1 early prediction for each NL team in 2025
With the calendar flipping over to 2025, it's time to look ahead to the upcoming season. Here, we make one early prediction for each National League club in 2025.
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ARI | ATL | CHC | CIN | COL | LAD | MIA | MIL | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL | WSH
Arizona Diamondbacks
Lead the league in ERA: The Diamondbacks have an embarrassment of riches in the rotation with the addition of Corbin Burnes alongside Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Brandon Pfaadt. The bullpen is also deep and versatile. Arizona's pitching staff finished a disappointing 27th in team ERA last season but has the talent to orchestrate a quick and pronounced turnaround in 2025.
Atlanta Braves
NL East champions: Atlanta made the playoffs in 2024 despite losing Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider for most of the season due to injury. The club won over 100 games in each of the two previous years. The Braves' lineup is stacked with All-Star sluggers and the starting rotation will once again be led by reigning Cy Young winner Chris Sale. The Phillies are loaded and the Mets got Juan Soto, but the Braves are the most complete team in the division. Better injury luck is all this group needs to get back on track.
Chicago Cubs
Kyle Tucker arrives as promised: The Cubs shocked the baseball world by winning the Tucker trade sweepstakes. The outfielder was playing at an MVP level in 2024 before a leg injury sidelined him for several months. He still accrued a staggering 4.2 fWAR in just 78 games for the Astros with 23 home runs and a .993 OPS (181 OPS+). There's no reason to think Tucker, a beacon of consistency throughout his career, won't introduce himself to Chicago with another excellent showing in 2025.
Cincinnati Reds
Elly De La Cruz wins NL MVP: This is on the bolder side when it comes to a preseason prediction. However, De La Cruz finished eighth in voting in 2024 after amassing 6.4 fWAR with 25 home runs and 67 RBIs. His skill set will likely continue to entice voters. If he manages another campaign of 30 home runs with 60 stolen bases and the Reds rise in the standings, De La Cruz should be squarely in the mix to become the Reds' first MVP since Joey Votto in 2010.
Colorado Rockies
The NL's worst record again: Colorado lost an NL-high 101 games last season and could be even worse in 2025. The team lacks a star to build around. The Rockies teams of yesteryear used to offset poor pitching with lineups full of thumpers, but this current squad doesn't have any. Kris Bryant's hit just 17 home runs in the three seasons since he signed a $182-million contract. It doesn't look as though the dark ages will end any time soon.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Another World Series title: Somehow, the reigning champions enter 2025 looking even better on paper. The acquisition of Blake Snell gives the Dodgers another ace in a starting rotation that Shohei Ohtani is expected to rejoin. The lineup, which still features Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Teoscar Hernández, will be even better with the addition of Michael Conforto and a full season of Tommy Edman. The Dodgers are a juggernaut; the dawn of a dynasty is upon us.
Miami Marlins
Xavier Edwards wins batting title: Edwards has raked at every stop of his professional career. The 25-year-old hit an impressive .328 last season and owns a .321 career average over his first 100 MLB games. Edwards boasts excellent contact skills and does a good job of avoiding strikeouts. He checks a lot of the boxes for a batting champion.
Milwaukee Brewers
No sophomore slump for Jackson Chourio: The league will do its best to adjust to Chourio, and it won't matter. He broke out in the second half last year en route to a 20-20 season as a 20-year-old rookie. Then, during his first taste of postseason action, he slashed .455/.500/.1000 with two home runs and a stolen base. The notoriously frugal Brewers locked him up on an eight-year, $82-million deal before he even reached the major leagues for good reason. Chourio is here to stay.
New York Mets
Juan Soto is worth every penny: Paying a defensively challenged corner outfielder more than $50 million per season may not look smart on paper, but Soto warrants the price tag. He slugged a career-high 41 home runs in 2024 while walking more than he struck out. Few hitters assert their dominance over opposing pitchers the way he does. Soto is primed to buck the recent trend of players disappointing in the first year of their megadeals and will lead the Mets back to the playoffs with another amazing season.
Philadelphia Phillies
Zack Wheeler wins the Cy Young: In 2024, Wheeler finished as the runner-up for the honor for the second time in four seasons. Chris Sale, who won, offers proof that great pitchers eventually get rewarded - and Wheeler is unquestionably one of them. He recorded an NL-best 0.96 WHIP and 6.3 hits per nine with a 2.57 ERA in 200 innings last season. He's seemingly a lock to make 30 starts, pitch deep into games, and rack up strikeouts. Look for him to finally take home the hardware in 2025.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Oneil Cruz becomes a household name: Cruz rebounded from an injury-plagued 2023 campaign to hit 21 home runs with 22 stolen bases and a 110 wRC+ across 147 games last season. The 26-year-old moved over to center field and is set to keep that role heading into 2025. Cruz ranked in the 97th percentile in hard-hit rate, racking up 58 extra-base hits in 2024. His raw tools have never been in question, but 2025 will be the year that Cruz puts it all together to reach his immense potential.
San Diego Padres
Fernando Tatis Jr. puts up career year: Although Tatis has been good for the last two seasons, he hasn't been the same player who hit 42 home runs in 2021 before being suspended for PEDs. His counting stats were down across 102 games in 2024, but his .833 OPS (130 OPS+) suggests the talent is still there. Look for Tatis to put up his first 30-30 season in 2025, re-establishing himself as one of baseball's true superstars.
San Francisco Giants
Chapman and Adames win Gold Gloves: The Giants boast arguably the best defensive left side of the infield in baseball with Matt Chapman at third base and Willy Adames handling duties at shortstop. Chapman won his fifth Gold Glove in 2024, while Adames is still searching for his first despite routinely ranking among the game's best defenders at his position.
St. Louis Cardinals
Jordan Walker hits 30 home runs: The former top prospect stalled in 2024 after a promising 2023 campaign. Walker was sent down to Triple-A early in the season and posted a 72 wRC+ in 51 games. The Cardinals appear to be a team in transition, making them more likely to stick with Walker even if he struggles out of the gate in 2025. The 22-year-old showed flashes of his potential in 2023 and has the raw skills to be a prolific power hitter if he can get the ball in the air more often.
Washington Nationals
More offensive fireworks: The Nationals enter the season with a lot of buzz and momentum. General manager Mike Rizzo added proven veteran hitters Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Bell to complement a young core headlined by CJ Abrams, Dylan Crews, and James Wood. Washington's talented lineup should be able to make life tough for opposing pitchers. After finishing the 2024 campaign 29th in home runs and 25th in runs scored, the Nationals should be much higher in those categories at the end of 2025.