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Grading Every MLB Franchise's 2025 from the Regular Season to Offseason
As we prepare to put a bow on the 2025 calendar year, let's take one last look back on the year in Major League Baseball to assign a report card grade to each of the 30 franchises.
We'll be looking at the regular season, the postseason and the bevy of transactions that have taken place in the two months since the World Series ended.
For the regular-season portion of our program, what mattered wasn't the number of wins, but rather how that number compared to expectation, i.e. preseason win totals.
For instance, the Los Angeles Dodgers won 93 games, but they were supposed to win 103.5. That's a minus-10.5 in our win total calculation, as they were a pretty big disappointment...before, you know, winning the World Series. Conversely, the Chicago White Sox were only supposed to win 53.5 games, but they beat the odds to win 60, exceeding expectations for a plus-6.5 score that rates better than most.
The offseason portion doesn't carry much weight in the final grade, but there were cases where it helped shift, say, a D to a C-, or vice versa.
American League East
1 of 6
Baltimore Orioles (Grade: D)
Regular Season Win Total: -12.5; Postseason: N/A; Offseason: Aggressive
From Memorial Day onward, the Orioles were solid, posting a winning record over their final 110 games, even with a trade deadline fire sale in the middle. They just couldn't recover from a horrific 16-34 start. But they have reloaded this offseason, headlined by the signing of Pete Alonso. Still probably an ace away from reemerging as a favorite to win the pennant, but they've meant business thus far over the past two months.
Boston Red Sox (Grade: B-)
Regular Season Win Total: +2.5; Postseason: Wild Card; Offseason: Trade-y
After a three-year hiatus, the Red Sox made it back to the postseason, faring slightly better than expected. Having both Trevor Story and Aroldis Chapman put together renaissance seasons played a huge role there. Can either one keep it going in 2026? They have yet to sign anyone this offseason, but they have made 10 trades, most notably netting them Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras and Johan Oviedo. If they ultimately re-sign Alex Bregman, they could be a real force.
New York Yankees (Grade: D+)
Regular Season Win Total: +4.5; Postseason: ALDS; Offseason: Underwhelming
The Yankees exceeded expectations by 4.5 wins, but did they really? They had the highest preseason win total among AL teams, projected to return to the World Series. Instead, they lost an AL East tiebreaker and had to settle for the No. 4 seed before losing to Toronto in the ALDS. That's undeniably disappointing, and yet somehow not disappointing enough to do anything drastic like fire Aaron Boone or make so much as one move that was the slightest bit splashy thus far this offseason.
Tampa Bay Rays (Grade: D)
Regular Season Win Total: -4.5; Postseason: N/A; Offseason: Dumpy
In 2024, the Rays were pretty much exactly .500 at the trade deadline before choosing to do more selling than buying. They ended up a few games below .500 and proceeded to trade away one of their more valuable players that offseason (Jeffrey Springs) in the name of saving some money. And in 2025, it's pretty much the exact same story, except they've traded away two key players in Brandon Lowe and Shane Baz. Meanwhile, the rest of the division seems to have refortified around the Rays, leaving this team looking destined for last place in 2026.
Toronto Blue Jays (Grade: A+)
Regular Season Win Total: +15.5; Postseason: AL Champ; Offseason: Pitchy
The Blue Jays were "supposed" to finish dead-last in the AL East. Instead, they came one Miguel Rojas home run away from winning their first World Series in more than three decades. And on top of that, they've had one of the best offseasons of all, signing Dylan Cease, Tyler Rogers and Cody Ponce after having Shane Bieber opt in on one more year. Funny to think they opened the 2025 season facing questions of whether they should just trade away Vladimir Guerrero Jr.—who at that time was an impending free agent and not the franchise cornerstone signed through 2039 that he is today.
American League Central
2 of 6
Chicago White Sox (Grade: A-)
Regular Season Win Total: +6.5; Postseason: N/A; Offseason: Shocking
How do you lose 102 games and get a considerably better than passing grade? By doing so fresh off a 121-loss season, becoming the American League's biggest overachiever aside from Toronto—and then punctuating it with the jaw-dropping signing of Munetaka Murakami. Granted, nothing has really changed yet. Chicago suffered 10 more losses than the next-worst AL team in 2025, and the expectation remains that this will be the worst team in 2026. But a sizable step was taken in the right direction, especially if Colson Montgomery's arrival was more than just a flash in the pan.
Cleveland Guardians (Grade: B)
Regular Season Win Total: +5.5; Postseason: Wild Card; Offseason: Typical
While the overall grade is merely a B, what Cleveland did this season—rallying from a 15.5‑game deficit in early July to author a 74‑game surge—was the stuff of legend and won't soon be forgotten. Of course, the first 88 games were wildly disappointing, and in the quest to prevent a similar start in 2026, they've thus far invested less than $8 million in a trio of relievers.
Detroit Tigers (Grade: B+)
Regular Season Win Total: +3.5; Postseason: ALDS; Offseason: Eventful
One week before the All-Star Game, Detroit had MLB's best record (59-34) by a margin of three games. The Tigers were on track for 101 wins at that point. They finished with 87, limping into the playoffs by the narrowest of margins before a painful 15-inning loss in the do-or-die Game 5 of the ALDS. All things considered, it was a better year than usual for Detroit, which proceeded to re-sign Gleyber Torres and Kyle Finnegan while adding Kenley Jansen and Drew Anderson. It's looking like they're going to hang onto Tarik Skubal and might be the AL Central favorite.
Kansas City Royals (Grade: C)
Regular Season Win Total: -1.5; Postseason: N/A; Offseason: Mediocre
Though the Royals had four All-Stars and an additional pair of big bats who each went for 30 home runs and 100 RBI, they were just kind of along for the ride—the team that often threatened to climb into the playoff picture but just never got over the hump on its way to 82 wins. But they battled injury throughout the starting rotation, and Jac Caglianone's rookie year was nowhere near the "break in case of emergency" option they were hoping for. Maybe they'll be back in the postseason mix next season, even though they've yet to do anything too significant this offseason.
Minnesota Twins (Grade: F)
Regular Season Win Total: -14.5; Postseason: N/A; Offseason: Uncommitted
By the slimmest of margins, Minnesota (84.5 win total) was the preseason favorite to win the AL Central over Kansas City (83.5), Detroit (83.5) and Cleveland (82.5). Instead, the Twins cratered their way to 92 losses, putting together an all-timer of a trade deadline fire sale in the process. And wake us up when they pick a lane this winter, thus far merely signing Josh Bell to a one-year, $7 million deal that gives us no indication whether they're trying to build a contender around their remaining nucleus.
American League West
3 of 6
Athletics (Grade: B-)
Regular Season Win Total: +4.5; Postseason: N/A; Offseason: Meh
After transitioning from the Oakland Coliseum to their temporary home at Sutter Health Park, the A's had a mostly respectable season. They started out 20-16 and went 34-24 down the stretch. Ignore the 68 games in between with a 22-46 record and it was an awesome campaign, fueled by AL ROY Nick Kurtz and a potent offense. Tough to take them seriously if they don't improve the pitching staff, though.
Houston Astros (Grade: D)
Regular Season Win Total: -0.5; Postseason: N/A; Offseason: Silent
Houston narrowly missed the postseason for the first time since 2016, but it didn't spark any urgency to shake things up this winter. Save for a couple of cost-cutting moves—non-tendering Ramón Urías and Chas McCormick; trading Mauricio Dubón for Nick Allen—and the acquisition of a pitcher (Mike Burrows) who may or may not crack the Opening Day rotation, it's been unusually quiet in Houston. Will the Astros actually make any upgrades?
Los Angeles Angels (Grade: C-)
Regular Season Win Total: +0.5; Postseason: N/A; Offseason: Transactional
The Angels have been busy this offseason, but not in a way that inspires confidence that their 10-year streak of losing seasons will be coming to an end. Rather, it has been much more of a "They do realize they've acquired the current versions of these players, right?" buy-low type of busy, adding the likes of Grayson Rodriguez, Alek Manoah and Vaughn Grissom, none of whom appeared in the majors in 2025. Maybe they'll capture lightning in a bottle with one of these lottery tickets, though.
Seattle Mariners (Grade: A)
Regular Season Win Total: +5.5; Postseason: ALCS; Offseason: Nayl-ed It
The Mariners won the AL West for the first time since 2001 and came ever so close to reaching the World Series for what would have been the first time in franchise history. Even though expectations were reasonably high heading into the season, they exceeded them, really hitting their stride once they got Josh Naylor from Arizona. Re-signing him early in the offseason was a huge win.
Texas Rangers (Grade: D+)
Regular Season Win Total: -4.5; Postseason: N/A; Offseason: Trimming
Despite Jacob deGrom turning back the clock for a healthy season with a sub-3.00 ERA and despite a +79 run differential that suggests they should have gone 90-72, the Rangers floundered their way to a .500 record. That's in large part because they spent last winter trying to budget their way to a bullpen and never did identify a reliable closer. But as three-time consecutive offenders of the luxury-tax threshold, they are again prioritizing budget to reset that clock, trading away Marcus Semien and non-tendering Jonah Heim and Adolis García. They need to add at least one more starting pitcher, but will they?
National League East
4 of 6
Atlanta Braves (Grade: F)
Regular Season Win Total: -17.5; Postseason: N/A; Offseason: Noteworthy
Big strides have been made by Atlanta this winter. The Braves have re-signed both Raisel Iglesias and Ha-Seong Kim while bringing in Robert Suarez, Mike Yastrzemski and Mauricio Dubón, which is easily a top five haul thus far. However, it's a haul made necessary by the fact that this was the most disappointing team in 2025, and it doesn't even begin to make up for that failing grade.
Miami Marlins (Grade: A)
Regular Season Win Total: +15.5; Postseason: N/A; Offseason: Slow
Though they missed the playoffs by a few games, the Marlins tied the Blue Jays for biggest overachiever compared to preseason expectations. Kyle Stowers broke out in a big way, both Edward Cabrera and Sandy Alcantara stayed mostly healthy and the midseason call-ups of both Heriberto Hernández and Jakob Marsee provided an enticing glimpse into what could lie ahead. The recent acquisition of Pete Fairbanks could be huge for a team that never did particularly establish a closer in 2025.
New York Mets (Grade: F)
Regular Season Win Total: -7.5; Postseason: N/A; Offseason: Befuddling
After what was such a promising start to the year, the Mets went 38-55 from June 13 onward. It was like watching a car slowly crash for a little over 100 days as they woefully pitched their way right out of the playoff picture. And rather than face the problem head on by fixing the starting rotation, they've effectively traded Pete Alonso, Edwin Díaz, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil and a bunch of middle relievers for Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, Marcus Semien and Jorge Polanco while refusing to do a single thing about the rotation.
Philadelphia Phillies (Grade: B+)
Regular Season Win Total: +4.5; Postseason: NLDS; Offseason: Schwarber
The Phillies won the NL East for the second consecutive year, and by a larger margin (13 games) than 2025's other five division winners combined (12 games). However, that says more about how disappointing the rest of the division was than it does about how wonderful the Phillies were before having their season end on a walk-off error. They did manage to re-sign Kyle Schwarber and have snagged both Brad Keller and Adolis García from elsewhere. If and when they get their catcher situation sorted out, they should be in business for a third straight divisional crown.
Washington Nationals (Grade: D-)
Regular Season Win Total: -6.5; Postseason: N/A; Offseason: Uneventful
Save for Daylen Lile having a surprisingly potent rookie season, very little went right for the Nationals in 2025, resulting in a new coach, a new general manager and a bunch of phone calls from teams who would love to help them really starting rebuilding by taking MacKenzie Gore and/or C.J. Abrams off their hands. So far, though, it's been a quiet offseason, outside of swapping Jose A. Ferrer for Harry Ford. We'll see if it stays that way.
National League Central
5 of 6
Chicago Cubs (Grade: B)
Regular Season Win Total: +6.5; Postseason: NLDS; Offseason: Qualifying
Though it ended in disappointment at the hands of a divisional rival, the Cubs had a solid season, making the playoffs for the first time since 2020. After losing more than a dozen players to free agency, though, their offseason has boiled down to Shota Imanaga accepting a $22.025 million qualifying offer and otherwise slowly rebuilding a gutted bullpen. They've yet to sign an ace, and time is running out to do so.
Cincinnati Reds (Grade: B+)
Regular Season Win Total: +4.5; Postseason: Wild Card; Offseason: Unexceptional
The Reds shocked everyone by sneaking into the playoffs, but immediately got pummeled by the Dodgers. They didn't lose a ton to free agency, but they've also done nothing yet about the fact that this offense had no business making the postseason in the first place. Making some effort to sign Kyle Schwarber was a fun gesture, but Cincinnati needs to actually accomplish more than just re-signing Emilio Pagán.
Milwaukee Brewers (Grade: A-)
Regular Season Win Total: +13.5; Postseason: NLCS; Offseason: Disappointing
For the regular season alone, Milwaukee gets an A-plus, posting the best record in baseball despite losing one of their most important players (Willy Adames) in free agency. However, the Brew Crew didn't even put up a fight in the NLCS against the Dodgers, and all they've "accomplished" thus far this offseason is giving Brandon Woodruff a ridiculous raise and arguably losing the Angel Zerpa for Isaac Collins and Nick Mears trade. October-December has put a bit of a damper on a franchise-best April-September.
Pittsburgh Pirates (Grade: C-)
Regular Season Win Total: -6.5; Postseason: N/A; Offseason: Atypical
In Pittsburgh's case, an atypical offseason is very much a good thing, signing both Ryan O'Hearn and Gregory Soto while trading for Brandon Lowe, Jake Mangum and Jhostynxon García. Whether it'll be enough to turn around what was the most hapless offense in the majors in 2025 is open to debate. But after all the external nonsense about possible Paul Skenes trade packages, at least they're trying to amount to something while he's on the team.
St. Louis Cardinals (Grade: D+)
Regular Season Win Total: +1.5; Postseason: N/A; Offseason: Purging
By a slim margin, the Cardinals were better than expected—but only because they played over their heads for the first three months. They went 31-46 from June 30 onward and have begun to dismantle, already trading away Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras with more sure to follow. They delayed the inevitable for two years and could be headed for a bit of a painful rebuild.
National League West
6 of 6
Arizona Diamondbacks (Grade: C-)
Regular Season Win Total: -6.5; Postseason: N/A; Offseason: Buy-Low
Despite losing Corbin Burnes after two months and not getting anything close to a vintage year out of Zac Gallen, the Snakes had a playoff pulse and a winning record until ending the season on a five-game losing streak. They were deadline sellers, but brought back one of those dealt assets, signing Merrill Kelly to a two-year deal. They also took a flyer on Mike Soroka. Let's see if they can re-up with Gallen, too. Decent chance to contend in 2026 if they do.
Colorado Rockies (Grade: F-)
Regular Season Win Total: -15.5; Postseason: N/A; Offseason: Nonexistent
Is there such a thing as an F-minus grade? For what the Rockies have become, you betcha. They were a dumpster fire with a negative-424 run differential in 2025, and they just might find a way to be even worse in 2026, having thus far done nothing this offseason to even try to improve.
Los Angeles Dodgers (Grade: A-)
Regular Season Win Total: -10.5; Postseason: Champs; Offseason: Trumpets
Can't justify going any lower than an A- for a team that won the World Series, but it certainly wasn't the dominant run through 2025 that we were expecting from the Dodgers. The overwhelming preseason favorite didn't even earn a first-round bye in the postseason and was one of five teams to fall at least 10 shy of its win total. Champs are champs, though, and they did make one of the bigger splashes of the offseason with their signing of Edwin Díaz. Three-peat loading?
San Diego Padres (Grade: B-)
Regular Season Win Total: +4.5; Postseason: Wild Card; Offseason: Quicksand
The Dads marginally exceeded expectations during the regular season and they did manage to re-sign Michael King to what could wind up being just a one-year deal. But they lost Dylan Cease and plenty more, including Yu Darvish undergoing surgery that will cost him all of next season—similar to losing Joe Musgrove in October of last year. With the budget constraints stemming from all the long-term money already committed to various players, they'll need to get creative this offseason in order to be in good shape for 2026 and beyond.
San Francisco Giants (Grade: C-)
Regular Season Win Total: +0.5; Postseason: N/A; Offseason: Quiet
Ho hum. For the fourth consecutive year, the Giants won either 79, 80 or 81 games—this despite the massive re-signing of Matt Chapman, signing of Willy Adames and acquisition of Rafael Devers. And their "big" move thus far this winter was signing Adrian Houser, who had a 4.81 ERA over his final 12 appearances after an out-of-nowhere run of dominance for seven weeks with the White Sox. This rotation still needs a good amount of work.
