Way too early 2025 MLB standings predictions

By Aidan Sinclair

With two weeks to go until opening day, rosters are shaping up as teams prepare for the gruelling 162-game schedule that the MLB season poses. While it's impossible to accurately predict the end of year standings in March, here are my projected standings based on the developments on the 2025 off-season.

American League

AL East

Yankees (93-69)

Blue Jays (89-73)

Orioles (86-76)

Red Sox (84-78)

Rays (80-82)

One of the toughest divisions in the game, the AL East is full of teams that could have a winning record by the end of the season.

In 2024, the Yankees dominated for the majority of summer, winning the division and making it all the way to the World Series. With the transactions they made to replace the value lost in Juan Soto—including Max Fried and Cody Bellinger—they will remain atop this competitive group and reclaim their division title.

The Blue Jays will be the surprise group this year, as their off-season additions of Max Scherzer, Anthony Santander and Jeff Hoffman, paired with the final years of Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. could bring extra motivation to make one last playoff run before the two stars hit free agency. While the Orioles have a fun young core, they made few improvements this winter, signaling a step down in a division where others went up. At the bottom, the Red Sox are on the rise, but are still a year or two away from seriously competing and the Rays simply lack the firepower needed to avoid being in last place.

AL Central

Tigers (90-72)

Royals (88-74)

Guardians (86-76)

Twins (80-82)

White Sox (45-117)

Always seen as the weakest division in the American League, the Central is in the midst of a renaissance—with three teams making the playoffs in 2024, there could well be plenty of winning going on in the division. These three will repeat, as the Tigers will make the most of their additions of Jack Flaherty, Gleyber Torres and Alex Cobb and win the division. While the Royals didn’t make any significant moves, a full season of Vinnie Pasquantino to go alongside Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez should propel them to a second-place finish.

In the third spot, the Guardians always seem to find a way to compete and should once again this year, though their decisions to trade one of their best hitters in Josh Naylor and best defender in Andres Gimenez mean some regression is expected. The Twins have a solid core that with a few additions could have made them a serious competitor in the division, but their lack of moves in free agency until the final weeks, adding players with minimal impact, keeps them a step behind and thus a step under .500. Lastly, there’s the White Sox…they might not repeat last year’s historically bad 41-win season but that’s not saying much.

AL West

Rangers (89-73)

Astros (86-76)

Mariners (84-78)

Athletics (77-85)

Angels (69-93)

A division that has been run primarily by Houston over the past eight seasons will go to a new winner, one that claimed the World Series title in 2023. The Astros have lost many key pieces in the past few seasons, with Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker being the most notable subtractions this winter. While they could still be competitive, this paves the way for the Rangers to reclaim the division.

After the Texas teams comes the Mariners, who yet again have one of the best starting rotations in the game, yet their offence seems to let them down year after year, a trend that will continue into 2025. While not in Oakland anymore, the Athletics have shown signs of improvement over the past few seasons. Over the winter, they made significant moves, with the headline being their largest free agent signing in franchise history, Luis Severino on a three year, $67 million contract. At the bottom of the division, the only hope for the Angels is to see Mike Trout play a full season and return to MVP form. Otherwise, the team still lacks playoff-calibre players.

National League

NL East

Mets (96-66)

Phillies (91-71)

Braves (88-74)

Nationals (77-85)

Marlins (55-107)

10 years after making the World Series, the Mets will catapult themselves to the top of the division after signing Juan Soto to the largest contract in sports history. The combination of Lindor, Soto and Alonso should provide the offence necessary to beat out their rivals. The Braves and Phillies will battle throughout the year, but the unknowns associated with Ronald Acuna Jr. and Spencer Strider returning from injury will hinder the Braves, paving the path for the Phillies to finish second.

The Nationals are another team on the rise with a solid young core, with up and coming stars such as James Wood, Dylan Crews, CJ Abrams and Mackenzie Gore leading a team that is getting closer to returning to the playoffs. They’re still a few years away, but are forming a group that could be dangerous before we know it. Finally, to no surprise, the Marlins will once again find themselves in last place at the end of the season, with a bright spot being 2022 NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara returning to the mound after recovering from Tommy John Surgery.

NL Central

Cubs (87-75)

Brewers (85-77)

Pirates (81-81)

Reds (80-82)

Cardinals (69-93)

Yet another Central division that is relatively open, the NL Central could see multiple teams competing for the title by the end of September. However, the Cubs should be considered the favourites as the additions of Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly along with trading away Cody Bellinger’s hefty contract should propel them to their first division win since 2020. The Brewers are another team that always seem to find a way to win, however their subtractions of Willy Adames and Devin Williams will bring them backwards to a second-place finish after winning the division last season.

The Pirates and Reds will remain close all season, with the rotation of Skenes, Jones and Keller being the difference maker in the Pirates just edging out Elly De La Cruz and the Reds. Lastly, the Cardinals have been on a miserable decline, with Paul Goldschmidt heading out of town and making minimal transactions this past winter.

NL West

Dodgers (112-50)

Diamondbacks (93-69)

Padres (90-72)

Giants (84-78)

Rockies (55-107)

After winning the world series in 2024, the Dodgers managed to make their team even better for the upcoming summer. They have serious potential to break the all-time win record, though they will have to avoid the injury bug that has plagued their starting rotation for years.

After that, though, there is still a lot of talent in the division. The Diamondbacks should be able to finish just ahead of the Padres with new ace Corbin Burnes leading the way to another playoff berth, while the Padres will take a step back after losing all-star closer Tanner Scott and formidable bats in Jurickson Profar and Ha-Seong Kim. The Giants remain the fourth best team in the division and it appears as though it’ll be a while before they can compete with the top three, but they could still finish over .500. The Rockies will remain in last place for the fourth consecutive season, well behind the pack.