25 MLB predictions for 2025 season: Vlad Jr. extended? Cease to O’s? Phillies sign Tucker?

The Dodgers and Cubs opened the MLB season last week in Japan, but with the rest of the league set to begin play on Thursday, it’s time for me to again go on record with predictions for the 2025 season and subsequent offseason.

Like all preseason predictions, some will materialize and some will fizzle out. Some of these predictions are chalky, others are bold, some are serious, others are an attempt at humor and the rest are somewhere in between.

Baseball is back, so let’s have some fun with it. Here are my 25 predictions for the 2025 season (and beyond, in some cases). Let me know what you think, and share your own predictions, in the comments section.

1. The Blue Jays and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. agree to a 15-year, $577 million contract on the eve of Opening Day — or soon after.

2. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol is ejected on Opening Day and goes on to lead MLB with eight ejections, edging out Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who gets the heave-ho seven times in 2025.

3. Mariners pitchers Logan Gilbert, Collin Snider and Andrés Muñoz combine to throw the season’s first no-hitter in Gilbert’s third start of the year.

4. Bubba Chandler of the Pirates, Jac Caglianone of the Royals and Travis Bazzana of the Guardians are part of the first wave of top prospects promoted to the majors in 2025, getting the call over Memorial Day weekend.

5. Andrew Painter is promoted to the big leagues by the Phillies during the first week of June after an injury to one of their starting pitchers. He ends up with double-digit wins and an ERA just over 3.00 and earns a start in the first round of the playoffs.

6. In June, the Red Sox promote right fielder Roman Anthony and shortstop Marcelo Mayer to starting roles with the major-league team as the duo joins fellow top prospect Kristian Campbell in that capacity for the rest of the year. Boston goes on to win the AL East by one game over the Yankees and three games over the Orioles.

7. The Rangers lead the American League in home runs at the All-Star break with eight of nine hitters in their lineup, except at catcher, already having hit at least 10.

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8. The MLB trade deadline is loaded with wheeling and dealing, which gets an early start during the All-Star break as the White Sox send center fielder Luis Robert Jr. to the Reds for shortstops Edwin Arroyo and Tyson Lewis along with right-hander Luke Hayden.

9. The Padres trade Dylan Cease to the Orioles for first baseman Coby Mayo and lefty Cade Povich.

10. The Marlins trade Sandy Alcantara to the Red Sox for right fielder Wilyer Abreu and a prospect package of righty Luis Perales, infielder Franklin Arias and righty Juan Valera.

11. The Twins trade the oft-injured Royce Lewis to the Yankees for lefty Henry LaLane, righty Cam Schlittler and infielder Oswald Peraza.

12. The Diamondbacks call up infielder Jordan Lawlar in August and make him their starting third baseman, moving Eugenio Suárez to DH.

13. The National League division winners will be the Phillies (East), Cubs (Central) and Dodgers (West). The three NL wild-card spots will go to the Braves, Mets and Diamondbacks with the Padres, Brewers and Reds missing out by a few games.

14. The American League division winners will be the Red Sox (East), Royals (Central) and Rangers (West). The Yankees, Orioles and Astros will make the playoffs as wild-card teams. The Mariners miss out on the postseason by a single game as offensive issues, including too many strikeouts, plague them once again.

15. The Dodgers and Rangers will meet in the World Series with the Dodgers prevailing as back-to-back champions.

16. The Blue Jays fire general manager Ross Atkins and manager John Schneider after another disappointing season north of the border.

17. Pete Alonso opts out of his contract with the Mets after the season but quickly re-signs on a three-year, $100 million deal with a mutual option for a fourth year.

18. After a strong season with the Cubs, Kyle Tucker signs a 14-year, $604 million contract with the Phillies in free agency. The deal includes significant deferrals.

19. Michael King signs with the Orioles after agreeing to terms on a five-year, $182 million free-agent contract.

20. Bo Bichette signs a five-year, $147 million deal to play third base for the Yankees.

21. Bobby Witt Jr. and Shohei Ohtani are named the MVPs of their respective leagues. Witt leads Kansas City to an AL Central title, but the Royals are eliminated in the Division Series. Ohtani becomes a four-time MVP at 31 after leading the Dodgers to their second consecutive World Series championship.

22. Zack Wheeler and Garrett Crochet are named the Cy Young Award winners in their respective leagues.

23. Jackson Jobe of the Tigers wins the AL Rookie of the Year Award, edging out Yankees left fielder Jasson Domínguez. The right-hander posts 12 wins and a 2.89 ERA.

GO DEEPER

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24. Dylan Crews of the Nationals wins NL Rookie of the Year after hitting 20 homers, stealing 20 bases and playing Gold Glove-caliber defense in right field. He tops Dodgers sensation Roki Sasaki, who doesn’t pitch enough innings to win the award; Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw, who has a solid season after shortening his set-up and leg kick at the plate; and Phillies righty Andrew Painter, who shines after a midseason call-up.

25. Sandy Alcantara and Jacob deGrom win the Comeback Player of the Year awards after strong returns from Tommy John surgery and top-10 Cy Young Award finishes.