The Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs already have two games under their belts from last week’s Tokyo Series, but the traditional Opening Day of the 2025 Major League Baseball season is tomorrow, with 28 teams playing their first game of the season.
New York fans have a lot to be excited about. The Mets and Yankees were two of the last four teams standing in 2024, with the Mets falling in the National League Championship Series to the Dodgers and the Yankees winning the American League (AL) pennant. October 2024 was a great time to be a baseball fan in New York, but fans have to wonder if we will see this kind of magic again in seven months.
It certainly seems plausible. Starting in Queens, the Mets had an extremely active offseason. The biggest splash, of course, was outfielder Juan Soto’s historic 15-year contract with the team, the most valuable contract in sports history. It is difficult to put into words how significant this move could be for the franchise, and it will be a joy to watch him in orange and blue. If all goes according to plan and expectation, Soto has the potential to transform this offense. But the Mets didn’t stop there: they re-signed beloved first baseman and 2019 National League (NL) Rookie of the Year Pete Alonso, standout starting pitcher Sean Manaea and added pitcher Clay Holmes as well, who was named their Opening Day starter after an impressive spring.
While everything may sound like sunshine and rainbows in Queens, the team has already begun facing injury concerns, with catcher Francisco Alvarez out six to eight weeks with a fractured hamate bone and outfielder Brandon Nimmo experiencing right knee soreness. There was good news for Manaea, however, who had an oblique injury but has resumed throwing. Pitcher Frankie Montas, another offseason acquisition, went down with a lat strain and is likely out a couple of months.
There’s no doubt the Mets had a great offseason, but there are still some questions around their pitching staff as a whole. Luis Severino and José Quintana, two quality starters from the 2024 rotation, didn’t return, and the rotation has already been thrown into question with the Manaea and Montas injuries. The bullpen is facing similar questions, but the Mets can hope their offense — which should be threatening, especially with the bats of Soto, Alonso and shortstop Francisco Lindor — can help make up for any potential pitching problems. They’re in a tough division, having to contend with dangerous squads in the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies, but they can definitely compete with them.
Turning it over to the Bronx, it’s been an up-and-down offseason for the Yankees. Losing Soto to their crosstown rivals left a bad taste in the mouths of many Yankees fans, especially considering the significant role he played in the team’s run to the World Series last season. However, they recovered from this loss quickly and made some very solid moves to pivot. They acquired two former NL Most Valuable Players in Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt. They also traded for 2020 NL Rookie of the Year pitcher Devin Williams and signed pitcher Max Fried. But a massive blow came with the news that ace Gerrit Cole needed Tommy John surgery, leaving him sidelined for the entire 2025 season.
In addition, 2024 AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil was shut down with a lat strain, and the team hopes he can return in June. While they have rotational options in Fried, Carlos Rodón and Marcus Stroman, concerns linger. Giancarlo Stanton is also dealing with discomfort in both elbows as well as a calf issue. It feels like the injury bug has hit the Yankees early — and lethally. The good news for the Yankees is that the American League is wide open, much like it was last season. Any NL team will likely have to take down the Dodgers (among other very talented teams)en route to the World Series, but the Yankees don’t have to worry about that until the Fall Classic. If the Yankees can put on a performance like they did last year, with the hope of certain players making strides on offense to bolster the lineup, they should be able to beat any team in front of them on the path to a repeat pennant.
As for the rest of the league, there are several other teams to keep an eye on. Do I even have to say the Dodgers? They seem extraordinary in every category, and barring an outrageous collapse it will be extremely tough for other teams to best them. Alongside the Yankees in the AL East, I’m keeping an eye on the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles. Boston added pitchers Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler to their rotation in the offseason, and brought in infielder Alex Bregman. While they’re already facing injuries in their rotation as well, those two new additions joining some combination of Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Lucas Giolito and Brayan Bello (if all are healthy) is a solid rotation. Baltimore has not seen the postseason success that they would like to in recent years, but they simply have too many good players, especially 2023 AL Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson and catcher Adley Rutschman, to be counted out of the picture. Finally, I like what the Chicago Cubs have begun building. Acquiring Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros was big, and Shota Imanaga and Justin Steele in the rotation are two solid pieces. They also picked up veteran bullpen arm Ryan Pressly.
They say anything can happen in baseball, and that is part of the beauty of the game. Opening Day signifies a turning of the page and a fresh slate for every team, and it will be fascinating, as always, to see how things shake out in the next seven months.
