back-to-back. Led by Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani, 2025 could be a historic year for the Dodgers.
The San Diego Padres are ready to compete for the NL West again this year. After losing in the NLDS to the Dodgers, the Friars are set to run it back in 2025. They are headlined by Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr as well as an elite pitching staff.
After picking up Justin Verlander and Willy Adames in free agency, the San Francisco Giants will be another potential contender in the NL West. Matt Chapman and Logan Webb will be key.
The Arizona Diamondbacks added Corbin Burnes and Josh Naylor to a team that made it to the World Series back in 2023. Expect them to make a push for the postseason this year after missing out in 2024.
In the AL East, the Yankees will be the team to beat in the American League. After winning the AL pennant, the team has spent after losing Soto. However, Gerrit Cole will miss the entire 2025 season after undergoing elbow surgery. Aaron Judge leads the charge for the Bronx Bombers.
The Baltimore Orioles added Tomoyuki Sugano and Tyler O’Neill in preparation to make their charge towards AL East contention. Their young core looks to continue their early successes.
The Boston Red Sox added Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler and Alex Bregman as they look to make it back to the postseason for the first time since 2021. Rafael Devers makes the move to DH.
The Tampa Bay Rays can never be taken out of contention, but the team will have to do a lot to compete in a stacked AL East Division. After losing their home field due to the 2024 hurricane season, the Rays will call George Steinbrenner Field home in 2025.
The Toronto Blue Jays will need big seasons from Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to make a push towards the playoffs.
In the AL Central, The Kansas City Royals, led by Bobby Witt Jr. look to be the best in the division. They’ll look to make it past the ALDS.
The Minnesota Twins did not add much to their team, running it back with the same roster. They are headlined by Byron Buxton, Royce Lewis and Joe Ryan.
The Cleveland Guardians brought back Carlos Santana to play first base. Cleveland hopes to make it back to the ALCS, where they lost in 2024 to the Yankees.
The Detroit Tigers are a team set to compete in the AL again this year. Jack Flaherty re-joins the rotation after signing back in free agency. Tarik Skubal looks to repeat as the AL Cy Young winner.
The Chicago White Sox will hope to improve after amassing the worst record in baseball history last year. Led by a multitude of young players, White Sox fans hope that the future will be bright. However, it may not go that way. During Spring Training, the White Sox lost six different pitchers who will be undergoing Tommy John surgery.
The AL West saw the Astros get considerably worse. Jose Altuve makes the move to left field. With an aging core, and the loss of Alex Bregman, the sun has set on their dynasty.
The Texas Rangers added Jake Burger to play first base. With one of the best infields in baseball, the Rangers look to make it back to the postseason since 2023.
The Los Angeles Angels, led by Mike Trout are not expected to be contenders in 2025. For Trout, he moves to right field in order to limit injuries that kept him out for parts of the last few seasons.
The Athletics, formerly Oakland Athletics, moved to Sacramento this year in preparation of their move to Las Vegas in 2027. The team extended a few key players this offseason including Brent Rooker, and look to become competitive in 2025.
The Seattle Mariners look to make it back to the postseason after missing out last year. The player that needs a big year is Julio Rodriguez, who hopes to bring postseason ball back to T-Mobile Park.
With the 2025 season up and running, Major League Baseball is set for another year of exciting play. There are clear contenders and some dark horses, but the race to make it to October begins now.