My 2025 NL Preview

My picks & a rant on MLB and ESPN.

This is the time of year where a lot of us willingly go out on a limb in the hopes of looking like a prescient genius in October, when in reality, we’re usually just confirming we’re not nearly as smart as we like to think we are. At least, that’s how it usually works out for me. That’s right, it’s time to make my predictions for the 2025 MLB season, and this year, I’m going to start with the National League.

To preface my picks, however, I’d like to start by going off on a bit of tangent.* Over the last few weeks, I’ve found myself in several discussions over ESPN dropping MLB coverage following the 2025 season. Specifically, I’ve been ringing the alarm bell over this expected development, but my concerns have mostly fallen on deaf ears.

*Unless you’re new here, this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.

A lot of the replies have been along the lines of “ESPN sucks now. They don’t care about baseball anyway, so good riddance.” Or the always clever “Go woke, go broke,” whatever that is supposed to mean.

Look, I get it. Personally, I think the political stuff is nonsense, basically a made-up controversy from more conservative-minded sports outlets like Outkick and Barstool to stir up anti-ESPN feeling and win over their followers. It seems a bit ironic that the sites arguing ESPN should keep politics out of sports are the ones constantly bringing politics into the discussion, but it seems to work for them, so who am I to argue?

But just because I believe the political complaints are a straw man doesn’t mean I like what ESPN has become. The network has fallen a long way from its glory days, and I hate that they’ve abandoned baseball to instead spend a fifth of what they were paying MLB on Stephen A. Smith and his shouting head version of sports “journalism.” That’s just a symptom of the bigger problem, however.

ESPN didn’t stop carrying baseball because everyone in Bristol suddenly decided they didn’t like the sport anymore. They stopped carrying it because it wasn’t making them money anymore. And the fact that they believe Stephen A. Smith and his brand of loud-mouth buffoonery is more profitable than baseball is something all MLB fans should be concerned about.

MLB owners proclaim the sport is more profitable than ever, and defenders of the ESPN break will argue that the real money in baseball is in the local TV deals. That’s true, and it’s also at the heart of the problem. I’ve been saying for years the sport has become more and more regionalized, and this is not a good thing.

When I was a kid, I could talk your ear off about the Royals, and then give you an in-depth rundown of the rest of the major leagues. Nowadays, I still follow my hometown Royals closely, but I’m usually out of my depth when it comes to the rest of the teams, and I think this is typical of most fans. Sunday Night Baseball used to be a big deal, regardless of who was playing, and the same was true of the national Saturday game, no matter what network it was on. Now, most fans are annoyed when their team is on it, because they have to listen to national broadcasters who don’t know their team as well, and if their team isn’t playing, they usually aren’t tuning in at all.

The increasing regionalization of the sport contributes to the disparity between big and small markets and the competitive balance, and losing one of its most easily accessible weekly national spotlights doesn’t help, especially when it comes to casual fans. Throw in that MLB Network hasn’t been on YouTube TV (the streaming service I and millions of others use) for at least two years, and Ballys (or FanDuel, as its now called), which is the provider for many teams’ local packages, hasn’t been on YouTube TV for even longer, forcing me to pay twenty bucks a month for their lackluster app to watch my team, and you start to get an idea why I believe accessibility is the biggest issue facing MLB.

I don’t want to sound like the prophet of doom. I don’t believe MLB is going to fold anytime soon. The end is not nigh. But these are troubling trends, and no matter how much you hate ESPN, losing that package is a blow to baseball. And considering we are facing the likelihood of a major work stoppage when the owners and MLBPA negotiate a new CBA in two years, the sport currently stands on a volatile precipice.

Again, I don’t think the league will fold, but another prolonged work stoppage will do irreparable harm. Not even turning a blind eye to steroids again will help them this time, and no sport does a worse job of promoting itself or looking out for its long-term future than MLB, so I’m not terribly optimistic it can either avoid such a catastrophe or bounce back from it, which means the sport will only fall further down the ladder until it has a niche following. That doesn’t have to happen, and I hope it doesn’t, but a future in which Rob Manfred’s successor is begging ESPN for a spot on the Ocho is more of a possibility than I’d like to admit.

All of this is my long-winded way of saying I’m a Royals fan, and due to runaway regionalization, I am by no means an expert on the rest of the majors, especially the National League. So take these picks with a grain of salt, and use them for betting purposes at your own risk. Unless you want to bet the opposite of what I pick. That might actually work.

NL East: Atlanta Braves

The NL East is one of the more interesting divisions in baseball. We’ll write off the Marlins and Nationals for now, though I think the latter has the potential to make a big jump this year, and focus on the top three teams.

Going into last season, the Braves looked like the only team who might be able to match the Dodgers in pure talent, the Phillies were a loaded team with a track record of October success, and the Mets had Steve Cohen’s money. Unfortunately for Atlanta, they were decimated by injuries, though they still managed to snag a Wild Card. The Phillies won the division, but disappointed in October, and the Mets started slow, only to finish hot and ride the wave to the NLCS, beating the Phillies in the process.

This year, the Braves are still extremely talented. The question is, can stars like Ronald Acuna Jr. and Spencer Strider bounce back and return to the level of play we’ve come to expect from them? I think they will, which is why I’m going with the Braves to win the division, but the margin for error is slim.

The Phillies and Mets will be right there if they slip up, and I expect both of them to be in the Wild Card mix. The Mets showed what they were capable of last fall, and while they still have question marks, particularly in the rotation, they also added a generational talent in Juan Soto. Normally, I would be very skeptical of any team investing that much in a single player, even one as good as Soto, but owner Steve Cohen has the money, and it certainly hasn’t made him gun-shy when it comes to spending more money to improve the team, so it might actually work for them.*

*Despite all their big talk about how profitable and healthy the sport is today, I find it interesting that the bulk of MLB owners love to complain about the spending habits of Cohen’s Mets and the Dodgers. The lesson is, never listen to any billionaire owner cry poverty. If you’ve got the money to buy a pro baseball team, you’ve got the money to spend to help them compete, so save your whining.

As far as Philadelphia goes, they just won a Super Bowl at the expense of Kansas City, so even though I’m not actually a Chiefs fan, you won’t find me crying if the Phillies come up short in October. That said, I’ve grown to like Bryce Harper and Trea Turner a lot in recent years, so I wouldn’t be upset if they won it all. So long as they don’t do it at the Royals’ expense.

NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers

I will admit this is the division I know the least about, and it doesn’t help that it’s so wide open. This could be a division that underwhelms with only one mediocre playoff team, like the AL Central was predicted to be last season, or it could be super competitive and end up with three playoff teams, like the AL Central actually turned out in 2024. And the weirdest part is that the St. Louis Cardinals, perennial contenders, might be the worst team in the division.

I’m going with the Brewers. They’re the safe pick, as they’ve been the class of the division for much of the last decade, and they have a lot of young talent.* After Bobby Witt Jr., Jackson Chourio is one of my favorite young players, but Milwaukee’s hopes for hosting a parade probably come down to whether Brandon Woodruff can return to form after missing last year with a shoulder injury.

*That said, the penny-pinching mindset of Milwaukee’s ownership should definitely raise a questioning eyebrow, if not an outright red flag. This is a great franchise with a phenomenal fanbase in a fantastic city that’s never won a World Series, but has been so close in recent years. Stop skimping, you rich bastard! Spend some cash and go for it!

I’ve long had a soft spot for the Cubs, and they should be in the mix. Adding Kyle Tucker in the offseason was huge, but I don’t know if I trust their overall depth. That goes double for the Pirates. Paul Skenes on the mound is appointment viewing, Brian Reynolds and Oniel Cruz are a lot of fun to watch, and I love that Andrew McCutchen is still doing his thing, but I don’t know if they have enough.

The Reds, on the other, hand are extremely intriguing. They made some noise two years ago with a lot of young talent, but as a whole, they regressed a bit in 2024. Hiring Terry Francona to manage the club was a home run move in the offseason, and I suspect a lot of that young talent will take another step forward this year. Elly de la Cruz, who is right there with Witt and Chourio in terms of entertainment value, has holes in his game, but he’s like a microcosm for the whole team. If Francona can iron out their rough edges and accentuate their strengths, watch out for Cincinnati. I’m not bold enough to pick them, but it wouldn’t shock me to see them in October.

NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers

Well, this one is easy. The world belongs to the defending champs, and we’re just living in it. Any lineup that starts with Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and reigning World Series MVP Freddie Freeman, and doesn’t drastically fall off from there, is pretty hard to pick against. And the crazy thing is the Dodgers won a championship last years with a pitching staff held together by wire and duct tape. The rotation should be much better this year. Whether you like how the Dodgers are doing it or not, they’re a juggernaut.

The silver lining if you’re a Dodgers hater is the nature of the MLB playoffs. Under the current expanded format, with its many short series, the postseason is more unpredictable than ever. Much like March Madness, which is about to be on full display, the best team doesn’t always win the championship. In fact, more often than not, they don’t. Purists hate it, and I can see why, but that’s the trade you make for the money that comes with more playoff teams and games. If that were not the case, the Dodgers would probably be going for an eight or nine-peat.

So don’t despair, Dodger haters. There’s no guarantee the Dodgers will be hoisting the trophy when all is said and done. Look no further than 2023 for proof. Their toughest competitors in the NL West, the Padres beat them head-to-head in the NLDS, and the Diamondbacks won the NL pennant. Last season, the Diamondbacks narrowly missed the postseason, and the Padres had the Dodgers on the ropes again in the NLCS, before the Dodgers rallied by shutting them out in the final two games of the series.

I expect both the Padres and D-Backs to be in playoff contention this year as well, but c’mon, over the course of a 162-game regular season, it’s insane to pick against the Dodgers.

NL Wild Cards

If you’ve made it this far, it shouldn’t surprise you that I’m going with the Phillies and Mets as Wild Cards out of the NL East. The third pick is a lot harder. Like I said, I can see a lot of possibilities in the NL Central, even if most of them feel like long shots, and I’d personally be thrilled if either the Reds or Cubs claimed the last spot.

However, I feel like it’s far more likely the last Wild Card team comes out of the NL West. The Padres, much like the Brewers, have been so close in recent years, and, in their case, their shortcomings have not been due to any lack of spending. As one of those teams that has never won a title, it’s easy to root for them, and I wonder if I’m guilty of that. It’s not uncommon for a team who regressed the previous year to come roaring back, and with the addition of Corbin Burnes as their ace, I can absolutely see Arizona doing that. That said, I’m picking Dylan Cease to win the NL Cy Young, and I will say the Padres have at least one run left in them.

NL Champions: Los Angeles Dodgers

I know what I said about the unpredictability of the MLB playoffs, and I stand by that. But I still can’t bring myself to pick against the Dodgers. They’re just too good. I hope I’m wrong, not because I have anything against the Dodgers, but because it’s more fun when different teams win, and I think there’s a good chance I will be, but L.A. is the favorite for a reason. I’ll pick them to beat the Mets in the NLCS.

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Thanks for reading Powder Blue Nostalgia. Use the comments to tell me why you think I’m wrong and share your own predictions, and we’ll meet back here next to do the same thing with the AL.