These 7 teams will be much better in 2025

Past results don’t guarantee future outcomes.

That’s certainly true in Major League Baseball, where fortunes can swing wildly -- in either direction -- from season to season. Don’t believe us? Consider this: Nine teams improved by at least 10 wins from 2022 to ‘23, then seven teams pulled off the same feat from 2023 to ‘24.

That group of seven included five teams -- the Guardians, Mets, Padres, Royals and American League-champion Yankees -- that joined the postseason field after not making it the previous year. It also included two other teams -- the A's and Cardinals -- that achieved such gains on the heels of a last-place finish.

Those seven clubs were coming from as few as 50 wins in 2023 (A’s) and as many as 82 (Padres and Yankees). The Royals, following an aggressive offseason, saw their record surge by an astonishing 30 wins (from 56-106 to 86-76), while each of the others picked up anywhere between 11-19 victories.

It’s a near-certainty that a handful of teams will make a similar leap in 2025. The question is: Which ones?

We asked seven MLB.com writers to each pick out a club they see as a strong candidate to improve its 2024 record by at least 10 wins. (The lower the ‘24 win total, the greater the opportunity for improvement, so we set aside the record-setting 121-loss White Sox for the purposes of this exercise.)

Here are the results:

Rangers
2024 record: 78-84

Why they’ll be better: A World Series hangover? Injuries? Underperformance? A combination? However you frame it, the Rangers weren’t happy with their showing in 2024, one year after winning the first World Series championship in franchise history. But between returning players who missed a large chunk of last season due to injury and new acquisitions, the 2025 campaign offers hope for a return to the postseason.

Two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom, who made three starts last September following a long recovery from his second Tommy John surgery, could provide a huge lift to a starting staff that posted a 21st-ranked 4.35 ERA in 2024. His sparkling track record -- and his 1.69 ERA with 14 strikeouts to one walk over his three starts last year -- suggest that he is poised for a return to dominance.

On the position-player side, superstar shortstop Corey Seager is looking to play a full season for the first time since 2022, as hamstring, thumb, wrist and hip injuries have hampered him the past couple of years. Given his production when he was in the lineup over that span -- he slashed .303/.371/.567 and averaged 32 homers -- he could put up eye-popping numbers if healthy in ’25. Other returning players looking for healthy seasons this year include 2023 All-Star third baseman Josh Jung and ’23 postseason hero Evan Carter.

Add in the acquisitions of Joc Pederson (.908 OPS, 23 homers last season) and Jake Burger (63 home runs from 2023-24) to bolster the lineup even further, as well as Wyatt Langford coming off a strong rookie performance, and you’ve got a recipe for a bounceback in Arlington.

Biggest obstacle: The biggest potential obstacle for the Rangers appears to be their bullpen. Last year, Texas’ relief corps ranked 26th in the Majors with a 4.41 ERA, and while the club has brought in several new relievers so far this offseason, it still needs a closer. There’s still time to acquire a stopper for the back end of the ’pen (arms such as Carlos Estévez, Kyle Finnegan and Kenley Jansen are still on the market), but that’s an area that needs shoring up heading into the new season. -- Manny Randhawa

Athletics
2024 record: 69-93

Why they’ll be better: The A’s produced a .368 winning percentage over the past three seasons, the lowest in MLB. But it was pretty clear during the second half of last season that they had turned a corner. The A’s went 39-37 over the final three months of the year, and that closing stretch coincided with Brent Rooker and Lawrence Butler becoming one of the top offensive duos in the league. They compiled a .313/.369/.606 slash line over 563 at-bats after July 1. Rooker’s 185 wRC+ during that span ranked fifth in the Majors. Butler’s 167 wRC+ ranked eighth.

But this lineup is more than just a two-man show. Shea Langeliers finished second among catchers with 29 homers in 2024. Outfielder JJ Bleday had a bit of a breakout season as he went deep 20 times and recorded a 120 wRC+ over 572 at-bats. And although second baseman Zack Gelof really scuffled throughout his sophomore season -- highlighted by an MLB-worst 34.4% strikeout rate -- the 25-year-old has the dual-threat ability to put together a 25-25 season.

The A’s have also worked on remaking a starting rotation that ranked 26th last season in ERA, signing Luis Severino to the most lucrative contract in franchise history and trading for left-hander Jeffrey Springs, who posted a 2.43 ERA across 28 starts from 2022-23 with the Rays before undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2023. After making a 19-win improvement last year, the A's have the pieces to take another leap forward in '25.

Biggest obstacle: There’s no guarantee that those pitching additions actually work out. Severino is coming off a fantastic season with the Mets, but he threw only 209 1/3 regular-season innings from 2019-23 due to various injuries. The 32-year-old Springs has reached 50 innings only once in his seven-year career. Even with them in the fold, the A’s are still projected to have the lowest starting pitcher fWAR this season. The team’s new home, Sutter Health Park, likely won’t be as pitcher-friendly as the Coliseum, which could lead to a lot of high-scoring games. -- Brian Murphy

Angels
2024 record: 63-99

Why they’ll be better: Let’s keep the AL West theme rolling! For the Angels, just getting a healthy season out of Mike Trout could be enough to get them close to a 10-win improvement. Even with another limited season from Trout, though, the Halos have reasons to be optimistic.

The addition of Yusei Kikuchi atop the rotation should provide a much-needed boost to the pitching staff, while a step forward from youngsters Jo Adell, Nolan Schanuel, Zach Neto and Logan O'Hoppe could go a long way toward the Angels returning to contention. Who doesn’t want to see all the stars align just to get Trout back to the postseason for the first time in more than a decade?

Biggest obstacle: Getting a full season from Trout is obviously a big ask after he was limited to just 29 games last season and 82 games in 2023. He's played just 266 games over the past four seasons -- an average of 67 per year. That said, he's still put up Trout-like numbers when healthy, posting a .951 OPS and averaging 46 homers per 162 games during that stretch. Aside from Trout, the Halos’ pitching staff could still use some more depth even with the addition of Kikuchi and their lineup has plenty of question marks between the youth of the aforementioned players and the health of guys such as Trout and Anthony Rendon. -- Paul Casella

Cubs
2024 record: 83-79

Why they’ll be better: Although the Cubs have finished with 83 wins in each of the past two years, their expected win total (based on run differential) was significantly higher in both seasons -- 90 in 2023 and 88 in '24. That discrepancy suggests this group could be poised for improvement if more things break in its favor this year. Moreover, the Cubs have been the most active team in the National League Central this offseason by a significant margin, even while avoiding lavish spending in free agency to this point.

Chicago’s trade with the Astros in December for Kyle Tucker, one of the top outfielders in the game, could end up being especially impactful. While the Cubs followed that move by dealing away first baseman/outfielder Cody Bellinger to create more payroll flexibility, Tucker’s presence should help a lineup that tied for 20th in homers (170) and 17th in slugging percentage (.393) last season, limiting its scoring potential. Chicago’s rotation could take a step forward as well, with free-agent addition Matthew Boyd set to replace Kyle Hendricks. While the Cubs’ other starters were largely solid last season, Hendricks struggled to the tune of a 5.92 ERA over 130 2/3 innings.

Biggest obstacle: The Cubs’ late-inning relief crew was an issue in 2024, as evidenced by the club’s 12 losses in games it was leading after the seventh inning, tied for the second most in MLB. The additions of Eli Morgan and Caleb Thielbar notwithstanding, Chicago hasn’t done nearly enough to address that problem this offseason. (Editor's note: After this story was published, news came out on Sunday that Chicago was finalizing a deal to acquire Ryan Pressly from the Astros.) -- Thomas Harrigan

Dodgers
2024 record: 98-64

Why they’ll be better: Yes, the Dodgers won 98 games last year. And yes, they won the World Series. But they also dealt with significant pitching injuries and could have been even better.

This year, they’ve added Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki to the rotation, plus Shohei Ohtani will eventually pitch for the Dodgers for the first time. With a healthy Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tony Gonsolin in tow, too, this could be quite a staff. Los Angeles' pitching staff is projected for 22.1 WAR per FanGraphs, most in MLB.

With Sasaki, Snell and Glasnow, the Dodgers have three pitchers projected for at least a 30% strikeout rate or higher. No team in MLB history has had three such pitchers in a season (minimum 75 innings pitched).

Biggest obstacle: Health. Always. This team is formidable on paper, but we never know what may happen when a club’s depth is tested. -- Sarah Langs

Red Sox
2024 record: 81-81

Why they’ll be better: If you’re looking for upside, the Red Sox have it in bunches. They traded for a potential ace in Garrett Crochet, who will lead a rotation that has four members still in their 20s. They signed Walker Buehler, who last postseason showed flashes of the Cy Young Award contender he was before Tommy John surgery. They have other accomplished players returning from injury in starter Lucas Giolito, closer Liam Hendriks and shortstop Trevor Story.

Meanwhile, Boston’s young lineup could welcome some high-octane reinforcements from the organization’s highly touted farm system, most notably Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer, all of whom reached Triple-A in 2024. It’s also possible that the Sox aren’t done adding, and if they add Nolan Arenado or Alex Bregman, that would only bolster their case further.

Biggest obstacle: That upside all comes with question marks. Can Crochet stay healthy as he further ramps up his innings workload? Can the team’s veterans returning from injury recapture their past form? Will their exciting prospects hit the ground running? There are reasons to doubt all of those things. Combine that with four AL East foes who each could be a playoff contender, and it could be a recipe for a fourth straight Red Sox season spent hovering around the .500 mark. -- Andrew Simon

Pirates
2024 record: 76-86

Why they’ll be better: A full season of Paul Skenes and Jared Jones. The Pirates have one of the most talented 1-2 punches of any starting rotation. The upside is incredible. Skenes and Jones could mow down hitters in the NL Central all year, and that will be the foundation of Pittsburgh's success in 2025. Then, the Pirates just need Oneil Cruz to make the leap. Cruz has all the tools to be this year's version of Elly De La Cruz. If Cruz can put together a healthy season and reach his ceiling, he could be the breakout power-speed star of 2025. The NL Central looks wide open, and the Pirates have the kind of young rising stars who could seize it.

Biggest obstacle: The depth might not be there. Skenes will have to pull a lot of weight for the pitching staff, and Cruz will have to do the same for the offense. Take the reigning division champion Brewers, by contrast. They have young stars too, led by Jackson Chourio, but they also have veteran stars such as Christian Yelich and Rhys Hoskins, and a lot of valuable contributors up and down the lineup. Plus, they have the proven playoff track record that this Pirates team doesn't. Or look at the Cubs, who brought in a star bat in Kyle Tucker to anchor a lineup that already had plenty of established players, and have a solid rotation, too. There's a world in which the Pirates tap into their potential and take the division by storm; there's also a world in which they don't and are also-rans again. -- David Adler