MLB Power Rankings: Preseason
Opening Day 2025 is here! Soon, MLB ballparks around the country will be filled with hopeful fans ready to embark on their favorite team’s season. The buzz of excitement, the smells of hot dogs, popcorn, and cold beer, the sights of green grass, white lines, and perfectly cut diamonds, the sounds of organ music, cheering and clapping, and the crack of the bat, the national anthem, the fly over, and the first pitch. It’s a day unlike any other. Welcome back baseball fans, let’s play ball! Here are my preseason power rankings:
12. Seattle Mariners
New season, same Mariners. They have one of the best starting pitching rotations in the league with Luis Castillo, George Kirby, and Logan Gilbert. They will remain competitive if those three stay healthy. The big question is the offense. The team did literally nothing in the offseason to address this glaring need. Julio Rodriguez will need a bounce back season after a sophomore slump.
11. Kansas City Royals
The Royals made it all the way to the ALDS last season, which was a huge improvement after losing over 100 games the previous year. Bobby Witt Jr is poised to be the AL MVP and leads an exciting group of young players. The pitching should continue to be one of the best in the division.
10. Texas Rangers
The Rangers missed out on the postseason a year after winning the World Series. A large part of that was due to a slew of injuries. They enter 2025 much healthier, especially with the return of Jacob deGrom to the rotation. They also added Joc Pederson and Jake Burger to their lineup. This is one of the more complete teams in the AL West.
9. San Diego Padres
San Diego seems to have lost a bit of its spark after losing to the Dodgers in the NLDS in 2024. They didn’t have a great offseason and lost some key pieces. However, this is still a team with a ton of talent both in the batter's box and on the mound.
8. Boston Red Sox
Boston finally made some moves to improve its roster and they are in position to be a postseason contender after adding Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler, and Alex Bregman. This team has a good mix of young and veteran talent that should increase their win total in 2025. The AL East is a tough division, but the Red Sox have put themselves in the conversation to win it.
7. Arizona Diamondbacks
After reaching the World Series in 2023, the DBacks failed to reach the postseason in 2024. They responded by acquiring one of the best free agent pitchers on the market in Corbin Burnes. Add him to a rotation with Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, and Euardo Rodriguez and you have a contending staff. The offense will once again be loaded with Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte leading the way.
6. New York Mets
The good news, the Mets signed the biggest free agent in Juan Soto to bolster the lineup and make them one of the best in the league. The bad news, they play in the best division in baseball, the NL East. The pitching staff just doesn’t measure up to the Phillies and Braves right now.
5. Baltimore Orioles
This team has made the postseason the last two years, however they have failed to win a single game in October. They also lost Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander in free agency. However, this is still a team full of potential. If the pitching can get healthy and produce, they’ll be one of the best teams in the American League once again.
4. New York Yankees
Yes, they lost Juan Soto to the Mets. Yes, they lost Gerrit Cole for the season with an injury. Those are two huge blows to the defending American League champs. But they went out and improved the roster adding Max Fried to the rotation, Devin Williams to the bullpen, and Cody Bellinger to the lineup. They’ll need those moves to work out to reach the World Series again.
3. Atlanta Braves
After one of the worst injury-riddled seasons I can remember, the Braves look in shape to bounce back in 2025. Ronald Acuna Jr will be back to lead one of the best offenses in the league. Spencer Strider should return early this season and IF they stay healthy, Atlanta will once again be a National League elite.
2. Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies season came to a disappointing early exit in the NLDS to their division rival, Mets. However, this is still a loaded team that won 95 games in 2024. Bryce Harper and Trea Turner lead the lineup and the monster rotation with Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola look to dominate the league once again.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
As if winning the 2024 World Series wasn’t enough, the Dodgers continued to add to their roster by signing 2-time Cy Young, Blake Snell and yet another Japanese pitching phenom, Roki Sasaki. Shohei Ohtani won the NL MVP last year just hitting, this season he is on track to return to the mound. The Dodgers have put themselves in a great position to repeat as champions in 2025.