MY 2025 MLB Division Winners, Wild Card Teams & World Series Pick!
Plus, which teams I think will be the biggest surprise and the biggest disappointment from each division...
Regular season baseball will be getting underway in just a few hours.
Now that’s exciting.
I don’t know about you, but I have so many questions as we prepare for a mouthwatering slate of 14 games on Opening Day.
Will the Dodgers go back-to-back?
Who will come out on top in a fascinating NL East?
Why are so many people sleeping on the Orioles and the Padres?
Are the Red Sox really back?
Can the Yankees reach the postseason without Gerrit Cole and with so many injuries?
What teams will surprise? And what teams will stink the building out?
I honestly have no clue how things will shake out this season. I really don’t. I mean, it’s baseball. Anything can happen. Expect the weird and unlikely at all times. And that’s why I freaking love this game.
That’s also why I have zero confidence in most of my picks.
By the way, you can check them out, along with the predictions from a host of the best baseball writers on Substack, by clicking the link below:
It was a thrill to put that roundtable together, and there were some really interesting predictions made by everyone.
As I did with my player awards picks, which you can read below, I want to go slightly more in-depth on my postseason and World Series predictions. I’ll add more detail to my picks, starting with the National League, then the American League and then the World Series.
I will also include some contenders for teams that will surprise in 2025, and teams that will disappoint.
To that end, let’s get on with the show…
My Detailed 2025 MLB Playoff Predictions
National League
NL East - Braves
NL Central - Cubs
NL West - Dodgers
NL Wild Card - Mets, Phillies, Padres
NLCS:
DODGERS OVER Braves
The Dodgers are the best team in baseball. I don’t think that’s up for debate. You can certainly argue the rest after that but, for me, the Braves will be the second best team in the National League. They are loaded, they have great pitching and they will get back both Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr. this year, which is huge, obviously. Atlanta will win an incredibly compelling NL East, with the Mets and Phillies slugging it out for second place. New York has one of the most potent lineups in all of baseball, but the pitching scares me. The Phillies aren’t getting a lot of attention because they didn’t make a major offseason splash, but that roster is already really good and they will be a huge threat in 2025.
I’m still not totally sold on the Cubs - they have some clear warts on their roster. However, the bullpen was improved in the winter and Kyle Tucker will improve that team both offensively and defensively. I think Pete Crow-Armstrong will break out, and rookie Matt Shaw will have a really good year too. However, don’t sleep on the Brewers. Yes, they lost some key pieces in the offseason, but they always do and still find a way to win baseball games year in and year out.
Ultimately, I think the Dodgers will take down the Braves in seven to move closer to repeating as World Series champions. But it will be close. I think Acuña Jr. will have a big year - and a monster postseason - once he’s healthy.
Biggest Surprise:
I love the Nationals’ young talent and, while they won’t make the playoffs due to how top heavy the NL East is, they will be funky and I think they will give the Mets, Braves and Phillies some problems. Plus, I absolutely love outfielder Dylan Crews, and he’s my pick for National League Rookie of the Year.
Biggest Disappointment:
I’m not sold on the Giants as much as I liked the Willy Adames addition. I think it is going to be another frustrating season in San Francisco. However, my pick for biggest disappointment in the National League are the Pittsburgh Pirates. They have an absolute stud on the mound in Paul Skenes, yet they did nothing in the offseason to really improve that lineup. You should be aiming for the playoffs when you have a generational talent like Skenes, but I think the Pirates are going to stink. They need to spend money and surround Skenes with talent. And quick.
American League
AL East - Orioles
AL Central - Royals
AL West - Rangers
AL Wild Card - Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers
ALCS:
ORIOLES OVER Red Sox
I don’t get why so many people are down on the Baltimore Orioles. Okay, I get it, that starting rotation leaves a lot to be desired. But that organization has money now, and hopefully they will be aggressive at the Trade Deadline. Plus, Gunnar Henderson is my pick for AL MVP, Jackson Holliday will rake in his second year in The Show and I think Coby Mayo will eventually get called up and will contribute in a big way offensively. They have way too much elite position talent not to be great in 2025. I love the Royals, I love Bobby Witt Jr. and I think Jonathan India is a sneaky really good addition. He’s a great fit in that lineup, and he’ll rake too. The Rangers were not good in 2024 - that’s putting it lightly - but they have a boatload of talent. Health will be the key in 2025. Corey Seager will put up big numbers, I think Jacob deGrom is going to have a stellar year and both Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker are young studs on the mound with a lot of talent and a lot of upside. Watch out for Texas this year.
As for the Wild Card teams, I still think the Yankees have enough talent to make the postseason despite all of their injuries. Have we forgotten about Aaron Judge? The Red Sox are back and they have a lot of high-end talent. I’m also excited to see Alex Bregman and the Big Three of Kristian Campbell, Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer rake at Fenway Park. The Tigers were the surprise team of 2024 and, with Tarik Skubal on the mound, they will take another leap forward in 2025. I like that team a lot.
However, when all is said and done, I think the Orioles will ride their young talent all the way to the ALCS after putting an end to a dream run by the Red Sox.
Biggest Surprise:
I really like that Athletics roster. They have a lot of young talent. Luis Severino was a smart addition, Mason Miller is an elite closer and I’m pumped to watch both Brent Rooker and Lawrence Butler absolutely rake. If everything breaks their way, the Athletics could sneak into the postseason as a Wild Card team.
Biggest Disappointment:
This is easy. The Mariners have one of, if not the best starting rotation in baseball. Logan Gilbert is an absolute stud. However, Seattle stunk offensively in 2024 and, for some odd reason, didn’t do anything to improve the lineup in the offseason. So, while I think Julio RodrÃguez will author a bounce-back season, I don’t think that will be enough. I just don’t see the Mariners putting up enough offense to be a postseason team, and that’s a huge shame given how great the pitching is.
WORLD SERIES
DODGERS OVER Orioles
Yes, yes, yes. The Dodgers are the easy pick and everyone is picking LA to go back-to-back. But there is a reason for that. The Dodgers are loaded all over the roster. Their rotation is stacked. Their bullpen is deep. And they have so much talent throughout the lineup it isn’t even funny. Plus, Shohei Ohtani will pitch again this year and he’s going to dominate as a phenom two-way player once more.
I think the World Series will ultimately go the full seven because I respect Baltimore’s plethora of elite position talent a hell of a lot. Plus, if they are in contention, I can’t see the Orioles not adding a front-end starter at the Trade Deadline.
WORLD SERIES MVP
Mookie Betts - Something just tells me that the eight-time All-Star will not only have a monster regular season, but a huge postseason as well. As a result, he’ll lead LA to a second consecutive World Series and will take home MVP honors in the process.
