What we're looking forward to in 2025
Manny Randhawa
@MannyOnMLBThe new year is here. And with it, we pass a key mile marker in the baseball offseason. We can now say that Spring Training begins next month, and we can see the 2025 season on the horizon.
As we embark on a new year, there are many highly anticipated dates and events on the baseball calendar. Here's a look at what we're looking forward to in 2025:
Ohtani, Yamamoto and the defending champion Dodgers open the season in Tokyo
Just when we thought the hype surrounding Shohei Ohtani couldn¡¯t get any bigger, the superstar slugger, along with countryman and right-handed pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, will lead the Dodgers to their native Japan to open the 2025 MLB schedule against the Cubs from March 18-19, at Tokyo Dome.
Ohtani, the reigning National League MVP, produced the first 50-homer/50-steal campaign in MLB history this past season, while Yamamoto worked around injury in his rookie year to deliver a strong 3.00 ERA over 18 starts for L.A. in the regular season before tossing 6 2/3 stellar innings in Game 2 of the World Series.
But that's not all: Ohtani and Yamamoto will face off against another pair of Japanese sensations in Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki of the Cubs. Imanaga was even better than Yamamoto in his first MLB season, posting a 2.91 ERA over 29 starts for Chicago and leading the NL with a 6.2 strikeout-to-walk ratio, while Suzuki has been a solid contributor for three years in the Majors, with an .824 OPS and 55 homers in 381 games.
And while we won't know until Jan. 15 at the earliest where Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki will sign, there's definitely a chance he could add even more intrigue to this series by ending up on one of these clubs -- each of which has reportedly held an in-person meeting with him.
The 2025 Tokyo Series will represent the sixth time MLB regular-season games have been played in Tokyo, and it comes 25 years after the first occasion, a matchup between the Cubs and Mets in 2000.
Ohtani returns to the mound
Elbow surgery toward the end of the 2023 season meant that Ohtani couldn¡¯t pitch in ¡¯24. The two-way superstar would be limited to just hitting, but limits have always been tested when it comes to a player who has wowed us at every turn.
Though he couldn¡¯t contribute on the mound this past season, Ohtani put together a historic campaign at the plate, placing himself in line to win his third career MVP Award -- and the first by a full-time DH.
The Dodgers won the World Series even though Ohtani couldn¡¯t pitch, and several of their other key pitchers were sidelined by injury for much of the season. In 2025, Ohtani -- with his triple-digit fastball and devastating array of secondary offerings -- plans to be in the starting rotation for the defending champs. In 86 career starts on the mound, Ohtani owns a 3.01 ERA and a 31.2% strikeout rate.
Knowing him, each of his starts in 2025 will be a must-watch event.
Sophomore Skenes
Speaking of must-see TV, Paul Skenes, the flamethrowing right-hander for the Pirates, will be entering his first full season in the Majors in 2025. Last year, he made his MLB debut on May 11, less than a year after he was selected first overall in the MLB Draft, and he absolutely dominated opposing hitters en route to winning the 2024 NL Rookie of the Year Award.
In 23 starts, Skenes had a 1.96 ERA and struck out a Pirates rookie record 170 batters (33.1% strikeout rate) over 133 innings. He became the first rookie to start on the mound in the All-Star Game since Hideo Nomo 29 years earlier.
What will he have in store for an encore? We can¡¯t wait to find out.
Acu?a back in action
Ronald Acuña Jr. became the first player in MLB history to hit 40 or more home runs (41) and steal 70 or more bases (73) in a season to earn the NL MVP Award in 2023. And that was after he had recovered from a torn right ACL he suffered in ¡¯21.
Last May, Acu?a suffered a torn ACL in his left knee, leading to yet another premature end to the season for one of the premier power-speed threats in the game. He shocked us with his incredible prowess on the basepaths following the first reconstruction procedure, and even if he's not sure if he'll be able to post such gaudy steals numbers after his second knee surgery, the Braves superstar outfielder is still only 26 years old, and he remains one of the most electric players in baseball. While there is no official timeline for his return to the field, Acu?a hopes to be ready by Opening Day next season.
Having Acu?a back in the lineup will be a huge boost to a Braves club that suffered many key injuries that derailed their pursuit of a championship in 2024. And it will be great for baseball, which is always better when Acu?a is playing.
New faces in new places
As we enter 2025, we already know where several top free agents are going to be playing, as well as some notable players who have been traded this offseason.
The most prominent among them, Juan Soto, signed a record 15-year, $765 million deal to move from the Bronx to Queens and suit up for the Mets. An elite hitter with a tremendous eye at the plate, Soto was fantastic for the American League champion Yankees following a trade from the Padres last offseason. Still just 26 years old, we could see him reach new heights with his new club in an already illustrious career.
Other star position players who will be with new clubs include Willy Adames (Giants) and Christian Walker (Astros). Slugging first baseman Pete Alonso remains on the market as he tests the free-agent waters for the first time following six prolific years with the Mets over which he slammed 226 home runs. Third baseman Alex Bregman, a two-time All-Star and a two-time World Series champion with the Astros, is also on the market for the first time.
On the pitching front, two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell joined the Dodgers on a five-year, $182 million deal to strengthen an already formidable rotation featuring Ohtani, Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow. Meanwhile, former NL Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes surprised the baseball world by inking a six-year, $210 million pact with the Dodgers' NL West rivals, the D-backs. And left-hander Max Fried, a two-time All-Star with a 3.07 ERA in eight seasons with the Braves, will don Yankees pinstripes after agreeing to an eight-year, $218 million deal with New York, a record for a left-handed pitcher.
We could still see more of the game¡¯s biggest stars donning new uniforms in 2025, and it could further shake up the balance of power across the Majors.
Some big arms are due back in ¡¯25
Last spring, a number of prominent starting pitchers were lost for the season to injury. Braves right-hander Spencer Strider, who has an incredible 36.9% career strikeout rate and led MLB with 281 strikeouts in 2023, had his ¡¯24 campaign cut short due to an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. But he wasn't the only one.
Guardians ace Shane Bieber also required Tommy John surgery that ended his 2024 season after just two starts. After re-signing with the Guardians on a one-year deal, he's expected back on the mound next season.
Exciting Marlins phenom Eury Pérez's season ended before it began when the 21-year-old underwent Tommy John surgery in April, putting him on the shelf alongside Miami ace Sandy Alcantara, who underwent the procedure in October 2023. Both are due back in 2025, with Alcantara likely ready for Opening Day.
Elite Orioles closer Félix Bautista is also due back after he missed the entire 2024 season recovering from Tommy John surgery he underwent in October '23. The 29-year-old was a sensation for Baltimore two years ago, posting a 1.48 ERA with 33 saves and a 16.2 strikeouts-per-nine-innings rate before injuring his elbow.
Two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom made three starts for the Rangers last season in his return from his second Tommy John surgery, but we¡¯re looking forward to seeing a full season from one of the greatest starting pitchers of this generation.
A Cooperstown induction for the inimitable Ichiro?
The great Ichiro Suzuki, who took the baseball world by storm when he made the transition from Nippon Professional Baseball to the Major Leagues in 2001 as the first position player from Japan to appear in the big leagues, is eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame for the first time.
Ichiro¡¯s name appears on this year's ballot alongside other notable first-timers CC Sabathia, Felix Hernandez and Dustin Pedroia, and there is a good chance that Ichiro -- and possibly Sabathia -- will be voted into the Hall in his first year of eligibility. Billy Wagner is also a candidate for election in his final year of eligibility after falling just five votes short last year.
But Ichiro is unquestionably the crown jewel of the 2025 ballot. The master batsman and speedy outfielder was the 2001 AL Rookie of the Year and MVP, as well as a 10-time All-Star. He won two batting titles (2001, ¡¯04), 10 consecutive Gold Glove Awards (2001-10) and was the MVP of the 2007 All-Star Game. In ¡¯04, he set a Major League record for hits in a season, with 262.
Every July is magical in Cooperstown, but next July could be all the more special if the man who paved the way for stars like Ohtani, Yamamoto, Imanaga and Sasaki is being inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Start your engines
Ever wonder what it would be like to have a baseball diamond right in the middle of a NASCAR speedway? Well, you won't have to wonder much longer -- that's exactly what we'll see during the MLB Speedway Classic on Aug. 2, when the Braves and Reds play at the Bristol Motor Speedway.
It will be the first regular-season game in AL/NL history played in Tennessee and continues a recent push by MLB to play games in unconventional, memorable settings. Other recent examples include Fort Bragg in 2016, Omaha in 2019, the Field of Dreams in 2021, Rickwood Field earlier this past year and the annual Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pa.
The Speedway Classic won't be the only jewel event for the Braves in 2025: They also host the 95th MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park on July 15.