1 Bold Prediction for Every MLB Team in 2025
There is never any shortage of MLB prediction content released in the days and weeks surrounding Opening Day.
This is hopefully going to be a somewhat less predictable round of, well, predictions.
Rather than focusing on team win-loss totals or guessing who might win this year's major awards, we've decided to make one bold prediction for every MLB team.
The idea here was to predict something that could plausibly happen but is a bit outside the box relative to expectations. That could be a surprise stat leader, a breakout prospect, a first-time All-Star or something else entirely.
Let's get weird!
AL East
1 of 6
Baltimore Orioles: Tomoyuki Sugano is an AL All-Star
After 12 seasons in Japan, Sugano signed a one-year, $13 million deal with the Orioles on the heels of a 2024 campaign where he finished 15-3 with a 1.67 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in 156.2 innings. The 35-year-old threw the ball extremely well during spring training, and he could find plenty of early success attacking a league of hitters that has either never faced him or only gotten a brief glimpse of him in the World Baseball Classic.
Boston Red Sox: Trevor Story stays healthy, has 3-WAR season
Over the first three seasons of his six-year, $140 million deal with the Red Sox, Story has provided roughly one full season worth of playing time, tallying 4.1 WAR in 163 games. With the shoulder injury that sidelined him for most of 2024 now in the rearview and a clean bill of health, the 32-year-old is still capable of being the impact player, and trying to hold off Marcelo Mayer should provide some additional motivation.
New York Yankees: Jazz Chisholm Jr. has 30/30 season
Chisholm posted a 107 OPS+ with 24 home runs and 40 steals in 147 games last season, making a major splash after he joined the Yankees at the trade deadline. The 27-year-old has dealt with some injuries, but he has averaged 28 home runs and 36 steals per 162 games during his time in the big leagues. There have been just three 30/30 seasons in Yankees history, with two belonging to Alfonso Soriano (2002, 2003) and the other to Bobby Bonds (1975).
Tampa Bay Rays: Taj Bradley has 200 strikeouts
Armed with a fastball that averaged 96.4 mph and a cutter and splitter that both generated a whiff rate north of 30 percent, Bradley logged a 26.6 percent strikeout rate and 154 strikeouts in 138 innings in 2024. The 24-year-old figures to be a staple in the Tampa Bay rotation, and if he can make 30 starts this year, he could rank among baseball's strikeout leaders.
Toronto Blue Jays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette are traded in package deal
After failing to come to terms on a long-term deal with Guerrero during the offseason, the Blue Jays are at a crossroads. If they fall out of contention early, the free-agent-to-be will almost certainly hit the trade block this summer along with several other veterans. We've seen a huge packaged deal of Max Scherzer and Trea Turner moved in the past, and a deal that includes Vlad Jr. and Bichette could really shift the baseball landscape at the deadline.
AL Central
2 of 6
Chicago White Sox: Miguel Vargas leads team in WAR
A standout performer in the minors and the No. 29 prospect in baseball prior to the 2023 season, Vargas never found his footing with the Dodgers. He was traded last summer in the three-team deal that sent Tommy Edman and Michael Kopech to Los Angeles, and now has the everyday third base job for the rebuilding White Sox. Still only 25 years old, he has one of the highest ceilings on the team.
Cleveland Guardians: Kyle Manzardo has 30-homer, 100-RBI season
Manzardo hit .270/.333/.540 with five home runs in 69 plate appearances as a September call-up last year, and after posting a .999 OPS during spring training he was the No. 5 hitter in the Opening Day lineup. The 24-year-old was a Top 100 prospect during his time in the Tampa Bay farm system, and he could fill the role that Josh Naylor did during a 31-homer, 108-RBI campaign a year ago.
Detroit Tigers: Jackson Jobe gets controversially lifted from a no-hitter
Paul Skenes was lifted from a no-hitter twice during his rookie season as the Pirates did their best to protect a generational talent. Jobe is not quite the prospect that Skenes was a year ago, but he is the consensus top pitching prospect in baseball and won the No. 5 starter job in the Tigers rotation. The 22-year-old has the stuff to make his own run at history, and manager A.J. Hinch will likely make the same tough decision.
Kansas City Royals: Cole Ragans wins AL Cy Young
Ragans turned in 12 fantastic starts after the Royals acquired him from the Rangers at the 2023 trade deadline, then he backed up his breakout last season by going 11-9 with a 3.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 223 strikeouts in 186.1 innings. The 27-year-old finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting in 2024, and he has the potential to top Tarik Skubal, Garrett Crochet, Logan Gilbert, Framber Valdez, Jacob deGrom and others in this year's race.
Minnesota Twins: Walker Jenkins makes MLB debut before All-Star break
With a 60-hit, 60-power offensive profile and a strong 6'3", 210-pound frame, Jenkins has the potential to be an offensive superstar. The 20-year-old has only played 108 games in the minors, with only six of those coming above the High-A level. However, James Wood entered the 2024 season with a similar level of experience before making his MLB debut on July 1, so never say never.
AL West
3 of 6
Athletics: Lawrence Butler is an AL All-Star starter
With Juan Soto and Kyle Tucker now calling the NL home, it will be interesting to see who is voted to start in the AL outfield for the All-Star Game. Aaron Judge, Julio Rodríguez, Steven Kwan, Jarren Duran and Riley Greene are all strong candidates, but don't sleep on Butler. The 24-year-old posted a 131 OPS+ with 24 doubles, 22 home runs, 57 RBI, 18 steals and 3.0 WAR in 125 games last year, and he was rewarded with a seven-year, $65.5 million extension.
Houston Astros: Yordan Alvarez wins AL batting title
With an imposing 6'4" frame and four straight 30-homer seasons, Alvarez is one of baseball's most productive sluggers. He is also an elite pure hitter who finished fourth in the AL batting title race with a .308 average in 2024, and he ranked in the 97th percentile in expected batting average. It's only a matter of time before we see a season where a few more hard-hit balls find a hole and he hits .325.
Los Angeles Angels: Mike Trout stays healthy enough to join 400 HR club
This was my bold prediction for the Angels a year ago as well, but Trout only added 10 home runs to his career total during an injury-plagued 2024 campaign. He now sits at 378 long balls, and while it might seem like a significantly less bold prediction now that he is 10 closer, the question of whether he can stay healthy has moved front and center.
Seattle Mariners: Julio Rodríguez wins AL MVP
It speaks volumes to just how talented and accomplished he is that J-Rod had a 4.3-WAR season last year and it was viewed as a down year by his own lofty standards. The 24-year-old has legitimate 40/40 potential if he can steer clear of a lengthy slump and play up to his capabilities for a full season, and here's predicting that happens in 2025.
Texas Rangers: Emiliano Teodo leads team in saves
Teodo is being developed as a starter by the Rangers, but with an undersized 6'1", 165-pound frame and spotty command, his long-term role could be at the back of the bullpen. He actually won Reliever of the Year honors in the 2023 Arizona Fall League with 19 strikeouts and just three hits allowed in 11 scoreless innings, and if the Chris Martin/Robert Garcia/??? approach to closing games does not produce a go-to closer, he could get a look.
NL East
4 of 6
Atlanta Braves: Michael Harris II finishes top-five in NL MVP voting
Even with three consecutive 3-WAR seasons to begin his MLB career, it still feels like we have not seen the best of Harris II just yet. Still only 24 years old, he is a rare five-tool center fielder who has flashed 30/30 upside at the plate and Gold Glove-caliber tools in the field. He can get lost in the shadow of Ronald Acuña Jr., Austin Riley, Matt Olson and Marcell Ozuna, but don't be surprised if he is the team's top MVP candidate.
Miami Marlins: Sandy Alcántara brings back multiple Top 100 prospects
When Alcantara landed on the injured list in 2023, he missed a chance to pitch in the playoffs. A year later, the Marlins roster has been stripped to the studs, and it feels like only a matter of time before he is traded. With a $17.3 million salary for next season and a $21 million club option in 2027, he stands as a bargain in a market where Alex Cobb got a one-year, $15 million deal. It might take a package of multiple Top 100 prospects to be the team that successfully pries him loose this summer.
New York Mets: Brandon Sproat starts 20 games
Forgive me for not having much faith in the rag-tag group of starting pitching options the Mets have assembled for the 2025 season. Sproat, 24, was one of the biggest breakout prospects of 2024 and stands as the unquestioned top pitcher in the Mets farm system. He had a 3.40 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 116.1 innings last year and closed out the season at Triple-A, so it's only a matter of time before he gets a look.
Philadelphia Phillies: Max Kepler hits 30 home runs
Kepler was one of the more appealing buy-low options in free agency after logging a 103 OPS+ with 161 home runs and 20.5 WAR in 10 seasons with the Twins, and he is not far removed from logging a 120 OPS+ with 24 home runs in 130 games in 2023. He now moves to Citizens Bank Park which was the fifth-best home run park a year ago, and a 30-homer season would make him one of the steals of the winter on a one-year, $10 million deal.
Washington Nationals: James Wood is NL All-Star Game starter
There might be no more obvious breakout candidate heading into 2025 than Wood, who posted a 122 OPS+ with 26 extra-base hits in 79 games as a rookie while recording elite batted-ball metrics across the board. It would take a huge first half for him to push his way ahead of the likes of Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., Kyle Tucker, Jackson Merrill, Corbin Carroll and others and into a starting spot in the NL outfield in the All-Star Game, but he has that type of upside.
NL Central
5 of 6
Chicago Cubs: Pete Crow-Armstrong leads majors in steals
For context, Elly De La Cruz (67 SB), Shohei Ohtani (59 SB) and Brice Turang (50 SB) led the majors in steals in 2024. Meanwhile, Crow-Armstrong had 27 steals in 30 attempts during his rookie campaign, but a late uptick in his offensive production and a sprint speed that ranks in the 99th percentile provides reason to believe he could double that total in 2025.
Cincinnati Reds: Chase Burns makes MLB debut in September
With an electric fastball that touches 102 mph and a pair of nasty breaking pitches, Burns racked up 191 strikeouts in 100 innings at Wake Forest last spring before going No. 2 overall in the 2024 draft. The Reds have assigned him to High-A Dayton for his pro debut, and he could move quickly to the upper levels of the minors and onto the MLB doorstep with a strong start.
Milwaukee Brewers: Garrett Mitchell is an NL All-Star
In 116 games over his first three seasons in the majors, Mitchell hit .264/.343/.463 for a 121 OPS+ with 17 doubles, 13 home runs, 37 RBI, 20 steals and 3.6 WAR, but he has never stayed healthy long enough to truly make a splash. The 26-year-old will likely be tasked with hitting between William Contreras and Rhys Hoskins in the middle of the Milwaukee lineup.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Endy Rodriguez has post-hype breakout
Rodriguez hit .323/.407/.590 with 39 doubles, 25 home runs and 95 RBI in 125 games over three minor league levels in 2022, and he was the No. 22 prospect in baseball at the start of 2023. The 24-year-old made his MLB debut later that year, but elbow surgery wiped out his 2024 season, and now he is looking to rebuild his stock. He has a chance to make some noise early filling in for Spencer Horwitz at first base.
St. Louis Cardinals: Brendan Donovan signs five-year, $60 million extension
The Cardinals have not been shy about handing out early extensions, and Donovan is a logical candidate for a long-term deal. The 27-year-old is the active version of Ben Zobrist, with terrific on-base skills and defensive versatility. A deal that buys out his final two arbitration seasons at $5 million in 2026 and $10 million in 2027 before paying him $15 million annually over what would be his first three years of free agency makes sense for both sides.
NL West
6 of 6
Arizona Diamondbacks: Zac Gallen signs a seven-year, $175 million extension
Gallen will be one of the top starting pitchers on the market next winter, unless the D-backs find a way to lock him up. The club just spent $210 million on Corbin Burnes this past winter, but extending Gallen would ensure their rotation remains a strength. Aaron Nola signed a seven-year, $172 million deal with the Phillies at the same age Gallen is now, and that seems like a reasonable comparison.
Colorado Rockies: Seth Halvorsen appears on at least one NL ROY ballot
With a fastball that regularly bumps triple-digits and two quality breaking pitches, Halvorsen has prototypical late-inning stuff. The 25-year-old had a 1.46 ERA and a 13-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 12.1 innings after making his MLB debut on Aug. 30 last year, and he could end up closing games for the Rockies for the bulk of the season.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Dustin May earns a spot in the playoff rotation
With Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki and eventually Clayton Kershaw and Tony Gonsolin, it's easy to overlook May when talking about the Dodgers rotation. However, he has a 3.10 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 191.2 career innings in the big leagues, and with Tommy John surgery finally in the rearview he could be in for a huge age-27 season.
San Diego Padres: Kash Mayfield is traded at the deadline
Aside from Jackson Merrill, the Padres have traded away every first-round pick they have made over the past decade, many before they ever reached the big leagues. That includes Dylan Lesko (No. 15 in 2022), Robby Snelling (No. 39 in 2022) and Dillon Head (No. 25 in 2023) who were all traded last year. That would seem to be an ominous sign for Mayfield's tenure with the team after he went No. 25 overall as the second high school pitcher taken in last year's draft.
San Francisco Giants: Robbie Ray wins NL Comeback Player of the Year
Ray is not that far removed from winning 2021 AL Cy Young honors with the Blue Jays, and while his recovery from Tommy John surgery has limited him to eight starts the last two years, he returned with a 4.70 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 30.2 innings down the stretch last year. The 33-year-old could end up being a rock solid No. 2 starter behind Logan Webb in the Giants rotation.
