Spring training is coming to a close, and now teams are getting ready for opening day. Many teams feel confident that they can win their division title, but only six will do it.
Winning a division title in MLB will secure the team home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs they play in. The first and second seeds get a bye and rest until the ALDS. Meanwhile the third seed will play at home in a best of three wild card series vs. the third wild card.
AL East- Baltimore Orioles
Entering into spring training, the Yankees were the favorites to win this division. However, with Gerrit Cole out for the season and Giancarlo Stanton out until June, the Yankees likely won’t have enough to win the division, although they should have enough talent to make the playoffs.
However, this isn’t any slight at the Orioles. The Orioles have one of the most talented lineups in the league, with stars like Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman. The Orioles’ bullpen will be getting star closer Felix Bautista back. Although they lost ace Corbin Burnes in free agency, their rotation is deeper this season. They signed Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano in free agency. Their youth will likely help them stay healthy for the 162-game season. The Yankees are already dealing with major injuries. Meanwhile, lots of pieces on the Red Sox roster, like Trevor Story, have injury histories.
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AL Central- Detroit Tigers
In 2024, the Tigers made their first playoff appearance since 2014. The Tigers have lots of young talented hitters and pitchers. However, they didn’t shy away from making the team better in the offseason. The biggest move was to sign Gleyber Torres in free agency, who was important to the Yankees world series run. The Tigers also signed Jack Flaherty and Tommy Kahnle to improve their pitching. If all goes right the Tigers should win their first division title since 2014.
AL West- Seattle Mariners
On June 19, 2024, the Mariners held a ten-game lead in the AL West division. Who would’ve guessed the result would be missing the playoffs completely? On August 22, 2024, manager Scott Servais was fired and replaced by Dan Wilson. Wilson would lead the team to a 21-13 record to end the season. The Mariners should be able to rely on their starting pitching and fresh voice at manager to win the AL West division in 2025.
Of course I can’t neglect the habitual AL west division champs, the Astros. They had a great run, but this offseason they lost two major pieces in Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker. That along with declining veterans will likely cost them the division.
NL East- Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies had a pretty quiet offseason; they didn’t add much and didn’t lose much. They did make one notable move, signing former all-star closer Jordan Romano. They weren’t as busy as the Mets, but the Mets had to lose a lot of starting pitching to make their big moves. Meanwhile, the Braves lost Max Fried and are relying on pitchers with injury histories. The Phillies’ consistency should propel them to the NL East division title.
NL Central- Chicago Cubs
For the past few seasons, the Cubs have failed to live up to expectations. They made a big trade for former world series champion Kyle Tucker in hopes of changing their fortunes. They once again have the team on paper to beat almost anyone. They will also benefit from the 2024 division champs, the Brewers, getting worse in the offseason by trading Devin Williams and losing Willy Adames in free agency.
NL West- Los Angeles Dodgers
The NL West is a very talented division. However, there’s no team that has talent like that Dodgers. Their already loaded roster has been improved with the additions of Blake Snell and Tanner Scott. Not to mention that Shohei Ohtani will pitch this season. Last season, he didn’t throw a single pitch due to recovery from Tommy John surgery. The only team that can hold a candle to them is the Diamondbacks, who would win at least a couple of other divisions. However, I think the Diamondbacks’ weak bullpen will cost them a few more games than the Dodgers, and likely the division with it.
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Feature Image Credit: Jose Francisco Morales (@franciscomorales) | Unsplash Photo Community
