Except for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West Division, there are not any other sure-fire winners predicted for the other division titles in 2025. The lack of overwhelming favorites in the other five divisions will make for an interesting season.

Professional sports leagues aspire to have competitive balance among the teams. Major League Baseball appears to be getting closer to achieving it. Sure, there are outliers like Colorado, Sacramento (previously Oakland), Miami, Washington, and the Chicago White Sox on the low end, who would require a miracle to make the playoffs. But it is not entirely out of the question the rest of other teams, with some luck, could make a valiant run for a playoff berth.

Here are my predictions for the division winners.

AL East

I would have picked the Yankees to win the AL East a month ago, but now I won’t, with their recent injury bug, most notably biting their ace Gerrit Cole. They helped themselves in the offseason by acquiring Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt to help offset the loss of Juan Soto and adding Devin Williams in the pen. I think the race for the division title is now wide open. However, adequate pitching will be the determining factor for who winds up on top. Despite most analysts projecting Boston to finish last, I am going out on a limb to pick them as the division champ. I like their addition of Alex Bregman, Garret Crochet and Walker Buehler. The Orioles will finish as runner-up.

AL Central

It seems like this division is always a tossup. Remarkably, they sent three teams to the playoffs last season—Guardians, Tigers, and Royals. (I can’t ever remember that happening in this division.) I am fairly sure there will be one team that won’t end up on top, the White Sox, who did their best imitation of the awful 1962 New York Mets last year. I’m going with the Minnesota Twins. They are the only team in the division projected to score more runs than they allow. The Royals, behind projected MVP Bobby Witt Jr., will be the runner-up.

AL West

The Houston Astros’ front office has done a really good job of dismantling what some would call a dynasty franchise (eight straight seasons as a playoff team, four World Series appearances, two world championships). Seattle appears to have the best pitching staff, while Texas has the best offense. I’m giving the Rangers the edge for the division title. Historically, the Mariners can ‘t seem to put it together for an entire season, and they will finish in second place again.

NL East

Atlanta had an off year in 2024, the first time in seven years they had not won their division. The Braves were plagued by injuries to several key players throughout the season. I think they will bounce back to win the division but will face stiff competition from both Philadelphia and New York. The Mets went all-in this year by adding Juan Soto and re-signing free agent Pete Alonso. But their pitching still lags behind their offense. The Phillies have a veteran lineup that will push the Braves until the last week of the season but end up in second place.

NL Central

Second-year manager Craig Counsell will finally get the Chicago Cubs back to the playoffs, with the other teams vying for second place. I am projecting the Cincinnati Reds to have a resurgence under new manager Terry Francona, edging out the Brewers for second place. St. Louis seems to have lost its way to being a contender, while Pittsburgh cannot contend with just Paul Skenes.

NL West

The Los Angeles Dodgers return a power-packed offense and a pitching staff which added two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and Japanese newcomer Roki Sasaki. The Dodgers plan to return Shohei Ohtani to the pitching rotation, but I do not think he’ll be needed on the mound. The Dodgers will be the only team in the majors to win 100 or more games. San Diego and Arizona will field very good teams that could take first-place honors in other divisions. The only way one of them will win the West is if the injury bug bites the Dodgers.

Wrap-up

The Dodgers and Rangers will win their respective league’s pennants, with the Dodgers repeating as World Series champs. Their huge investments in players will pay off again.