In an exercise of throwing stuff against the wall and seeing what sticks, I’ve got 11 bold predictions for the 2025 season, all to varying degrees of boldness. To satiate those who seek outlandish long shots, I’ll group the picks into three categories. The first group will include picks I genuinely believe are likely to come true, the second ones may just come to fruition, and the third will be the most outlandish, seemingly ridiculous predictions that may just appear prescient at the seasons end.

I’m banking on it

1. The Braves sluggers will be back for real

Atlanta’s offensive season in 2024 should be more characterized by bad luck than poor performance, but the lackluster outputs of Matt Olson and Austin Riley will continue no longer. Olson will hit 40 home runs for the second time in his career and finish as a top three fantasy first baseman, and Austin Riley will register an OPS close to .900, starting the All-Star game at third base and collecting MVP votes as the best 3B in the NL.

2. Devin Williams will be the best closer in baseball

Closing in New York challenges mental fortitude as much as anything, and Devin Williams has the mentality and the stuff to dominate in his contract year. He’ll offer RP 1 value in a career year, registering career highs in saves and strikeouts with the help of Matt Blake and co. Having his beard back can’t hurt either.

3. Aaron Nola’s bubble will finally burst, and Cristopher Sanchez will take his place

Nola has probably been the most consistent pitcher in baseball since 2018, making at least 32 starts in every season bar 2020. An excellent 115 ERA+ in that span mirrored his numbers from last year, but his early drop in velocity will continue, resulting in his worst season since 2021. Sanchez will take his improved stuff to the top of the Phillies rotation, providing top 30 SP value and true #2 production behind Zack Wheeler, and in lieu of Nola.

4. Matt McLain will be a top 2 fantasy second baseman

McLain missed all of last year through injury after an impressive rookie season in ‘23, and he’ll build off of that season, making the All-Star team in his first full season in the big leagues. He’ll easily go 20/20, and that power speed combination will firmly place him in the bracket of the game’s elite second basemen.

Putting my neck on the line…

5. Jacob deGrom will win the AL CY Young

It’s always been a matter of health for the best pitcher of his generation, but deGrom will finally stay on the field for the greater part of the season, finishing as a top five fantasy starter and the best in the American League, over electric young lefties Garret Crochet and Tarik Skubal.

6. Roki Sasaki will struggle out of the gate

Sasaki enters his first season in the states as the heavy favorite to win rookie of the year, but struggles with command and fastball shape will prevent him from tapping into that potential in 2025. His splitter will devastate as one of the best pitches in baseball, but expect an inflated ERA with a lot of walks and a lot of strikeouts, and a lot of hard hit baseballs. He won’t be a top 100 player, as he’s currently being drafted as.

7. Fernando Tatis Jr. will be the NL MVP

An .832 OPS with 21 homers and 11 steals is a disappointing year for Tatis Jr.’s standards, but some terrific peripherals under the hood suggest it was more bad luck than bad performance. He’ll post a monstrous all around season, returning his defense to 2023 form, doubling his steals and hitting 30+ home runs with ease en route to his first MVP award.

8. Brent Rooker and Lawrence Butler will both finish as top 50 players

Both Rooker and Butler enjoyed fantastic seasons in Oakland last year, hitting 61 home runs between both of them, and 2025 in Sacramento will provide the hitter friendly environment for the pair to flourish as one of the best offensive duos in baseball. A’s fans can rest easy with both
extended long-term; or however easy A’s fans can rest nowadays after all the turmoil they’ve been through.

Sounds crazy, but it might just happen

9. The Dodgers will win 117 games this season

This may just be the best team ever assembled since the rise of modern analytics, and the Dodgers won the World Series last year with a starting pitching staff decimated by injury and a totally unproductive bottom half of the lineup for most of the season. With an avengers-like bullpen and an endless abundance of pitching depth, the Dodgers will do the impossible and break the Mariners record.

10. The Athletics will make the playoffs

This one might be more crazy than bold, but hear me out. The Athletics were .500 after the break last season, utilizing a combination of their big two bats, underrated starting pitching and Mason Miller to win some games. Since then, they’ve added Luis Severino, Jeffery Springs and some position player depth, and they’ve got the makings of a solid young position player core in Rooker, Butler, Jacob Wilson, Tyler Soderstrom and Shea Langeliers. It was between them and the Nationals for the out of nowhere playoff team, and I’ll believe in the A’s in a weaker division+league to go with superior starting pitching.

11. The New York Mets will have a top five pitching staff in baseball

On paper, the Mets are super offensive heavy team, boasting one of the best lineups in baseball while fielding a starting rotation with one bonafide MLB starter in Kodai Senga. Griffin Canning was debatably the worst starter in the AL last year, Clay Holmes lost his closers job, and neither
Tylor Megill nor David Peterson sustained excellence in the big leagues for more than a few months. Even with most projections having the staff as middle of the road at best, thanks to what should be an excellent bullpen, most models are underestimating the effect of the Mets pitching lab and analytics department on this rotation of misfits, who will prove David Stearns right yet again en route to a second straight playoff berth.