MLB offseason previews 2025: What's next for the Phillies, Tigers, Cubs, Yankees and other eliminated teams?

The baseball season is a marathon. Each major-league roster is in constant flux as teams deal with surges, slumps, injuries and disappointments throughout the 162-game campaign. When the dust settles, the front office in each city begins analyzing successes and failures and building plans to improve in the future. After all, every year, 29 of 30 teams fall short of the ultimate goal.

With that in mind, we are taking a look at every organization as they’re eliminated from contention, highlighting what happened in the 2025 campaign and what’s ahead this winter.

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Let’s dig in.

Jump to a team by clicking on the links below:

It’s difficult to overstate how poorly the Rockies’ season started. Every other team in baseball had at least twice as many wins as Colorado on June 1, when the Rockies sat at 9-50. Things went slightly better after that, but the die had been cast that the Rockies would be the worst team of 2025.

As is often the case, Colorado’s pitching staff has been the worst in baseball. Sure, its hurlers struggled at Coors Field, but they were regularly rocked during road games, too. As of Aug. 23, there wasn’t a single Colorado pitcher with at least 10 starts and an ERA below 5.00. And the relief corps was no better, with Jimmy Herget, Juan Mejia and Victor Vodnik the only relievers who posted somewhat respectable stat lines, with ERAs under 4.10. Read more

The White Sox surpassed their historically low 2024 win total on Aug. 2, which makes the 2025 season an unquestioned step in the right direction. While the team is still miles away from contention, fans on the South Side are starting to see the faces who could be on the roster when the club returns to respectability.

The team’s improvement in 2025 was almost entirely spurred by those on the mound. Shane Smith, Davis Martin and Sean Burke formed the core of the rotation. All three are under 30 and have posted respectable stat lines, with ERAs below 4.30. It’s tough to envision an ace in this bunch, but plenty of teams have found success by rolling out one starter after another who can throw five or six innings and maintain an ERA around 4.00. Read more

This was a disappointing season for a team expected to ascend. The Nats instead took a step backward. This will be the fifth straight season Washington fails to win 45% of its games, which puts it far off the pace in an NL East that includes some elite teams.

Pitching was the biggest problem, with issues rampant throughout the staff. MacKenzie Gore looked like a frontline starter at the beginning of the season but regressed badly in the second half and landed on the IL near the end of August. Jake Irvin and Mitchell Parker failed to take steps forward, Trevor Williams couldn’t find any success, and Michael Soroka was unable to turn some intriguing skills into a respectable ERA before he was shipped to the Cubs at the trade deadline. Read more

So many Twins had mediocre offensive seasons. Among the disappointments were several of those who were expected to make a real impact. That list is headlined by Royce Lewis, who was again injured and inconsistent. Lewis missed most of the first half due to a hamstring injury and had a .583 OPS in the 42 games he played. He picked things up a bit in the second half, with a .764 OPS through Sept. 13, but it was too little, too late.

Carlos Correa was the other potential star who fell far short of expectations. He produced just seven homers and a .704 OPS in 93 games prior to the trade deadline, when the front office made the decision to send him back to Houston. Given that the team wasn’t far out of the race at that point, it’s easy to see how the Twins’ season could’ve been completely different if Lewis and Correa had been impact players in the first half. Read more

The Pirates’ success this season can be summed up in two words: Paul Skenes. The sophomore ace can make an excellent case for being the best pitcher in baseball, as he could finish his first two big-league seasons with an ERA under 2.00. Skenes seemingly does everything well, dominating hitters on both sides of the plate, striking out batters by the truckload and rarely surrendering walks or home runs. He is the front-runner to take home the NL Cy Young Award and already seems well on his way to a Hall of Fame career.

Of course, Skenes can pitch in only about 20% of the team’s games, so thankfully, he was supported in the rotation by Mitch Keller, who slumped during August but was otherwise effective. They were also joined in late August by Bubba Chandler, who put his elite skill set on full display while appearing mostly as a bulk reliever. The Pirates should finish with a team ERA that’s top-10 in baseball. Read more

Twenty-nine MLB teams won't finish the year as champions. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

Twenty-nine MLB teams won’t finish the year as champions. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

The Angels’ biggest failures were on the pitching staff. The starters often struggled to keep the bases clean, which limited how long they could remain in games. The bottom three starters — Tyler Anderson, Kyle Hendricks and Jack Kochanowicz — spent most of the season with ERAs north of 4.50. And aside from Jansen and Brock Burke, the team’s key relievers struggled to log ERAs below 4.00. The staff seemed to consist entirely of innings-eaters, lacking anyone who could make a real difference.

Although the Angels’ offense improved overall, there were still a couple of hitters who let the team down. Luis Rengifo experienced a major offensive decline. Jorge Soler was arguably even more disappointing, as he was expected to be a middle-of-the-lineup presence after he was acquired via trade last October. His play was acceptable during April but then tailed off, and he spent a significant amount of the summer on the IL due to recurring back inflammation. Read more

Athletics (eliminated Sept. 17)

Nick Kurtz opened the season as the organization’s top prospect and will likely finish as the AL Rookie of the Year and the centerpiece of the Athletics’ lineup. The slugger needed time to get acclimated, as he hit .208 with one homer in his initial 23 games. Then he became dominant in late May and stayed that way for the rest of the summer, which included one of the most memorable single-game performances in MLB history.

Kurtz wasn’t the only A’s rookie to make a major impact. After getting his feet wet last season, Jacob Wilson spent 2025 ranked among the sport’s batting average leaders, and he emerged as a lineup sparkplug who rarely strikes out and has a little more pop than some expected. His campaign was interrupted in late July by a fractured forearm, but by that point Wilson had already established his significant upside. Read more

There were nearly as many disappointments at the plate as there were on the mound. Adley Rutschman was the highest profile letdown. He was supposed to rebound from a poor second half in 2024 and return to being one of the best young catchers in baseball. Instead, Rutschman regressed further, a huge problem when factoring in that he usually hit second in the lineup.

Ascending youngsters Jordan Westburg and Colton Cowser both missed a significant portion of the first half due to injuries, free-agent signee Tyler O’Neill was a massive bust, and Ryan Mountcastle’s contributions were virtually nonexistent. Former prospects such as Heston Kjerstad and Coby Mayo did not take the next step, and with that, a lineup that was supposed to be among the best in baseball was full of holes from top to bottom. Read more

Junior Caminero is at the outset of a memorable career. Just 22 years old, Camerino has already surpassed 40 homers and 100 RBI in his first full MLB campaign. For an organization known for developing pitchers, having a superstar hitter in the heart of the lineup for years to come will be incredibly valuable. The next challenge for Caminero will be to rank among baseball’s best batters without the benefit of George M. Steinbrenner Field, as he was much more effective at home than on the road in 2025.

Caminero wasn’t the only Rays hitter who had a strong season. Jonathan Aranda, Yandy Díaz and Brandon Lowe each made a significant impact. The success of Aranda was especially encouraging, considering he entered the season as a 26-year-old with 293 career at-bats who was running out of time to take the next step. Díaz used the power-inducing nature of his temporary home park to post a career-best homer total, while the oft-injured Lowe was selected for the All-Star Game and will finish with his most games played (149) since 2021. Read more

In two years, the Braves went from being the highest-scoring group in baseball to ranking below average in runs scored. And injuries were not a major problem for this group; instead, many players signed to long-term deals fell short of expectations for a second straight year. Michael Harris II picked things up in the second half but arrived at the All-Star break with the lowest OPS (.551) of any qualified player. Ozzie Albies has been on a downward trajectory since he produced 33 homers and 109 RBI in 2023. Austin Riley’s decline has been more gradual, but he spent significant time on the IL the past two seasons, and his performances when healthy have been solid rather than excellent. Read more

After having an average offense last year, the Royals were expected to take a step forward with their group of young hitters. Instead, they spent the entire season ranked among the lowest-scoring teams in baseball. Bobby Witt Jr. continues to be one of the best all-around players in the sport. He fields the shortstop position extremely well and is always dangerous at the plate. That said, there is no hiding the fact that Witt took a major step backward offensively this year. He continued to run the bases aggressively, but his batting average and home run total paled in comparison to his 2024 production. Read more

Everyone expected Jacob deGrom to pitch well on a per-inning basis, but few would’ve predicted that he would make 30 starts. The 37-year-old no longer averages 99 mph on his fastball, and he won’t rank among the league’s strikeout leaders, but he continues to limit baserunners as well as anyone. And until he went on the IL in late August due to a rotator cuff strain, Nathan Eovaldi could make a case that he was even more valuable than deGrom. The 35-year-old was steady in recent seasons but enjoyed an outstanding 2025 that included a memorable streak of allowing one or fewer runs in 13 of 14 starts from April 25 to Aug. 5. Read more

The Giants ranked among the bottom half of baseball in run-scoring, largely due to a lack of impact players in the lineup. No one on the roster is on pace to hit 30 homers, drive in 90 runs, steal 15 bases or post an OPS above .800. Willy Adames might wind up leading the club in homers and RBI, but he got off to a slow start and by the end of the season will have contributed less than what was expected when he signed a $182 million contract last offseason.

Rafael Devers was supposed to become the team’s star when he was acquired in June, but he wasn’t much better than average. Patrick Bailey’s power stroke completely disappeared, and he struggled to keep his batting average above .200 all season. Finally, Tyler Fitzgerald couldn’t repeat the success of his breakout 2024 season, which led to multiple summer demotions to Triple-A. Not a single position player on this team exceeded expectations. Read more

The Cardinals’ rotation deserves credit for durability, but there was little good news beyond that. Not much was expected of Andre Pallante and Miles Mikolas, yet they struggled to meet even modest ambitions. Erick Fedde went from being a valued addition at last year’s trade deadline to being designated for assignment and shipped to the pitching-starved Braves in July. And Sonny Gray was respectable overall but faltered badly as the team went 8-16 in July and fell out of the postseason race.

The lineup plodded its way to a respectable season despite some serious holes. As good as Scott was defensively, he gave back all that value and more by being one of baseball’s worst hitters. His playing time was cut in August as his OPS continued to float around .600. Another young outfielder, Jordan Walker, was an even bigger disappointment. Once expected to be a lineup centerpiece, Walker struggled mightily at the dish for a second straight year. Thanks to poor plate control and a penchant for hitting grounders, Walker is no longer a lock to have a regular role next year. Read more

The Marlins came back from 16 games under .500 on June 9 to even their record at 55-55 on Aug. 3. During that stretch, their 31-15 record was second-best in baseball. They regressed in August but surprised some opponents in the second half and showed signs that they’re ready to turn the corner and contend for a postseason berth.

The biggest improvements were on offense, as the team will finish near the middle of the pack in runs scored after ranking 27th in 2024. The centerpiece of that improvement is someone who arrived quietly in a trade last summer, Kyle Stowers. After being blocked by veterans in Baltimore, Stowers finally got a chance at a full-time role in Miami and took full advantage, ranking among the MLB leaders in home runs and OPS and representing the Marlins in the 2025 All-Star Game. Read more

Arizona’s pitching staff ranked among the least effective in baseball throughout the season. The biggest letdown was Corbin Burnes, who signed a $210 million contract in the offseason, then made 11 starts before being shut down due to an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. The organization will now get next to nothing from its new ace during the first two years of his deal.

While injuries led to the disappointment from Burnes, there was no such excuse for Zac Gallen, who entered the season with a lifetime 3.25 ERA before struggling to push his 2025 mark under 5.00. Gallen didn’t lose any velocity, but his strikeout rate dropped, and walks were a problem for a second straight year. The expectations coming in were lower for Brandon Pfaadt and Eduardo Rodriguez, but like Gallen, they struggled to maintain ERAs under 5.00. Read more

The Astros fell apart when the games mattered most. They opened September by losing three consecutive series against the Yankees, Rangers and Blue Jays. Then came the biggest blow, when they were swept at home by the Mariners. They didn’t recover from that debacle, as they went to Sacramento and dropped a series against the Athletics before losing Friday to the Angels and getting eliminated with the Tigers’ and Guardians’ victories Saturday.

The Astros deployed a below-average offense, and their struggles were especially notable in the second half. The absence of superstar slugger Yordan Alvarez was a big part of the problem. He went on the IL on May 5 due to what was originally diagnosed as right hand inflammation. The injury was later revealed to be a fracture, and he remained out of action until Aug. 26. Not only did Alvarez appear in just 48 games, but he also logged a .797 OPS across those games after entering the season with a career mark of .973. Read more

The Mets might have won their first NL East title since 2015 if not for a brutal stretch from July 28 to Aug. 15. They led the Phillies by 1.5 games on July 28, but by the time their Aug. 15 game ended, they had gone 2-14 and sat six games back of Philadelphia. It was especially frustrating that most of that slump occurred immediately after the Mets’ front office made several acquisitions at the trade deadline. Another brutal losing streak — eight consecutive defeats from Sept. 6 to 13 — caused the club to fall back in the NL wild-card race before ultimately missing the postseason entirely.

The veteran members of the rotation were a problem, especially down the stretch. Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Kodai Senga deserve credit for each making at least 22 starts and maintaining ERAs below 4.30. But Peterson logged a 6.68 ERA in August and an eye-popping 9.72 in September. Meanwhile, Holmes was removed from the rotation in the middle of September, and Senga spent the final weeks of the season in Triple-A. Sean Manaea didn’t debut until July 13 and finished the season with a 5.64 ERA. Read more

Cincinnati Reds (eliminated in wild-card round)

Although the Reds deserve credit for making their first postseason appearance in a 162-game season since 2013, the reality is that the team mostly treaded water this year. After all, their win total of 83 was only one more than they recorded in 2023 and identical to their mark in 2021. They have finished with a winning percentage between .463 and .517 in five of the past six seasons. Their 2025 record consistently hovered around .500, though there were some positives.

The pitching staff was led by three starters who each logged an ERA below 3.35: Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott and Nick Lodolo. Although Greene was limited to 19 starts by a nagging groin injury, he continued to build on his breakout 2024 season, producing one of the best K-BB ratios of any starter. He is clearly the ace of the staff, and Lodolo emerged as the No. 2 starter by taking his control skills from good to great. Abbott also took a major step forward in his third season, which included being named to the 2025 All-Star Game. He lacks dominant swing-and-miss skills but has managed to thrive at his hitter-friendly home park, despite allowing plenty of fly balls. Read more

The Guardians achieved something that had never been done before when they erased a 15.5-game deficit and overtook the Tigers to win the AL Central. Their remarkable comeback included a 2.61 team ERA in September, which was more than a full run lower than that of all but one team (Mariners). Some will view the Guardians as lucky, as they went 88-74 despite having a minus-6 run differential, but there’s no debating that this team was remarkably effective in key moments and close games.

That said, there weren’t many bright spots on an offense that finished the season 28th in runs scored. But José Ramírez was as steady as ever, ranking fifth in baseball in OPS and being the season’s only 30-40 player. Ramírez was supported by Kyle Manzardo, who enjoyed a breakout season while serving as the cleanup hitter against right-handers. Manzardo was decent in the first half and continued to improve after the All-Star break, finishing with 27 homers. Read more

San Diego’s lineup fell short of expectations in 2025, and the problems were centered on the superstars. Although he’s just 26 years old, it’s fair to say that Fernando Tatis Jr. isn’t the same player since he missed the 2022 season due to injury and suspension. He started off hot this year but recorded a .768 OPS after May 1. Although Manny Machado didn’t slump for as long as Tatis, he logged a .629 OPS after Aug. 1, when the team was pushing the Dodgers for the NL West crown.

Jackson Merrill made it a trio of disappointing star players. After hitting .292 with 24 homers and 16 steals as a rookie in 2024, he endured three IL stints for separate injuries and batted .264 with 16 homers and one steal in 115 games this year. Finally, the catcher spot was a big hole in the lineup all season. Martín Maldonado (.572 OPS) and Elias Díaz (.607 OPS) struggled mightily, and Freddy Fermin (.617 OPS) didn’t help much after arriving at the trade deadline. San Diego scored a total of five runs across a three-game defeat to the Cubs in the wild-card round, so the lack of offense clearly showed. Read more

Boston Red Sox (eliminated in wild-card round)

In finishing third in the AL East and earning a wild-card spot, the Red Sox exceeded or met the expectations of most analysts. This was even more true after factoring in the organization’s controversial decision to trade superstar slugger Rafael Devers to the Giants in June.

The offseason signing of Alex Bregman turned out to be a brilliant move. Although the 31-year-old missed roughly six weeks in the first half due to a right quad strain, he was the leader of the lineup and finished with his highest OPS (.821) since 2019. His leadership was especially pivotal for prized prospect Roman Anthony, who debuted June 9 and quickly became the team’s leadoff hitter. Anthony logged a .917 OPS in the second half and was a major reason the offense thrived without Devers. Unfortunately, he missed most of September and the team’s wild-card series due to an oblique injury. Read more

As much as any organization, the Yankees have “World Series or bust” goals every year. This year, the “bust” came swiftly in the ALDS. Looking ahead to next year, the AL East is difficult but wide open. Toronto will be looking to repeat an outstanding season, Boston will be continuing its rise, and Baltimore will be trying to bounce back from a down year. Plus, Tampa Bay is typically in the mix. Even so, if things go right for the Yankees, they have the talent to put all of their division competitors in the rearview mirror.

To set themselves up to win the division in 2026, the Yankees need to add at least two impactful bats to the lineup. After all, Bellinger, Grisham and Goldschmidt will all need to be replaced. The young outfielders can help to some degree, but they aren’t going to lead the way. Ideally, general manager Brian Cashman will find someone who can hit leadoff and someone else who can bat in the third or fourth spot. Adding a reliable starter to support the emerging arms at the back of the rotation would also be a smart move. Read more

After going 12 years without winning the NL East, the Phillies secured a division title for a second straight year. They also recorded their highest win total since 2011, winning 96 games as a balanced, veteran-laden roster made them one of the most consistent teams in baseball.

The rotation was the strength of the team and one of the best starting units in baseball. Cristopher Sánchez emerged as the team’s best pitcher and will draw strong consideration for the NL Cy Young Award. By increasing his strikeout rate while continuing to limit walks and inducing plenty of ground balls, Sánchez became as consistent as any starter in the NL. Zack Wheeler pitched every bit as well as Sánchez for most of the season, before a blood clot in his right shoulder ended his season in the middle of August. Ranger Suárez continued to provide reliable results, and while “reliable” would be the wrong word to describe Jesús Luzardo, he had many dazzling outings that were mixed with the occasional blowup. Read more

The good news in Detroit starts with Tarik Skubal, the front-runner to win a second consecutive Cy Young Award this year. The lefty led the majors in ERA (2.21) and WHIP (0.89), and since coming off the IL in the middle of the 2023 season, he has logged a ridiculous stat line, with a 2.39 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 11.0 K/9. In 2025, he allowed zero runs in 12 of his 31 starts and recorded a double-digit strikeout total on 10 occasions. Naming Skubal the American League starter for the 2025 All-Star Game was an easy call for AL manager Aaron Boone, and having Skubal anchor the Tigers’ rotation took substantial stress off the bullpen and other starters. Case in point: He recorded a career-high 14 strikeouts in Detroit’s Game 1 wild-card win and struck out 13 in his team’s ALDS Game 5 loss.

Speaking of the bullpen, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch settled on a reliable pair to finish games in Will Vest and Kyle Finnegan. Although he wasn’t treated as a full-time closer, Vest easily led the team with 23 saves and also earned six wins while logging strong ratios (3.01 ERA, 1.21 WHIP). Finnegan arrived from Washington at the trade deadline and picked up four saves while recording a 1.50 ERA and a 0.72 WHIP. Read more

Most of the Cubs’ key players are under contract for 2026. The infield is especially stable. Miguel Amaya and Carson Kelly will continue to form a balanced tandem behind home plate, with Amaya hoping to move past an injury-impacted season. Busch and Shaw could fill the corner infield spots on the North Side for many years, while Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner will work together in the middle of the diamond. Hoerner especially deserves recognition for his strong defense at shortstop.

The outfield has some excellent pieces but also some instability as we look to 2026. With Crow-Armstrong in center field, Cubs pitchers can expect to have outstanding defense on fly balls. And Ian Happ is a steady contributor in left field. Tucker is heading to free agency, which gives the team’s top prospect, Owen Caissie, a chance to take over as an every-day player after excelling in the minors and getting a cup of coffee in Chicago in August and September. Read more

Thanks to a memorable hot streak in the summer, the Brewers ran away with first place in the National League. From July 6 to Aug. 16, they went 29-4, which included a 14-game winning streak to start August. When play started July 6, the Brewers sat four games behind the Cubs in the NL Central. But when their game ended on Aug. 16, they were nine games ahead of Chicago. During that stretch, they led the NL with a 3.13 ERA and scored 219 runs, 44 more than any other NL team.

The Brewers finished third in baseball in runs scored through a true team effort. Christian Yelich bounced back from an injury-impacted 2024 season to play in 150 games and lead the team in homers and RBI. Many of the other key contributors, especially during the summer, were surprising. Andrew Vaughn joined the organization via trade on June 13. After a few weeks in the minors, he debuted July 7 and logged a 1.051 OPS from that date to Aug. 15. The success of Isaac Collins was even more surprising. The 28-year-old opened the season as a reserve player who had amassed 17 career at-bats. But he became a regular in May and logged a .779 OPS the rest of the way. Collins manned premium lineup spots for many second-half games. Read more

MLB offseason previews 2025: What’s next for the Phillies, Tigers, Cubs, Yankees and other eliminated teams?

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