Spring training is finally finished and Opening Day is briefly waiting on deck. This offseason provided plenty of fireworks, such as the signings of Juan Soto, Max Fried and Corbin Burnes as well as the trades for Kyle Tucker and Garret Crochet among other headlines. Spring training brought us even more headlines, like the demise of the Yankees’ roster.
Indeed, the sands have shifted a lot since October leaving us with a new MLB landscape. What might the 2025 season hold for us baseball fans? Let’s take a few bold but educated guesses as to what might happen.
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Paul Skenes wins the NL Cy Young and MVP awards
The last time a pitcher won the MVP award (for pitching feats only) was in 2014, when Kershaw bagged both the Cy Young and MVP awards. This year, I expect Paul Skenes might just do the same.
I know what you’re thinking. Yes, Shohei Ohtani is the odds-on MVP favorite every year for the next six years at least. But we need to remember, Ohtani is going to be eased back into to pitching this season after Tommy John surgery in 2023. We can’t expect him to log many innings or pitch to his full potential this season. We might also expect his offensive production to lag some as he pivots back to pitching. And after his scary incident in the World Series, we shouldn’t expect to see him swipe as many bags while he juggles both hitting and pitching. As a two-way player returning from injury, he will need to take good care of himself.
But rather than discussing why Ohtani might not be the MVP, we should cover why Skenes might. The Pittsburgh Pirates’ ace had pitched just 12 games in the minors before making his debut. In his rookie year, he threw 133 innings over 23 games to the tune of a remarkable 1.96 ERA, winning Rookie of the Year. Now that he’s settled into the majors, I expect he’ll do even better. Boasting a pair of heaters that average 96.8 mph cumulatively, Skenes’ vast arsenal was responsible for a staggering 33.1 percent strikeout rate. That’s 170 strikeouts in just 133 innings. If any pitcher has MVP potential, it would be Skenes.
The top three that followed behind Ohtani in last year’s MVP race were Francisco Lindor, Ketel Marte and Marcell Ozuna. Besides those four, Skenes will need to contend with Juan Soto, Kyle Tucker, Bryce Harper, Chris Sale, and Ronald Acuna Jr. if he returns in a timely manner.
Roki Sasaki wins NL Rookie of the Year
This probably isn’t too far out of the realm of possibility, but Sasaki’s lack of innings pitched in a single season might add plenty of uncertainty to the mix. Still, I think the young fireballer will overcome his one major drawback (accounting for the injury risk) and win NL Rookie of the year.
The Dodgers new flamethrower boasts a heater that averaged 96.8 MPH last season in Japan, over two mph lower than his previous average likely due to an arm injury. But his heater isn’t the true weapon at work. That would be his splitter.
If you’re a hitter batting against Sasaki and you whiff on a 100-mph fastball coming in at the top of the zone, you will need to set yourself up to defend against the high heat. That means swinging as soon as possible to get the jump on the pitch. That’s when Sasaki comes back at you with a mid-80’s splitter. It looks like a fastball coming at the top of the zone prompting the quick swing, but before it hits the catcher’s glove, it’s down near your ankles.
This simple two-pitch mix makes Sasaki a formidable foe to whoever is standing at the plate. And as we’ve seen in spring training as well as in Tokyo against the Cubs, the potential here is explosive. Sasaki is currently working on a slider, but hasn’t yet developed it into a viable plus pitch. If he can turn it into a plus third offering, he may be one of the league’s best pitchers by the end of the season.
The Arizona Diamondbacks finish second in the NL West, but make it to the World Series
Can the Dodgers make a repeat run this season? Everyone seems to think so, but we might be overlooking a hidden giant (or a rattlesnake) that slipped (or slithered) under the radar – and this wouldn’t be the first time.
The Arizona Diamondbacks stunned the sports world when they beat the Brewers, Dodgers and Phillies to advance to the World Series in 2023. While it may have looked like a three-time fluke upset by an inferior underdog wild card team, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. The D-Backs put contact-hitting and great pitching to work earning their spot in the fall classic. But why would I expect a team that missed the wild card last season to be the NL champions this season when the Dodgers, who are already the defending champs, just got a lot stronger?
To start, the D-Backs missed the wild card by 0 games, losing in a three-way tie. Arizona’s pitching staff was bombarded with injuries last season. The only pitcher that topped 151 innings was Brandon Pfaadt. Now, Eduardo Rodriguez, Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly are coming back healthy. Unfortunately, Jordan Montgomery will be done for the year after undergoing Tommy John, but the D-Backs added Corbin Burnes over offseason which will provide them with a formidable ace alongside Gallen. And despite their injury woes last year, the D-Backs covertly accomplished some stunning feats offensively.
As a team, the D-Backs led the MLB in batting average (tied with San Diego), on-base percentage, RBIs and runs while finishing second in slugging, OPS and hits. Their 211 home runs placed them in fifth in that stat even with Christian Walker missing time.
Without a doubt, the D-Backs have World Series potential. To add to their already decent chances, Jordan Lawlar and Josh Naylor (who will be replacing Walker) should make a sizeable impact this season. That said, the Dodgers still look like the better team. However, there is still one player who can put the Diamondbacks over the top.
Corbin Carroll hit for a .231 average last season and underperformed most of his 2023 stats. If he can recover and post similar stats to the ones that made him Rookie of the Year in 2023, the D-Backs may have a clear shot at returning to the World Series.
I don’t expect the D-Backs to top the Dodgers in the NL West. The Dodgers appear to have won that race before it started. Still, in a limited postseason series, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see the D-Backs land a wild card spot, topple the Dodgers and make their way back to the fall classic.
Kristian Campbell wins AL Rookie of the Year in debut season
Let’s take a way too early look at the AL Rookie of the Year race. Jasson Dominguez, Jackson Jobe and Coby Mayo presumably headline the leaderboards, and we can never really count out the dark horse candidates such as Cam Smith, Tomoyuki Sugano, Jac Caglianone (assuming he is called up in time) or Kumar Rocker.
But no hitter on this list did what Kristian Campbell accomplished in the minors last season. In 430 at-bats across three minor-league levels, Campbell hit .330 with 20 home runs. His career minor-league batting average stands at .327.
With a performance like this, it is no surprise Campbell made the Red Sox roster straight out of spring training. Campbell is expected to be Boston’s second baseman on Opening Day, but there is some concern that he might not have an everyday position on the field when Masataka Yoshida returns which could affect his Rookie of the Year chances significantly. However, since he can play just about anywhere on the diamond, this concern is likely null.
By all appearances, Campbell has all the tools required to be an elite ball player. And though his spring was rather rough, I expect him to adjust quickly as he has done in every level of the minors, thus making a solid case to be the AL Rookie of the Year.
The Atlanta Braves acquire Michael King from the Padres
Atlanta Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos is known to keep a tight grip on the purse strings. But after trading Ian Anderson as well as losing both Charlie Morton and Max Fried in free agency, it seems the Braves’ starting rotation is in need of an upgrade. Influencing Anthopoulos’ decision-making would be the fact that his team has World Series potential this season. And since Marcell Ozuna is soon to be a free agent, the need to win this year is urgent. Anthopoulos knows this very well and has already inquired about a few top-of-the-line hurlers.
Earlier this year, reports had surfaced that the Braves checked in on Padres’ starters Michael King and Dylan Cease. Of the two, King is cheaper for at least this season with $4 million on the books for 2025. A $15 million mutual option for 2026 is more than the $13.75 million Cease is slated to earn this season in his walk year. While both Cease and King would make great additions, I think the Braves will opt for King.
Cease will be more expensive especially since King’s option can be declined. And while Cease has more upside, King has had better results in recent years. Making a trade for King even more likely would be the Padres’ insane asking price for Cease, which has been more of a cease and desist to all potential trade partners (apologies for the Cease pun). The Braves have shallow depth at best and likely won’t want to drain their farm system on a rental.
King is coming off his first year as a full-time starter throwing to a 2.95 ERA over 173.2 innings of work. This figure is his highest ERA since 2021. His low price and abundant success make him a very desirable trade target.
Blue Jays acquire Luis Robert Jr. from the White Sox at the trade deadline, keep Vladdy and Bichette in last ditch effort to make postseason
For the Blue Jays, this is not about the future; this is about the now. And it’s much easier to shoot for the moon than admit and accept defeat. Toronto’s top stars, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, are in their walk year. If the Jays are going to enter the postseason sometime soon, it will need to be this year.
In an attempt to make a postseason push, Blue Jays’ GM Ross Atkins placed his bets on Anthony Santander and Max Scherzer, neither of whom should significantly move the needle given the Blue Jays’ many weaknesses. By the trade deadline, it will more than likely be clear that Toronto is not a postseason-bound team. At that point, there will be two options: sell off or make improvements in hopes of turning the tide. Of these two options, we can expect Atkins to choose the latter. But who has the potential to change the Jays’ dismal fortunes? Look no further than Luis Robert Jr.
Over his career, Robert has shown an ability to hit for power and average while swiping bags at a healthy rate and defending centerfield with Gold Glove prowess. Unfortunately, Robert’s career has been severely hampered by relentless injuries. However, if he can stay healthy, Robert can be a game-changer for any team. After whiffing on Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes this offseason, acquiring Robert would likely be the bold move on Atkins’ mind.
The Red Sox acquire Sandy Alcantara from the Marlins
Throughout the offseason, the Red Sox worked to improve their pitching staff which had been their one glaring weakness last year. With Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler and Aroldis Chapman now in Beantown, this no longer appears to be a severe issue. However, with the backend of the rotation in quagmire, we can expect GM Craig Breslow to jump into action at the trade deadline.
The idea of the Red Sox trading for Sandy Alcantara is nothing new. Boston has an abundance of both cash and prospects. Acquiring a brand-new ace just makes sense for the Red Sox. And there doesn’t appear to be a more sought-after ace than Sandy Alcantara.
The 2022 Cy Young award winner put on a heck of a show this spring, throwing 12.1 innings and giving up no earned runs. His last regular season appearance came in 2023 when he struggled with a 4.14 ERA. His season came to an end when his elbow injury required Tommy John. Now, after missing the entire 2024 season, he is back and it appears he is ready to dominate. Even though we can’t expect Alcantara to pitch 200 innings again so soon after Tommy John Surgery, adding Alcantara would give the Red Sox a clear ace with years of control.
Red Sox win the World Series
Continuing with the Red Sox, I also expect Boston to win the World Series. Had the Yankees not fallen apart, this might be a different story. But as things currently stand, it appears the Red Sox have the deepest lineup in the AL. A full year of Triston Casas and the addition of Alex Bregman should provide them the firepower they lacked to make the wild card round last season. And let’s also not forget Kristian Campbell, Roman Anthony and Marcello Mayer, all three of whom could have a substantial impact on the team this season.
As previously discussed, Boston’s rotation was their key weakness last season. After adding Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler, this no longer appears to be a problem. Crochet, Buehler and Tanner Houck headline what is now a solid rotation. I also assume they are not done with the pitching staff. But while it seems the Red Sox are the strongest team in the AL, can they beat the titans of the NL?
The strength of the Red Sox offense seems to mimic that of the Dodgers even without three MVPs in in the lineup and may even be deeper. And we can’t forget Boston’s secret weapon. The aforementioned free agent signing, Walker Buehler, thrives in the bright lights of October. But even if his 3.04 postseason ERA is great, he is unmatched in the World Series. In 19 innings over four World Series games, Buehler owns a 0.47 ERA. Should the Red Sox make it the World Series, and there’s a great chance they do, they may prove to be an insurmountable foe.