MLB Writer Roundtable: 2025 sleepers, awards, playoff picks, hot takes

With Opening Day nearly upon us, Sportsnet’s panel of writers weighs in on sleeper teams, potential disappointments, must-watch superstars and major awards for 2025.

Mar 26, 2025 - 16:36

MLB Writer Roundtable: 2025 sleepers, awards, playoff picks, hot takes

Considering the sheer volume of injuries, breakouts and trades that will happen throughout the 2025 MLB season, it’s admittedly ambitious to sit here in March and predict with full confidence where it’s all going to lead.

But challenging though it may be to forecast what’s ahead, our MLB writers are up to the task every year. Jeff Blair’s recent run of correctly calling World Series winners may have ended, but maybe this is the year one of our writers begins a new streak of predicting who wins it all or how we get there.

One way or another, there’s a lot to discuss here, so with Opening Day nearly upon us, our panel of writers weighs in on sleeper teams, potential disappointments, must-watch superstars and major awards. Plus, some hot takes and our annual playoff predictions on the eve of the 2025 season:

At a time that 12 teams make the post-season, there’s room for sleeper teams to shine. What’s one team that could reach the playoffs this year after finishing under .500 last year?

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Shi Davidi: I’d list Texas, San Francisco and Toronto as potential options here, too, but let’s go with the Cincinnati Reds. As usual, the NL Central holds no real juggernaut. The Brewers and Cubs still figure to be the class of the division, but Hunter Greene, Brady Singer, Nick Martinez and Nick Lodolo should give the Reds a pretty solid foundation from the rotation, looming superstar Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain are a tremendous middle-infield combo and there’s enough depth on the roster to make them more interesting than people might expect.

Arden Zwelling: The Texas Rangers. Marcus Semien and Adolis Garcia are due for bounce-backs. Wyatt Langford and Evan Carter will be better with some big-league experience under their belts. Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker were drafted where they were for a reason. Corey Seager is still Corey Seager and Jacob deGrom is still Jacob deGrom. Texas will need upgrades on the pitching side at the deadline, but what it has in-house ought to be good enough to get it halfway home in a strong position.

David Singh: The Texas Rangers, who’ll benefit from the return of several injured players, most notably right-hander Jacob deGrom.

Ben Nicholson-Smith: The A’s will be better than people think, the Rays have real talent in place and Texas and San Francisco should contend for wild-card berths, too. Of course, you also have the Blue Jays, a last-place team in 2024 that will go as far as their rotation takes them. I’d love to push the Pirates here, but they haven’t surrounded Paul Skenes with enough talent. If I had to pick one team, though, it’d be the Giants.

Jeff Blair: The Texas Rangers can win the World Series after going 78-84. I have them winning the American League. Another team I was intrigued by are the 80-82 Tampa Bay Rays playing 81 games in a minor-league ballpark — until Shane McClanahan walked off the mound this weekend.

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Conversely, which 2024 playoff team is destined to take a step back in 2025?

Jeff Blair: The Yankees are going to be life and death to make the post-season.

David Singh: The New York Yankees. The Gerrit Cole injury is obvious, but the Luis Gil injury will hurt, too. Giancarlo Stanton is also down, putting even more pressure on Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger to boost the offence.

Ben Nicholson-Smith: I hate to say this because I loved watching the Tigers last year and the Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. belongs in October again, but I see both of those AL Central teams taking a step back. The Tigers didn’t push all-in on Alex Bregman, and are thin offensively as a result, especially with Parker Meadows down. Meanwhile, the Royals will have trouble replicating last year’s pitching success.

Arden Zwelling: The Cleveland Guardians. Their best move this winter was shedding payroll they don’t intend to redeploy. Congratulations. Jose Ramirez will have plenty of time to admire the payroll-efficiency banner as he’s getting pitched around all year. Cleveland always needs to pitch to be a contender, but FanGraphs projects its starting rotation as the fourth-worst in baseball. And who’s betting on a repeat of 2024’s dominant bullpen performance after four Guardians relievers finished within MLB’s top eight in appearances? Don’t forget the way that group came apart in the post-season. Cleveland finishes behind both Minnesota and Detroit in the Central this year.

Shi Davidi: The Cleveland Guardians always seem to find a way, but save for the doormat Chicago White Sox, the rest of the AL Central is getting better around them as they spent the winter dumping Canadian Josh Naylor and Andres Gimenez in a low-key off-season. They’re still a solid team, but manager Stephen Vogt will need to maximize everyone to the extreme once again to keep them above the fray.

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Beyond Shohei Ohtani, who’s the superstar-calibre player you’re most intrigued to watch in 2025?

David Singh: Francisco Lindor. Absolutely enjoyed watching him carry the New York Mets down the stretch and in the post-season last year. Now, he’s got a superstar running mate in Juan Soto.

Ben Nicholson-Smith: Bobby Witt Jr., Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Paul Skenes, Fernando Tatis Jr., Bryce Harper, Jacob deGrom and Genesis Cabrera are among my favourite players to watch. Can’t wait to see what they accomplish in 2025.

Jeff Blair: Elly De La Cruz. Every day. Every game. Paul Skenes every fifth day.

Shi Davidi: Bobby Witt Jr. and Elly De La Cruz. In a non-Judge-batting-behind-Soto world, Witt has already got one MVP with a solid shot at going back-to-back, while De La Cruz has the potential to deliver just the second 40-40 season by a shortstop, joining Alex Rodriguez, who reached the club in 1998 with Seattle.

Arden Zwelling: On the hitting side, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He’s placed a substantial wager on himself over the next 162 games. On the pitching side, Jacob deGrom. He’s the best pitcher on the planet when healthy until proven otherwise.

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Let’s hear a baseball-related hot take you believe at least a little bit for the coming season.

Arden Zwelling: This will be the first season in MLB history without a pitcher throwing 200 innings.

Shi Davidi: The ABS challenge system is great for baseball and they should implement it next season with a new automated system for judging check-swings that uses bat-tracking technology, eliminating that decision from umpire discretion entirely. I really wonder, on a percentage basis, if check-swing rulings are the calls most frequently made incorrectly. MLB should have the tech to get this one 100 per cent right, allowing the home-plate ump to signal the operator rather than a base-ump for the decision.

David Singh: Shohei Ohtani won’t pitch this year because there’s simply no need for him to do so.

Jeff Blair: My baseball-related hot-take: Roki Sasaki’s season ends on the IL sometime in June or July.

Ben Nicholson-Smith: The Rockies should be awarded extra compensation picks to offset the challenge of playing at altitude; the Marlins will be the new White Sox, losing at least 105 games; Chandler Simpson will steal 60 bases in 100 games; despite his efforts, the Rays will be deadline sellers; Sandy Alcantara will win ALCS MVP for the Orioles; the Mets will start slow but win it all; Munetaka Murakami will hit 40 homers against NPB pitching and be the most coveted Japanese position player to be posted in years.

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PLAYOFFS
Shi Davidi

AL: Red Sox, Tigers, Rangers; Yankees*, Orioles*, Astros*
NL: Atlanta, Cubs, Dodgers; Phillies*, Mets*, Padres*

World Series: Atlanta over Red Sox

Jeff Blair
AL: Red Sox, Tigers, Rangers; Blue Jays*, Twins*, Yankees*
NL: Phillies, Cubs, Dodgers; Atlanta*, Mets*, Diamondbacks*

World Series: Phillies over Rangers

Arden Zwelling

AL: Red Sox, Twins, Rangers; Orioles*, Yankees*, Tigers*
NL: Phillies, Cubs, Dodgers; Atlanta*, Mets*, Diamondbacks*

World Series: Phillies over Rangers

Ben Nicholson-Smith

AL: Orioles, Twins, Mariners; Yankees*, Red Sox*, Astros*
NL: Atlanta, Cubs, Dodgers; Mets*, Phillies*, Diamondbacks*

World Series: Mets over Orioles

David Singh

AL: Red Sox, Tigers, Rangers; Orioles*, Mariners*, Blue Jays*
NL: Phillies, Cubs, Dodgers; Braves*, Diamondbacks*, Mets*

World Series: Dodgers over Red Sox

*wild card

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AWARDS

Jeff Blair

AL MVP: Corey Seager, Rangers

AL Cy Young: Tarik Skubal, Tigers

AL RoY: Kumar Rocker, Rangers

NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers

NL Cy Young: Paul Skenes, Pirates

NL RoY: Matt Shaw, Cubs

David Singh

AL MVP: Bobby Witt Jr., Royals

AL Cy Young: Garrett Crochet, Red Sox

AL RoY: Kristian Campbell, Red Sox