Each division's top major award candidates for 2025

The Dodgers and Cubs will open the 2025 season with the two-game?Tokyo Series?on March 18-19. We¡¯ll be counting down to that date with our annual preview series, with each story looking ahead to the coming season by breaking down a particular topic, division by division.

Previously: The best new acquisition in each division
Today:?The most likely award winners in each division

Every player wants to build a legacy. The best way to do this is win a World Series: You¡¯ll be welcomed back with love to your city the rest of your life if you win one of those. But the other route to immortality is to win an award. Every baseball you sign from then on can have a little ¡°MVP¡± or ¡°RoY¡± next to it, forever. Your place in baseball history is secured.

Thus, today, as part of our ongoing season preview series, we look at the best award candidates from every division. These are the players most likely to etch their names in the baseball annals for decades to come. We¡¯re sticking here to the four major Baseball Writers¡¯ Association of America (BBWAA) Awards: MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year.

And one rule to keep in mind before we begin: No more than one candidate per team.

Jump to: AL East | NL East | AL West | NL West | AL Central | NL Central

AL EAST

MVP: Gunnar Henderson, SS, Orioles
Henderson was outstanding in 2023, but he made a meteoric leap forward in 2024, establishing himself as the best young player on a team that¡¯s stacked with them. If he takes another leap like that in 2025, he¡¯ll finish higher than the fourth place he did in AL MVP voting last year. If Aaron Judge can¡¯t stay healthy all year -- and he¡¯s getting older, you know, though I guess we all are -- Henderson could even be primed to win it.

Cy Young: Garrett Crochet, LHP, Red Sox
The Red Sox get to reap the benefit of Crochet and the White Sox pumping the brakes on his innings last year. He threw 146 in 2024 after converting from the bullpen and should have any possible limits lifted in 2025. That¡¯s exactly what the Red Sox -- a team that enjoyed an excellent offseason -- need. Could Crochet do what fellow lefty Chris Sale never could and win a Cy Young after a trade from Chicago to Boston?

Rookie of the Year: Jasson Domínguez, OF, Yankees
Yankees fans have been calling for The Martian for years, and now he¡¯s here. He will have every opportunity to succeed for this team, which needs him even more than it did last year. Can he become this team¡¯s trusted leadoff man, getting on base in front of Judge? If he can hang in the lineup for the Yankees all year, this could be his award to lose.

Manager of the Year: John Schneider, Blue Jays
It¡¯s boom or bust for Schneider and his team. If the Blue Jays get off to a slow start, there could be a massive selloff, and Schneider, now into his fourth year, could be tossed aside as well. But if this team climbs from last place into the playoffs -- and that¡¯s 100 percent the plan here -- he could be well-positioned for this award. Voters love it when a last-place team makes a charge.

NL EAST

MVP: Juan Soto, RF, Mets
No reason to get fancy with this pick. Soto hasn¡¯t won one yet, despite four top-six finishes. Every eye is on him from Day 1 with the Mets. If he puts up the year he did in 2024 -- and he may just put up a better one -- it¡¯ll be difficult not to vote for him.

Cy Young: Zack Wheeler, RHP, Phillies
Speaking of people who have never won the big award, Wheeler has come close to a Cy Young -- he has finished second twice, including last year -- but has never quite broken through. This might be the 34-year-old¡¯s last, best chance to earn the honor before the Paul Skenes Era fully begins.

Rookie of the Year: Dylan Crews, RF, Nationals
Crews experienced some growing pains in a 31-game debut last year, but that¡¯s what the cup of coffee the year before your official rookie season is all about: getting your feet wet. Crews looks to be locked and loaded in the Nats¡¯ 2025 lineup and is primed to push this team back toward contention.

Manager of the Year: Brian Snitker, Braves
Snitker has finished in the top four in Manager of the Year voting six different times, winning once (2018). However, you could make an argument that his best performance actually came last year, when he navigated the Braves back to the playoffs despite massive injury issues (he finished sixth). The Braves won 101 games or more in both 2022 and 2023. If they do it again, that will be a 12-or-more game improvement on last year. With all the Mets and Phillies hype, the Braves almost feel like they¡¯re sneaking up on people.

AL WEST

MVP: Julio Rodr¨ªguez, CF, Mariners
The Mariners broke out in Julio¡¯s 2022 AL Rookie of the Year season, ending a 20-season playoff drought. It made you feel like this was just the start for the Mariners, and for him. They haven¡¯t been back to the postseason since, however, and Julio, while still being a terrific player, hasn¡¯t actually put together a season as good as that first one. But he¡¯s still only 24 years old (how is that possible?) and we have seen what happens when he gets on a hot streak: He looks like the best player in baseball. One of these years, that hot streak is going to last all season. If that happens, he won¡¯t just push the Mariners back to the postseason; he¡¯ll win himself an MVP.

Cy Young: Jacob deGrom, RHP, Rangers
He¡¯s healthy, and you know what happens when Jacob deGrom is healthy: He destroys anything and everything in his path. The Astros¡¯ Framber Valdez is another option there -- and we do feel bad not getting any Astros into this list -- but we¡¯ve seen what deGrom is capable of when he¡¯s deGrom. This could quietly be the story of the season for the Rangers, and maybe for this whole division.

Rookie of the Year: Jacob Wilson, SS, Athletics
MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 31 overall prospect got into 28 MLB games last year, and while he didn¡¯t exactly set the world on fire (.250/.314/.315), he held his own despite some nagging injuries (including one sustained in his first game). He looks bigger and stronger at camp, and the A¡¯s seem more than ready to hand over shortstop to him. This could sneakily be one of the more fun teams in baseball this year, and Wilson is one of the reasons why.

Manager of the Year: Ron Washington, Angels
OK, hear me out. Currently, FanGraphs gives the Angels a 9.4% chance to make the playoffs. That¡¯s low, obviously; there are only four teams in baseball lower. But the Angels have been aggressive this offseason, and Mike Trout does look healthy, and this division isn¡¯t that imposing, all told. FanGraphs also projects the Angels for 75 wins, which would be six more than they had last year, and that¡¯s baking in a lot of skepticism for Trout. Could the Angels push towards .500 this year? They could, right? If so, Washington -- who remains beloved throughout baseball -- will be ripe for credit. And if the Halos can hang in the playoff race all season ¡­ well, he may well look like a genius. This is a tough job, but if you find a way to win, there are spoils to be won.

NL WEST

MVP: Fernando Tatis Jr., RF, Padres
Tatis would have been an MVP candidate had he been healthy last year, his second since returning from a PED suspension. He is still on the early side of his prime, heading into his age-26 season, and it¡¯s clear he¡¯s rounding into the player we all thought he would become. He may be ready to be that star again. This could very much be his time.

Cy Young: Corbin Burnes, RHP, D-backs
The Diamondbacks were a surprising destination for this offseason¡¯s top free agent pitcher, but Burnes is a perfect fit here atop a rotation that is as deep as any in baseball. Even in a supposedly ¡°down¡± year in 2024, he still finished fifth in the AL Cy Young voting. If he¡¯s looking for a potential Hall case down the line, a second Cy would do wonders.

Rookie of the Year: Roki Sasaki, RHP, Dodgers
Unlike a lot of other Japanese players coming over to the United States for the first time, Sasaki is actually a reasonable age for a Rookie of the Year candidate (23), which might help voters feel better about picking him. The only question: Will he get enough innings in this already-crowded rotation?

Manager of the Year: Bob Melvin, Giants
Do you realize he has won this award three times already? Is it weird to say that he may be well-positioned for a fourth? You won¡¯t find many predictions that don¡¯t have the Giants fourth in this division, but there are veterans here that could help this team surprise, and there¡¯s a new front office that will be aggressive to help him out at every opportunity.

AL CENTRAL

MVP: Jos¨¦ Ram¨ªrez, 3B, Guardians
Remember the rules of this exercise: Only one candidate per team. Given that, and the way this division lines up, I went with Ram¨ªrez over Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., though obviously both are serious MVP contenders (they were both in the top five last year). Ram¨ªrez, who will be 33 by season¡¯s end, is due to break through one of these years, while Witt will likely get more chances moving forward than his Guardian counterpart.

Cy Young: Cole Ragans, LHP, Royals
He was fourth in the AL voting last year and seems set up for a considerable leap forward this year. This should be his prime, and if he can get his walks a little bit under control, 2025 could be his consolidation year. Ragans threw more than 180 innings last year, and if he ups that number, he could pass other contenders on volume alone.

Rookie of the Year: Jackson Jobe, RHP, Tigers
It¡¯s not entirely certain he¡¯s going to make the Opening Day rotation now that Jack Flaherty is back with the team, but in terms of talent, he¡¯s easily one of Detroit¡¯s top five. He may end up being too good for the Tigers, and the rest of baseball, to ignore.

• Top prospect Jobe unveiling new curveball this spring

Manager of the Year: Rocco Baldelli, Twins
Baldelli already won the award, back in his first season (2019), and he¡¯s been around enough that you wonder if he¡¯s already being forgotten as a contender. But this is the only non-White Sox team in this division that didn¡¯t make the playoffs last year, which gives them (and Baldelli) the comeback narrative that no one else has. If his team can stay healthy, it could absolutely win this division and make him look very smart.

NL CENTRAL

MVP: Elly De La Cruz, SS, Reds
De La Cruz is fixing his deficiencies -- plate discipline, mostly -- a little bit more each year. The physical skills are unmatched, the team around him is promising, and new manager Terry Francona should make a difference. If the Reds are a force in this division, it¡¯ll be because of Elly. And look out: The numbers might just be astronomical.

Cy Young: Paul Skenes, RHP, Pirates
He¡¯s your odds-on favorite, and how could he not be? He says he¡¯s going to be even better than in his 2024 NL Rookie of the Year campaign, and it¡¯s not hard to believe. That¡¯s quite scary.

Rookie of the Year: Matt Shaw, 3B, Cubs
Obviously, Shaw wouldn¡¯t have had much chance here had the Cubs signed Alex Bregman. But now that they haven¡¯t, third base is essentially his job to lose. It¡¯s not like there isn¡¯t any reason for the Cubs¡¯ faith: This is MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 19 overall prospect, after all. If he can hold on to the job, that¡¯s enough right there to make him a contender.

Manager of the Year: Oliver Marmol, Cardinals
When was the last time expectations were this low heading into a season for the Cardinals? The mid-¡¯90s? Pre-Mark McGwire, that¡¯s for sure. This is all for a good reason: The Cardinals waved goodbye to Paul Goldschmidt, among others, and made no significant acquisitions. But there¡¯s still talent on this team, especially young talent, and if they get long-awaited breakthrough seasons from the likes of Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman, the Cardinals could potentially contend in a division that isn¡¯t all that daunting. Marmol has been embattled during his Cardinals tenure, but with expectations so low, he has a chance to guide his team to a surprising playoff run.