1 Thing We Learned About Every MLB Team During the 2025 Season
The 2025 regular season is in the books, which means 162 games of evidence to evaluate each team on, even if 12 of them will continue to the postseason.
Whether it's an entirely new revelation, a previously held opinion being strengthened, or something else, there are plenty of conclusions to draw from the 2025 campaign.
Here's one thing we learned about every MLB team during the 2025 season.
AL East
1 of 6
Toronto Blue Jays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is long-term face of the franchise
However obvious it may seem now, serious questions were coming into the season about whether Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would be with the Blue Jays beyond 2025, particularly after contract talks during spring training stalled out.
Fortunately for all parties involved, a 14-year, $500 million extension was reached in April, a deal that should allow the Canada-born slugger to spend the entirety of his career north of the border.
Whenever their trip to the postseason concludes, the focus for the Blue Jays will shift to trying to keep Guerrero's longtime teammate, Bo Bichette, in Toronto.
New York Yankees: Giancarlo Stanton still has it
When Giancarlo Stanton said in March that he had "severe" injuries in both elbows, you wondered whether the 35-year-old would ever be the same.
Instead, the reigning ALCS MVP responded by clubbing 24 home runs and posting a .944 OPS after making his season debut in mid-June. It was as good as he has looked since putting on a Yankees uniform in 2018.
Stanton is MLB's active career home runs leader at 453. Based on his performance in 2025, there's no reason to think he won't reach 500, cementing himself as a Hall of Famer.
Boston Red Sox: This team is set up about as well as any moving forward
Alex Cora's squad didn't win the AL East, but they are headed to the postseason, despite bungling things so poorly with Rafael Devers that they traded him to the San Francisco Giants in June.
And this might just be them scratching the surface.
Roman Anthony has been sidelined with a left oblique strain since early September, but baseball's No. 1 overall prospect entering the season looked the part of a superstar over his first 71 games, posting an .859 OPS.
Garrett Crochet is likely to finish runner-up to Tarik Skubal in AL Cy Young Award voting in his first season with the Red Sox. Boston inked the ace to a six-year, $170 million extension in April, so the 26-year-old isn't going anywhere.
Plus, with the money saved by offloading Devers' contract, Boston could well be active in free agency this offseason, whether that means re-signing Alex Bregman after he opts out or something else.
Tampa Bay Rays: New ownership is coming
The Rays will return to Tropicana Field in 2026 after spending the 2025 season playing outside at George M. Steinbrenner Field, due to the damage caused by Hurricane Milton to their home park.
Still, the Rays need a better long-term answer than the Trop, and the recently completed sale of the franchise from Stuart Sternberg to Patrick Zalupski should allow them to find one.
Whether the park ends up in St. Petersburg or Tampa Bay, the Rays should have a stadium resolution in the not-so-distant future.
Baltimore Orioles: The honeymoon is over
President of baseball operations Mike Elias appeared to be sitting on the potential for the Orioles to be the best team of the 2020s after consecutive playoff appearances in 2023 and 2024, led by a roster of mostly homegrown talent.
After a disastrous 2025 campaign, though, there will be pressure on Elias this offseason to act with a sense of urgency to try to get the O's back in the playoff/World Series conversation in 2026.
What's most concerning, however, is that some of the players once viewed as core pieces have seen their careers stall out.
- Adley Rutschman had a disappointing finish to 2024 and posted a .677 OPS in less than 100 games this year.
- After finishing runner-up in AL Rookie of the Year voting last year, Colton Cowser hit just .198 in 2025.
- Jackson Holliday had some nice moments, but ultimately finished with an OPS under .700 in his first full MLB campaign.
- Grayson Rodriguez didn't pitch at all this season, eventually undergoing elbow debridement surgery in August.
- Former Mariano Rivera Award winner Félix Bautista returned after missing all of 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery. However, after recording 19 saves in 2025, he underwent shoulder surgery in August, which will keep him out for most or all of 2026.
AL Central
2 of 6
Cleveland Guardians: Stephen Vogt is as good as it gets
Stephen Vogt has the Guardians back in the postseason for the second time in as many years on the job. And considering they did so with a negative run differential (minus-6), he should probably repeat as AL Manager of the Year.
Not only did Cleveland trade away first baseman Josh Naylor after reaching the ALCS last season, but they also wound up losing star closer Emmanuel Clase and offseason rotation pickup Luis Ortiz as part of a gambling probe.
The Guardians have no business being in the postseason, and their presence there speaks to how good a culture Vogt has built.
Detroit Tigers: Keeping Tarik Skubal is priority No. 1, 2 and 3
Tarik Skubal is going to become the first pitcher since Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez to repeat as AL Cy Young Award winner. Since the second half of the 2023 season, he's unquestionably been the best pitcher in baseball.
Despite a second-half collapse, the Tigers will be in the postseason, and A.J. Hinch's squad will try to catch fire. Certainly, Skubal going in Game 1 of any series will give them an advantage.
Skubal will be entering a contract year in 2026. After winning consecutive Cy Young Awards, the 28-year-old may be steadfast on testing free agency following the 2026 season.
However, President of Baseball Operations Scott Harris needs to put out an offer this winter that at least tempts Skubal and see what happens. Losing him next offseason would be unthinkable.
Kansas City Royals: There has to be more from the outfield
The Royals overcame a lack of offensive production from their outfield a season ago to make the postseason and even win a series. They didn't have the same type of luck with that formula in 2025.
Kyle Isbel is a strong defender in center field, but he has a .653 career OPS. You can live with that if you have two strong hitters in the corners, but the Royals haven't.
Kansas City may just have to hope Jac Caglianone figures things out in 2026, but it will be in need of an impact corner outfield bat as much as anyone this offseason.
Minnesota Twins: New ownership isn't coming
Where the Rays are now under new ownership, the Pohlad Family announced in August that they will not be selling the Twins:
Mind you, this came after a trade deadline in which Minnesota traded Carlos Correa, Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax and Harrison Bader, among others.
It's fair for Twins fans to be skeptical about what comes next, considering the Pohlads have decided to hold onto the franchise.
Chicago White Sox: Colson Montgomery is a guy
For the third year in a row, the White Sox lost 100-plus games. However, they may be the first team to lose over 100 games and still feel like they made a significant improvement, considering they lost 121 a year ago.
If you're looking for a positive from a personnel standpoint, Colson Montgomery topped 20 home runs and posted a 2.6 WAR in less than half the season, per FanGraphs. Additionally, he recorded seven defensive runs saved at shortstop.
There's still a long way to go, but Montgomery at least offers White Sox fans some light at the end of the tunnel.
AL West
3 of 6
Seattle Mariners: Cal Raleigh is a franchise icon
For a franchise that has never reached the World Series, Seattle has employed many iconic players, including Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson, Edgar Martinez, and Ichiro Suzuki.
Cal Raleigh entered that conversation in 2025 by putting together arguably the greatest season a catcher has ever had. He has set a new single-season franchise record with 60 home runs, doing so while getting a bulk of his starts at the most physically demanding position on the diamond.
Whether Raleigh wins AL MVP or finishes second to Aaron Judge, he's had the greatest individual season in team history and cemented himself in franchise lore.
Houston Astros: Framber Valdez's future probably will be elsewhere
Framber Valdez was an All-Star in his contract year, going 10-4 with a 2.75 ERA over 19 starts in the first half.
However, things got weird in the second half, most notably when there were questions about whether he purposely crossed up Cesar Salazar:
On top of that, Valdez went 3-7 with a 5.20 ERA over 12 starts after the Midsummer Classic. It just feels like the Astros will give him a qualifying offer this offseason and then let him walk in free agency.
Texas Rangers: There are lots of lineup questions moving forward
For the second season in a row, the Rangers will stay at home in October. It will be in large part because Bruce Bochy's lineup—which looked like it would be one of baseball's best entering the season—underwhelmed.
Among those who disappointed in the lineup were Marcus Semien (.230 batting average), Adolis García (.269 on-base percentage) and Joc Pederson (.616 OPS).
Corey Seager was the only regular on the Rangers to finish the season with an OPS above .780, and he missed all of September after undergoing an appendectomy.
García will be a non-tender candidate in the offseason, but outside of that, there may not be a ton of room for change in the Texas lineup this winter.
General manager Chris Young might just have to hope on some veterans performing up to the back of their baseball cards next season, plus continued development from Wyatt Langford, Evan Carter and Josh Jung.
Athletics: Nick Kurtz is a superstar
It's going to be difficult to convince pitchers to sign with the Athletics when they're going to spend at least two more years at Sutter Health Park, but they do have something brewing offensively.
At the forefront of that is Nick Kurtz, who is going to run away with AL Rookie of the Year. In less than 120 games, the 22-year-old clubbed 36 home runs, drew over 60 walks and drove in 86 runs.
The defining performance of his season came on July 25, when he hit four home runs.
With Kurtz, Jacob Wilson, Brent Rooker, Lawrence Butler and Tyler Soderstrom, this is an offense that could be ready to compete as soon as next season.
Los Angeles Angels: Not much
What did we really learn about the Angels this year?
Jo Adell hit 37 home runs, although he did so while posting an on-base percentage under .300, so there are still questions about how good he is moving forward.
Taylor Ward had a career year with 36 home runs, but the Angels didn't move him at the trade deadline when it was a weak market for right-handed hitting outfielders. Now, he'll be entering his contract year in 2026, his age-32 season.
Mike Trout had his healthiest season in years, but it was also the worst campaign of his career, even if it was still productive by the standards of others (26 home runs, .798 OPS). He did hit his 400th home run, so that was a silver lining in another lost campaign.
Ultimately, though, the Angels posted a losing record for the tenth consecutive year. And they don't feel particularly close to ending that streak.
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NL East
4 of 6
Philadelphia Phillies: Keeping Kyle Schwarber is imperative
Perhaps there might have been a thought entering the season that the Phillies could let Kyle Schwarber play out his contract year and then let him walk in an effort to get younger.
No such thought exists after a campaign in which Schwarber hit a career-high 56 home runs and led baseball in RBI. Add in his clubhouse leadership—which is often overstated with stars, but not in Schwarber's case—and it just feels like the Phillies have to retain him.
Both managing partner John Middleton and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski have publicly acknowledged a desire to retain Schwarber, who will be 33 next season. The prevailing belief around baseball seems to be that he will remain in red pinstripes.
New York Mets: They need a stopper in the rotation
President of baseball operations David Stearns is great at finding value at the margins with starting pitching, but what the Mets desperately needed in the second half of the season was a stopper.
Perhaps one of their impressive rookies—Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat—will develop into that. Certainly, none of Sean Manaea, Clay Holmes, Kodai Senga or David Peterson was able to fill the role this offseason.
You would feel a lot better about the Mets entering the 2026 season if they found a way to acquire an ace, whether through free agency for Framber Valdez or a trade for Sandy Alcantara or Joe Ryan.
Miami Marlins: Clayton McCullough has the Fish headed in the right direction
The Marlins were too streaky for their own good in 2025, but you have to give first-year manager Clayton McCullough credit: They weren't eliminated from playoff contention until the final week of the season despite having the third-worst run differential in the NL.
Unfortunately, history suggests that the Marlins won't make major investments in the on-field product in the offseason, which may hinder their return to the postseason in 2026.
In fact, given that former NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara posted a 3.33 ERA in 13 starts after the All-Star break, it would almost be surprising if the Marlins don't trade him for a sizable return this offseason.
Atlanta Braves: It's time for some changes
There's still a lot to like in Atlanta, but after a season in which they were never really in the playoff race, some changes seem in order.
Manager Brian Snitker, 69, will have to decide whether he's going to walk away after the season.
Marcell Ozuna and Raisel Iglesias are two mid-30s free agents the Braves could allow to leave in free agency.
A more difficult conversation might be how to proceed with second baseman Ozzie Albies. Even with a left-hand fracture, it's hard to imagine the Braves not picking up his $7 million club option for 2025. But he feels like someone who could use a change of scenery if the Braves are looking to shake things up in a significant fashion this offseason.
No matter what, it's going to be a busy offseason for the president of baseball operations, Alex Anthopoulos.
Washington Nationals: They need to spend again
When the Nationals won the World Series in 2019, they carried a top-five payroll. In 2025, they had the 24th-highest payroll in baseball.
Some of that is because James Wood and MacKenzie Gore haven't yet gotten expensive, but there needs to be a recommitment to spending in the offseason from ownership, with Paul Toboni coming over from Boston to lead baseball ops.
Washington desperately needs to bring in more quality starting pitching and relief help. They also could stand to add a veteran lineup anchor, such as Pete Alonso.
Really, the Nationals are enough of a blank slate that they almost can't go wrong in where they make a major investment as long as they believe in the name they are making it on.
NL Central
5 of 6
Milwaukee Brewers: Pat Murphy has the magic touch
You can basically copy and paste everything we wrote for Vogt here for Pat Murphy, who is likely to repeat as NL Manager of the Year.
Despite losing Willy Adames in free agency in the offseason and not having a player who's likely to finish in the top 10 in NL MVP voting, the Brewers led MLB in wins and had arguably the greatest regular season in franchise history.
Their 14-game winning streak between late July and early August was one of the stories of the regular season.
This isn't to say the players don't deserve credit. Freddy Peralta is going to finish in the top five in NL Cy Young Award voting, while Andrew Vaughn was a great pickup and the Trevor Megill/Abner Uribe bullpen duo was dominant. But this is a team where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Chicago Cubs: Even with playoff berth, lots of questions remain
The Cubs will be in the NL postseason as a wild-card representative, but there are plenty of questions about Craig Counsell's team moving forward.
Kyle Tucker is back from a left calf injury, but he is still playing through a hairline fracture in his right hand. How productive he'll be in the postseason is unclear.
Even less clear is the future of the 28-year-old in Chicago since he will be a free agent after the season.
Pete Crow-Armstrong posted 15 defensive runs saved and 20 outs above average in center field, but he was one of the poorer offensive players in the league in the second half of the season. Given that he doesn't get on base at a high clip, his offensive value seems tied to his ability to hit the ball out of the park.
Seiya Suzuki also had an OPS under .680 in the second half of the season.
During the first half, this felt like a World Series-caliber offense. The second half left you with both short and long-term questions.
Cincinnati Reds: They need a veteran lineup anchor
The Reds snuck into the playoffs as the final wild-card representative in the NL, but they did so while finishing just 14th in runs scored, which is an unacceptable ranking for a team that plays its home games at Great American Ball Park.
Spencer Steer and Matt McLain both disappointed this year, and even Elly De La Cruz posted an OPS under .675 after the All-Star break.
There is some talent here, but the Reds need a sure thing in their lineup. Middletown, Ohio, native Kyle Schwarber will be a free agent this offseason, as will Alex Bregman. Both would fit that bill if owner Bob Castellini is willing to open up the checkbook.
With Andrew Abbott, Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo, the Reds have a really good starting pitching trio. But to be more than just a fringe playoff team, they need to add a star to this young lineup.
St. Louis Cardinals: It's probably not going to happen for Jordan Walker
One of the more interesting decisions the new president of baseball operations, Chaim Bloom, will have to make is determining how the Cardinals proceed with Jordan Walker.
The former first-round pick is still only 23 years old, and he won't become eligible for arbitration until 2027. From that perspective, the Cardinals might be inclined to give him one more shot, considering he hit 16 home runs with 51 RBI in his rookie season of 2023.
But FanGraphs says that since entering the league, Walker's minus-0.7 WAR is the fifth-worst mark among all position players. This season, he posted minus-10 defensive runs saved in right field, while hitting .217 in 110 games.
You wonder if Walker will be a change-of-scenery candidate via trade. If he's back in St. Louis, it's hard to imagine him being guaranteed significant playing time.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Paul Skenes is an icon that might not be long for PNC Park
A year after winning the NL Rookie of the Year, Paul Skenes is probably going to unanimously win the senior circuit's Cy Young Award following a season in which he led baseball in ERA (1.97), ERA+ (218), FIP (2.36) and HR/9 (0.5).
Despite that, the Pirates were never really in contention, finishing 71-91, 12 games out of the final wild-card spot in the NL.
Owner Bob Nutting will have to decide whether to retain both General Manager Ben Cherington and interim manager Don Kelly. If he doesn't authorize more money to be spent, it may not matter who occupies those two seats.
Even if Nutting opens up the checkbook this offseason, it's fair to wonder if it might be too late to make the best of their limited time with Skenes.
Though the ace can't become a free agent until after the 2029 season, he'll become eligible for arbitration for the first time in 2027. It doesn't make sense to consider trade offers for Skenes now, but it might in a year or two.
Ask yourself if you think the Pirates can put a contending team around him in the meantime.
NL West
6 of 6
Los Angeles Dodgers: Keeping arms healthy remains biggest organizational hurdle
There isn't a ton we learned about the Dodgers that we didn't already know coming into the season.
It's a minor surprise they weren't one of the top two seeds in the NL, though they won 93 games and the division title. Plus, Shohei Ohtani is going to win his second NL MVP in as many years with the Dodgers.
If you're looking to understand why the defending World Series champions weren't closer to 100 wins, the continued inability to protect their pitchers would probably be it.
Among those currently on the injured list are Kirby Yates, Michael Kopech, Evan Phillips and Tony Gonsolin. Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Treinen and Alex Vesia are all healthy entering the postseason, but were injured at points this season.
If the Dodgers can find an answer for how to keep their arms healthy, they might win the World Series every year. It's the only thing left for Andrew Friedman's organization to figure out.
San Diego Padres: Nick Pivetta was quite the signing
While Dylan Cease disappointed and Michael King was limited to 15 starts, Nick Pivetta proved to be a tremendous signing.
After not joining the Padres until February, Pivetta went 13-5 with a 2.87 ERA and 190 strikeouts across a career-high 181.2 innings pitched. He had flashed this type of talent during stints with the Phillies and Red Sox, but he finally put it all together in 2025.
The best part for the Padres is that the opt-out in Pivetta's deal isn't until after the 2026 season. Because if he had the chance to opt out of the final three seasons of a four-year, $55 million deal this winter, he definitely would.
Arizona Diamondbacks: Geraldo Perdomo is a star
Though they showed quite a bit of fight down the stretch, 80-82 is a disappointing record for a team that entered the season with World Series aspirations.
If you want to find a silver lining, though, Geraldo Perdomo emerged as a star. He did a bit of everything, hitting 20 home runs, stealing 27 bases, drawing 94 walks and posting five outs above average in the field.
Perdomo finished the season with a 7.0 WAR, a mark that FanGraphs says was only topped by Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, Bobby Witt Jr. and Ohtani.
There's quite a bit of uncertainty about what the pitching will look like in Phoenix next season, but Perdomo, Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll is a great lineup trio.
San Francisco Giants: Rafael Devers is going to be the lineup anchor
It didn't end up in a playoff berth this season, but president of baseball operations Buster Posey struck on the chance to acquire a disgruntled Rafael Devers from the Red Sox in June.
Devers posted an OPS above .800 after his trade from the Red Sox, and San Francisco will now have him under contract for $226.5 million over the next eight seasons. That might sound like a lot, but even if he is just a superstar DH, that will be a team-friendly contract.
Willy Adames rebounded in a big way in the second half. He and Devers will be a strong one-two punch in the lineup for the foreseeable future.
If Posey can find a way to acquire one more big bat, this lineup could be as good as it's been since the height of the Barry Bonds-Jeff Kent era.
Colorado Rockies: They weren't the worst team ever
Congratulations, Colorado. You finished at 43-119, so you didn't match the 2024 White Sox—who went 41-121—for the worst record in a 162-game season.
Still, the Rockies have lost 100 games in three consecutive seasons, and they haven't finished with a winning record since 2018. Ethan Holliday and Charlie Condon are two prospects to be excited about, but the long-term outlook for the Rockies—particularly from a pitching perspective—is still bleak.
The question you're always left with when talking about the Rockies is does ownership care? It needs to decide what to do with interim manager Warren Schaeffer and general manager Bill Schmidt.
However, the two constants in Colorado are an inability to figure out how to pitch well at Coors Field and an owner, Dick Monfort, who seems content to just participate every season.
Until one or both of those change, the Rockies are going to be one of the worst teams in baseball.
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