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A rundown of my 2025 MLB predictions for playoff teams and award winners.

American League

AL East: Yankees. The Yankees will be a contender again and Aaron Judge will be an MVP candidate. They’ll win at least 87 games but likely won’t go far in the playoffs because the injuries will deplete the team’s depth. There’s no way you replace Gerrit Cole and there’s no way around it.

AL Central: Twins. The Twins will bounce back after a rough 2024 campaign and the Guardians will take a step back. Carlos Correa will stay healthy and come back to form and will slam at least 20 homers and drive in 70 runs. The first three starters of Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, and Bailey Ober are an underrated rotation that will impress in 2025.

AL West: Rangers. Last year was a World Series hangover for Texas. The rotation looks sharp. Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney are very reliable. This is a big if but if Jacob deGrom stays healthy, he can be a starter to be relied on. deGrom will never be the Cy Young caliber pitcher ever again but he can be a contributer barring any injuries.

Wild Cards:

Tigers. The Tigers aren’t that good but will sneak in the playoffs at the end like last year. Plus, they have the best pitcher in the AL.

Royals. Bobby Witt Jr. will be an MVP candidate, sky’s the limit for him. They will chase the Twins but will fall short and will earn the AL Wild Card.

Astros. The Astros haven’t displayed the championship caliber dominance in two years and have taken mighty steps back but still are good enough to make the postseason.

National League

NL East: Phillies. The Phillies are the second best team in baseball. They will win at least 95 but still have a lot to prove after an early postseason exit last year. The power and RBI machines in Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Alec Bohm, Nick Castellanos, and Kyle Schwarber will pulverize pitchers all year and Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Christopher Sanchez will all be in the top 10 in Cy Young voting.

NL Central: Brewers. The Brewers are the best team in the NL Central hands down. The only team that will give them a run for their money is the Cubs. Pat Murphy is a great manager, William Contreras and Rhys Hoskins will have identical numbers in 2025, Jackson Chourio will hit 30 homers and drive in 100 runs. If Christian Yelich stays healthy he can be 2018-2019 Christian Yelich and finish what he started last season, and Caleb Durbin is my X-factor for 2025. Durbin is a terrific fielder who will come of age in 2025.

NL West: Dodgers. The Dodgers are the dream team and have spent their whole life savings the past two years. Plus, they’re defending WS champs with major upgrades. Enough said.

Wildcards:

Braves. Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuna Jr. need to be healthy and when fully ready will return to their elite form. If healthy my prediction is Strider will finish second in Cy Young voting. The Braves will win over 90 games but the Phils will beat them for the NL East crown by two games.

Mets. Sean Manea (when he returns) will kick it into high gear by June like he did a year ago and the “never say die” attitude will be repeated. They have the hearts to be world champions but their rotation is below average though they have a star-studded lineup where the first five hitters are scary and tough to get out.

Diamondbacks. The D’Backs will win at least 90 games but will finish at least nine games behind the Dodgers. Christian Walker was great but they got an upgrade in Josh Naylor. Ketel Marte, Corbin Carroll, and Eugenio Suarez will all have terrific seasons again and Arizona picked up a dynamite starter from Baltimore in the offseason.

Cy Young award winners. Paul Skenes, Garrett Crochet

MVP’s: Gunnar Hendersen, Shohei Ohtani

Rookie of the Year winners: Jasson Dominguez, Dylan Crews

World Series 2025 prediction: Dodgers over Rangers in six

One reason I’m excited for the 2025 season: There are many young teams loaded with young bucks that are rising stars such as the Mets, Tigers, Royals, and Orioles. They have enormous hearts and I believe whether you like or dislike those teams, baseball fans will fall in love with those team’s demeanors.