The first few weeks of the 2025 MLB season have been full of surprises. The San Diego Padres have the best record in the league, and the Atlanta Braves are in last place in the NL East. It is safe to say that not many people predicted the season to start the way it has.
With such an unprecedented start, many teams are already facing decisions that could have a major impact on the rest of their season. Let’s take a look at where the Marlins, Braves and Red Sox stand in their respective predicaments.
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MLB Rumors: Any Sandy Alcantara trade could take awhile
Going into 2025, the Miami Marlins were expected to continue rebuilding for the future by trading away their proven big leaguers for minor league prospects. Many believed that starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara would quickly find himself on the trade block, but MLB Insider Ken Rosenthal seems to think differently.
First off the Marlins, albeit early, are only 2.5 games out of first place in the NL East. As long as they are competing, we can expect them to remain idle in regards to trades. Miami remaining competitive for 162 games does not seem likely and a full rebuild is inevitable. Rosenthal thinks that Alcantara has not been good enough to catch the eye of other teams in the league.
“Teams are going to want to see more,” Rosenthal said on Foul Territory.
So far this year, Alcantara is 2-0 with a 4.70 ERA in three starts. He has walked eight batters in just 15.1 innings of work and struck out 12. The former Cy Young winner may not be at the top of the wish list for buyers if his performance does not improve, and he could be in Miami longer than we anticipated.
MLB Rumors: Alex Verdugo preparing for another big league chance
The Atlanta Braves have had the most disappointing start to the 2025 season. Mixed in with an atrocious 5-11 start is a flurry of injuries and unfortunate circumstances. Their lone major offseason addition, Jurickson Profar, received an 80-game suspension after testing positive for PEDs. With Profar’s absence and Ronald Acuña Jr. still recovering from injury, the Atlanta outfield is depleted. ‘
Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves’ front office signed veteran outfielder Alex Verdugo for some depth. Atlanta has now found themselves in a position where Verdugo could find himself on the big league roster. Verdugo feels like a better corner outfield option than Bryan De La Cruz, Stuart Fairchild or Eli White.
So far this season in Triple-A, Verdugo has hit .182 with two homers and four RBIs. One of those homers came on Sunday and could indicate that he is returning to form. Especially if Marcell Ozuna is sidelined for any amount of time with his current injury scare, look for Verdugo to get called up to play the outfield or even serve as a designated hitter.
MLB Rumors: What is the Boston Red Sox plan at catcher?
The American League East is an absolutely loaded division and if the first few weeks of 2025 is any indication, the division title is up for grabs. The Boston Red Sox made some major additions this offseason to aggressively pursue a playoff bid. Boston recently lost their starting catcher, Connor Wong, to a broken finger. Now they have options to address his absence.
Boston signed Yasmani Grandal to a minor-league contract to give them some added depth behind the dish. Grandal’s contract includes a clause that would allow him to opt out if he so chooses by May 1.
Rookie Carlos Narvaez will take over the primary catching duties for now, but Chris Cotillo of MassLive suggests Boston could be exploring trades. Given the additions the Red Sox made this past offseason, it is safe to assume that they are 'all in' in 2025. If Wong is likely to miss a big chunk of the year due to his injury, look for Craig Breslow and company to consider aggressively trading for another backstop, even if the transaction is costly.