Thanksgiving is over, Santa has come and gone, the ball has dropped, and the Super Bowl is over. All of this means winter is over and baseball spring training is finally back! As we inch closer to Opening Day, all 30 Major League Baseball (MLB) teams come together with hopes that the long season ahead of them will end with a World Series Championship. With Opening Day only 2 weeks away, predictions for who will win are flying around, so I have decided to join and make my predictions for the 2025 Major League Baseball (MLB) season.
In the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers are the clear favorite as they followed their 2024 World Series win by signing high profile free agents Roki Sasaki from Japan and Blake Snell from the San Diego Padres. Their pitching and hitting may actually be better than last year. Challenging the Dodgers will be the New York Mets who made the biggest splash over the winter by signing star outfielder Juan Soto to an eye-popping 15-year, $765 million contract. My other picks to make the playoffs are the San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves, and Philadelphia Phillies.
In the American League, recent injuries to star players on the New York Yankees have made the picks more challenging. I still think they will make the playoffs, but my pick for the league’s representative in the World Series are the Cleveland Guardians. Cleveland narrowly lost to the Yankees last year and should be better in 2025 as top pitchers return from injury. My other picks to make the playoffs are the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, and Seattle Mariners. One team that will definitely not make the playoffs is the Chicago White Sox who set a record last year with 121 losses (out of 162 games) and traded away their top pitcher Garrett Crochet.
In the World Series, I predict the Dodgers to beat the Guardians in a 4-game sweep to claim their 2nd straight title and 3rd in the last 5 seasons. It’s going to be a great season – play ball!
