MLB National League predictions
Photo courtesy of Keith Allison / Wikimedia Commons
Aaron Judge continues to lead the Yankees with his powerful bat and MVP-caliber play, keeping New York in contention for another AL East title.
With spring is upon us, this means inevitable warm weather and sunshine, but it also indicates that baseball season is imminent. At the beginning of every Major League Baseball (MLB) season, all 30 MLB teams are filled with optimism and hope as they begin a long season that will undoubtedly be populated with various challenges. That makes the sport so hard to predict because baseball, at its heart, is a game of failure and overcoming adversity.
The most resilient and iron-willed teams have the best chance of winning in October. There is a long way to go until then, but as the 2025 season gets underway, I thought predicting who will come out on top of their respective divisions in the National league would be worthwhile.
National League (NL) East: New York Mets
The Mets shook the landscape of the baseball world by signing Juan Soto to a lucrative 15-year, 765 million dollar contract in the offseason. Soto joins a Mets team two wins away from the franchise's first National League (NL) pennant since 2015. New York has a surplus of great players on their roster, with an NL MVP runner-up in shortstop Francisco Lindor, a high-powered first baseman Pete Alonso, and bright young talent in third baseman Mark Vientos.
While their lineup looks tremendous on paper, their biggest question is in their starting pitching. After losing Luis Severino in free agency, and now that Sean Manea and Frankie Montas are sidelined with injuries to start the season, the Mets’ chances of winning a competitive NL East division will most likely come down to whether their starting rotation can come together and perform persistently throughout the season.
National League (NL) Central: Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are one of the most divisive and ambiguous teams in the MLB, as some fans and pundits see them underperforming. In contrast, others have lofty expectations for a roster loaded with talent. I find myself aligning with the stout believers in this Cubs team.
Chicago’s major move in the offseason was trading for all-star outfielder Kyle Tucker. Tucker joins a perfect lineup featuring shortstop Dansby Swanson and outfielders Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ. Along with these experienced players, the Cubs have several prospects who will have the opportunity to make a big impact this season. This season, Chicago will need their formidable lineup to live up to their lofty expectations.
National League (NL) West: Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers are coming off a remarkable season that saw them win the franchise’s eighth World Series championship. This iteration of the Dodgers might be even more talented than last year, which speaks to the franchise’s unrelenting aggressiveness in free agency to better their roster. The acquisitions of pitchers Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, and Tanner Scott add to an already dominant roster. Anything less than a World Series championship would be a disappointment for one of the most hyped-up baseball teams in recent memory.
One of baseball's best aspects is the league's parity and how competitive each division is yearly. Take the NL East, for example, as three teams in this division made the playoffs last year and in the last 5 years, the Nationals, Phillies, and Braves have all won National League pennants. No matter how this season unfolds, it will likely be another action-packed season filled with spectacular moments, thrilling baseball fans all season long.