Assigning Grades For Every MLB Team Halfway Through 2025 Season
We often say the second half of the MLB season starts after the All-Star Game. But in reality, the Midsummer Classic comes after each team has played more than half of its regular-season games.
Over the past week, teams have reached 81 games played, meaning half of their 162-game regular-season slate is now complete.
With at least 50 percent of each team's season in the books, we've come up with grades for all 30 clubs, which factor in how they've played relative to their preseason expectations.
AL East
1 of 6
New York Yankees: A-
Even after losing star outfielder Juan Soto in free agency and ace Gerrit Cole to Tommy John surgery, the Yankees look like a serious threat to win their second consecutive AL pennant. Aaron Judge has a chance to win his third AL MVP in four seasons, while Max Fried has been one of the better pitchers in baseball after putting on the pinstripes this past offseason.
Tampa Bay Rays: A-
Led by breakout seasons from first baseman Jonathan Aranda and RHP Drew Rasmussen, the sum of the Rays seems to be greater than its part. The real test is going to come in July and August, when the Rays are going to be on the road almost exclusively.
Toronto Blue Jays: B
The Blue Jays are comfortably above .500, but their run differential has hovered around neutral this season, which suggests they could be a regression candidate. What could help them to buck that trend is if they get anything in the second half out of offseason signee Anthony Santander, who is currently out with left shoulder inflammation and has disappointed after signing a lucrative deal in free agency.
Boston Red Sox: D
From a contention standpoint, the Red Sox are hardly out of things. But the vibes have been weird. Rafael Devers is gone even though he was performing like one of the best hitters in baseball. Much-hyped rookies Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell haven't delivered the expected impact to this point.
It bears watching whether Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow considers making a managerial change after the season if Boston doesn't reach the postseason.
Baltimore Orioles: F
After consecutive postseason appearances, 2025 has been a disaster for the Orioles. Offseason signee Tyler O'Neill has predictably been hurt for most of the season. Adley Rutschman has been one of the most disappointing players in baseball after a rough second half last season. Only the Colorado Rockies and Miami Marlins have a worse ERA among starting pitchers than the O's 5.29 mark.
General manager Mike Elias needs to figure out how to transition from being a great drafter to a great team-builder.
AL Central
2 of 6
Detroit Tigers: A+
After a cinderella run into the postseason last year, the Tigers have played better than any team in the AL in 2025. Tarik Skubal appears to have a shot to win consecutive AL Cy Young Awards, while Spencer Torkelson, Javier Báez and Casey Mize have all comfortably outperformed spring training expectations.
If they can add another big bat, there's no reason the Tigers couldn't make a World Series run.
Cleveland Guardians: B-
The Guardians did make the ALCS last year, but they're hovering around .500 right now and feel like they're overachieving. José Ramírez and Steven Kwan are a great one-two punch, but their lineup is thin outside of those two, especially since Carlos Santana looked every bit of 39 in June.
The bullpen quartet of Emmanuel Clase, Jakob Junis, Hunter Gaddis and Tim Herrin have also been much more mortal than they were last season.
Minnesota Twins: C+
Give the Twins credit: They got off to a disastrous 4-11 start, but they've turned it around to the point that they are on the bubble of contention. Byron Buxton is having a tremendous season, but Carlos Correa has underwhelmed at the plate, while Royce Lewis has continued to struggle to stay healthy.
It will be interesting to see how the Twins operate at the trade deadline, especially if they get a chance to offload one of their injury-riddled stars.
Kansas City Royals: C-
The Royals haven't been able to replicate their magical 2024 regular season. Bobby Witt Jr. has still been great, but not the Hall of Fame-caliber performer he was in 2024. At age 35, Salvador Perez may finally be hitting a wall.
If you want a positive spin, Cole Ragans' 2.40 FIP suggests he's been much better than his 5.18 ERA would lead you to believe. When he returns from a rotator cuff strain, he could bounce back. But the Royals' lack of outfield production appears likely to doom them in a division with three other teams that have playoff aspirations.
Chicago White Sox: F+
Can you get an F+? We're not sure, but since they haven't been quite as bad as the historically awful 2024 White Sox, we'll give first-year skipper Will Venable a bit of credit.
Don't get it twisted: The White Sox still have one of the worst rosters in baseball, and Luis Robert Jr. hasn't rebounded in a manner to make you think he'll deliver much of a trade return this summer. But the absolute worst of the latest rebuild on the South Side might be over.
AL West
3 of 6
Houston Astros: A-
Even with José Altuve struggling and Yordan Álvarez still on the shelf with a right hand fracture, the Astros have a comfortable lead in the AL West. Jeremy Peña looks the part of a superstar. Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez have been one of the best one-two rotation duos in baseball. Plus, Josh Hader and Bryan Abreu lead what might be baseball's best bullpen.
If Álvarez returns and Altuve/Christian Walker perform more in line with the back of their baseball cards, the Astros could make yet another deep October run.
Seattle Mariners: B
Seattle is at an interesting juncture. Cal Raleigh is having one of the greatest seasons we've ever seen from a player, catcher or otherwise. Andrés Muñoz has been one of baseball's elite relievers. But the M's have a hole at first base, one they probably need to make an external addition at.
For as well as Bryan Woo has pitched, Logan Gilbert and George Kirby have each dealt with injuries, meaning Seattle's rotation hasn't been as dominant as expected. The Mariners could very well be better as the season goes along, but they do need to improve on how they've played to this point.
Los Angeles Angels: B-
Despite having a run differential that would lead you to believe they were on pace to lose 95-plus games, the Angels are actually hovering around .500. Yusei Kikichi has been a nice addition to a starting rotation that also includes José Soriano and Tyler Anderson.
The Angels aren't going to have anyone compete for a batting title, but are getting plenty of power production from the likes of Taylor Ward, Jo Adell, Logan O'Hoppe, Mike Trout and Zach Neto. Still, the Halos need better performances from veterans like Jorge Soler, Luis Rengifo and Kenley Jansen to avoid being trade deadline sellers later this month.
Texas Rangers: C+
The veteran starting trio of Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Tyler Mahle have all been tremendous, but the Rangers have largely wasted it. They will enter July as one of the many teams on the trade deadline bubble because of how much their offense has underperformed.
Evan Carter will wind up being a regular as he plays more games, but of the nine primary players for the Rangers so far this season, only Corey Seager has an OPS above .740. And even he's underperformed what you would expect from him. Quite simply, the Rangers need their star-studded lineup to turn things around in a major way.
Athletics: D-
Jacob Wilson is the favorite for AL Rookie of the Year, and this lineup still has a good long-term outlook with him, Brent Rooker, Lawrence Butler and Nick Kurtz, among others. But the Athletics' starting pitchers have the fourth-worst ERA in MLB, and Luis Severino has been complaining about the environment—or lack thereof—in Sacramento.
Meanwhile, it's also been a rough year for the Mason Miller-led bullpen, which has an MLB-worst 5.95 ERA.
NL East
4 of 6
Philadelphia Phillies: B
Even though they were without Bryce Harper (right wrist inflammation) for much of June, the Phillies have continued to look like they will make their fourth consecutive postseason trip. Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber are each having their best seasons since joining the Phillies, while manager Rob Thomson presides over what's probably the best starting rotation in baseball.
But the Phillies are a few arms short in the bullpen, and they may need another middle-of-the-order bat to avoid a second straight early postseason exit.
New York Mets: B
To the surprise of absolutely no one, Juan Soto has begun to hit like, well, Juan Soto. He, Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor are one of the best trios in the sport. This group could get even deeper if Mark Vientos returns and looks like he did last year. The biggest issue, though, remains the starting rotation.
Kodai Senga is tremendous, but often injured. Sean Manaea is still working his way back and has yet to pitch this year. Griffin Canning was recently lost for the year with a left Achilles tear. President of baseball operations David Stearns has proven to be great at finding value at the margins in the starting rotation, but the Mets could use a bonafide ace to anchor their rotation.
Atlanta Braves: D-
It's great that Ronald Acuña Jr. has looked like the superstar version of himself since coming back from his left ACL. But the Braves are in danger of a lost season.
If you made a list of baseball's most disappointing players in 2025, Michael Harris II, Ozzie Albies and Raisel Iglesias would all be on it. Reigning NL Cy Young winner Chris Sale is out with a left ribcage fracture. As much this team feels too talented to not make a run, there's three months of evidence to suggest things aren't meant to be this season.
Miami Marlins: D
Even with a recent hot stretch, the Marlins are a directionless franchise that offer the best argument against expansion. This month, they will likely field trade offers on Sandy Alcántara, Edward Cabrera and Anthony Bender.
Even if they nail those trades, do you have any faith that this organization will use those newly acquired players to turn into a contender? Or will they just be back at this same point in a few years, looking to flip whatever productive pieces they have for controllable talent?
Washington Nationals: D+
As much as you never want to trade a player like Soto, general manager Mike Rizzo did as well as you can in the return for him, as James Wood, CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore all look like core pieces. However, the Nationals are on pace for their fifth consecutive season of 90-plus losses.
Perhaps it's time for a change at manager with Dave Martinez, but more pressing is probably an ownership change. The Nationals were once a top spender, and if the Lerner family isn't prepared to recommit to paying for external talent, they should sell the team to someone who is.
NL Central
5 of 6
Chicago Cubs: A-
Pete Crow-Armstrong has emerged as a superstar this year, and we already knew from his time in Houston that Kyle Tucker fit into that category as well. With Seiya Suzuki also having a career year, the Cubs can hit with just about anyone. It's a matter of whether they will have the pitching to compete in October.
Justin Steele has been lost to the season with Tommy John surgery, while Shota Imanaga just returned from the IL. The Cubs need to add another starter who's capable of pitching in the postseason before the July 31 trade deadline about as badly as any contending team.
Milwaukee Brewers: B+
Somehow the Brewers keep absorbing the losses of star players and still contending. Following a strong finish to June, they definitely feel like a buyer, even if there's been speculation about a trade of ace Freddy Peralta.
As things stand now, Peralta and electric rookie Jacob Misiorowski could be a strong one-two punch in the postseason. For the Brewers to get to the playoffs for the seventh time in eight years, they will need cogs like William Contreras and Jackson Chourio to be better in the second half in the season than they were in the first.
St. Louis Cardinals: B+
This was supposed to be a transition year for the Cardinals, but they're right in the thick of the NL Central and NL wild-card races. Brendan Donovan is having a career year, as has Iván Herrera when he's been healthy.
St. Louis has pieces like Ryan Helsley, Sonny Gray and Phil Maton whom contenders would love to trade for, but barring a meltdown in July, there's no reason to think outgoing president of baseball operations John Mozeliak is going to sell.
Cincinnati Reds: B-
Andrew Abbott, Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo have been a formidable trio atop Terry Francona's rotation, but there just hasn't been enough consistent production in the lineup outside of Elly De La Cruz and TJ Freidl.
For the Reds to separate from the pack in this division, they need Austin Hays to stay healthy in the second half. They also need better production from Spencer Steer and Matt McClain.
Pittsburgh Pirates: D-
We couldn't give the Pirates an F because Paul Skenes is as dominant of a young pitcher as you'll ever see. After winning NL Rookie of the Year a season ago, he's the current favorite for the senior circuit's Cy Young.
Sadly, the Pirates have wasted what will likely be one of their few seasons with Skenes. Starting with who they get back for pieces they trade away this summer, they need to do a significantly better job of taking advantage of their potentially fleeting window with him.
NL West
6 of 6
Los Angeles Dodgers: A-
Not that Shohei Ohtani needed to pitch to win NL MVP, but now that he's back on the mound, the three-time MVP has a chance to add a fourth. The defending World Series champions also have gotten elite production from Freddie Freeman, Andy Pages and Will Smith. Yoshinobu Yamamoto has also looked the part of an ace in his second MLB season.
The only reason the Dodgers get the minus added onto their grade is that they continue to struggle with pitcher injuries, even more than the average team.
San Francisco Giants: A-
The Giants are right in the thick of the NL wild-card race, and there's reason to think they will be better in the second half of the season. They now employ Rafael Devers, and are going to get Matt Chapman back from right hand inflammation. Plus, it's hard to imagine Willy Adames finishing the season with a .637 OPS.
In his first year on the job, president of baseball operations Buster Posey has put the Giants in position to return to the playoffs.
San Diego Padres: B+
If you take out the Padres going 5-0 in March, they've been pretty much a .500 team. Of course, those five games in March still count, but they are a bit of a concerning trend moving forward.
The Padres have a very talented bullpen to go with a lineup led by Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado. But they definitely need more from Dylan Cease and Luis Arráez in the second half of their contract years. Additionally, they need to get a healthy Michael King back in their rotation to go with Cease and Nick Pivetta.
Arizona Diamondbacks: C
The Snakes are still around .500, but it just feels like it's not their year. Corbin Burnes, Jordan Montgomery, A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez have all been lost for the season to Tommy John surgery. A wrist fracture has put Corbin Carroll on the shelf for the foreseeable future. Zac Gallen, Eduardo Rodríguez and Brandon Pfaadt have all underperformed.
The Diamondbacks could get hot in the second half, like they did last year. Right now, though, they feel more like a team like to win 81 games than 91. That's a disappointing development for a club that entered the year with World Series hopes.
Colorado Rockies: F-
The Rockies were actually better in June, but that's not saying much. Right now, there's almost nothing to be excited about pertaining to the Rockies.
Hunter Goodman has been a nice development at catcher, while Jake Bird and Ryan McMahon could be trade candidates. But Kris Bryant's contract has become an albatross as his body has broken down, especially for a team that doesn't normally make major investments under owner Dick Monfort. And despite the Rockies having existed for more than three decades, they still haven't figured out how to pitch at home.
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