2025 Season in Review: Team Takeaways and Player Awards

Top 10 First Basemen

Top 10 Second Basemen

Top 10 Shortstops

Top 10 Third Basemen

Top 10 Corner Outfielders

Top 10 Center Fielders

Top 10 Designated Hitters

Top 10 Starting Pitchers

Top 10 Relief Pitchers

End-of-Season Takeaways For All 30 Teams

Whether a team endured a 100-loss season, came up just short of October, or went on a deep playoff run, there are always major takeaways that can be made from a given year.

Our team of writers has covered each of the 30 MLB teams, making takeaways on what took place in 2025, and what it means for the team moving forward as we look towards the offseason.

AL East Season Takeaways

Toronto Blue Jays: The Blue Jays went from last place in 2024 to first place in 2025. While the club ultimately fell just one win short of its first World Series title since the 90’s, the season shouldn’t be viewed as anything less than a major victory.

New York Yankees: Coming off winning the pennant in 2024, expectations were high for the Yankees coming into the 2025 season. An up-and-down year led the Yankees to come up a game short of winning the AL East, before eventually losing in the ALDS to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox surprised many this year, riding a strong summer to a third-place finish in the AL East. Even with a +110 run differential at season’s end, this was still a campaign mired in controversy.

Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays called a minor league ballpark home in 2025, which made their season start off on the wrong foot. They never really turned it around. Despite the success of some standout performers, the Rays just weren’t strong enough to make the playoffs. 

Baltimore Orioles: Expectations were sky-high for this year’s Orioles squad, but this is a team that fell flat in basically every single way. Simply put, there’s no way to describe this dumpster fire of a season in any way other than “disappointment.”

AL Central Season Takeaways

Cleveland Guardians: Cleveland brought home their second consecutive victory in the AL Central thanks to a red-hot month of September. The Guardians showed us that despite the fact that they finished the year with a negative run differential and their roster is a bit unorthodox, they have what it takes to rise to the occasion.

Detroit Tigers: Followers of the Tigers experienced an emotional rollercoaster like no other as the 2025 season marched on. At one point, their club appeared to have a division title in the bag. At other points, they looked like a Triple-A team. Still, they came away from this year with a playoff appearance and the fifth-best run differential in the American League.

Kansas City Royals: Few teams in baseball were more neutral and average than this year’s Royals. Sure, they scored a winning record for the second time since they won the World Series a decade ago, but the club failed to improve on their feel-good ascension from 2024.

Minnesota Twins: The 2025 campaign was a rough one for the Twins, to put it nicely. Instead of righting the ship after a disastrous collapse at the tail end of 2024, they simply continued a downward spiral.

Chicago White Sox: The White Sox simply entered 2025 looking to improve upon a prior season that saw them become the single worst team in MLB history. It would’ve been shocking to see them continue this trend, but instead, they turned it around and took steps – albeit small ones – in the right direction.

AL West Season Takeaways

Seattle Mariners: The season may have ended in heartbreaking fashion, but the Mariners have a lot to be proud of. Followers of the Mariners were itching in the worst way to see their club simply make the playoffs, and they did exactly that. Regardless of how it ended, the 2025 season was one to remember.

Houston Astros: We’ve been saying for years that the Astros’ dynasty seems to be coming to an end. Yet, they continue to hang in there. There’s nothing wrong with an 87-win season from the AL West hopefuls, but they missed the playoffs for the first time since all the way back in 2016, so we’re left with disappointment more than anything else.

Texas Rangers: Finishing the year with a .500 record wasn’t exactly part of the plan for the Rangers. The team wildly underperformed despite the fact that their roster appeared to be one of baseball’s best … on paper. A slew of injuries and individual cold streaks plagued them all year long, so we’re left with a whole lot of negative storylines to talk about this winter.

Athletics: The A’s had a very simple goal in 2025: get better than they were the year before. By season’s end, they scored seven more wins and made incremental improvements around the roster that should have them feeling pretty good entering 2026.

Los Angeles Angels: Yet another season has come and gone for the Angels with little to nothing to celebrate. The club’s decision makers thought they could put a contending unit together by following the same formula they’ve tried (and failed) to use in the past. The result? A 72-win season and a last-place spot in the AL West.

NL East Season Takeaways

Philadelphia Phillies: An incredible regular-season run. A heartbreaking finish in the postseason. The 2025 campaign was just like what feels like every single other one for the Phillies. With a massive list of important figures hitting the open market, the Phillies missed out on a big opportunity to bring home another ring.

New York Mets: The Mets started 2025 strong, but got worn down by injuries as the second half come about. While the team rode excellent performances from various parts of the roster, the loss of Kodai Senga in June sent the whole club into a spiral they never fully recovered from. Juan Soto was worth every penny, but it’s hard not to leave this year with a sour taste in your mouth as a Mets fan.

Miami Marlins: The Marlins finished third in the NL East in 2025, which in itself is a massive victory. It’s entirely possible that this team is closer to legitimate contention than people may realize, and their showing this past season is clear proof of that.

Atlanta Braves: Similarly to the Rangers, the Braves sported one of baseball’s deepest rosters heading into 2025, but that was only on paper. For the first time since 2017, the Braves missed out on the playoffs, and they have a large list of injured players to thank for that.

Washington Nationals: The Nationals entered this year hoping to take a step or two forwards in their latest multi-year rebuild. Instead, they took at least one backwards. After posting two straight 71-win seasons, they dipped down to 66 in 2025 and have their work cut out for them heading into 2026. Despite what the win-loss record says, it wasn’t all bad for them, though.

NL Central Season Takeaways

Milwaukee Brewers: No team won more regular-season games this year than the Brewers, which on its own should be celebrated. However, the team completely disappeared in the NLCS against the Dodgers, who went on to win the World Series. Even though things didn’t end on a positive note, the 2025 campaign was one full of promise for the team’s immediate future.

Chicago Cubs: The Cubs won 92 games and made the playoffs, but weren’t able to get around the division rival Brewers in the NLDS. Still, they finished the year with the NL’s second-best run differential and look to have three legitimate long-term studs on their roster in Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, and Cade Horton.

Cincinnati Reds: The 2025 Reds just barely snuck into the playoffs, and when they did they didn’t make it very far. Sure, the end result wasn’t what the team was hoping for, but the fact that they posted their best winning percentage since 2020 shows that at the very least, things are trending in the right direction.

St. Louis Cardinals: Dating all the way back to 2000, the Cardinals have posted a record under .500 just two times. Unfortunately, both have come in the past three years, one of them coming in 2025. The Cardinals are having a lot of trouble finding their footing, and it’s not exactly clear when things are going to start looking up for a team that used to be a consistent contender.

Pittsburgh Pirates: The Pirates were in a similar boat to many other teams this year like the A’s and Nationals. They were looking to take a step or two forward in a rebuild that never seems ready to come to an end. Yes, a 71-win showing is not ideal, but it seems that the Pirates have found their closer and are sporting a rotation that’s meant to contend. The roster holes are obvious this winter, but the pieces are there for something special in a few years.

NL West Season Takeaways

Los Angeles Dodgers: For the second year in a row, the Dodgers won the World Series. Despite the fact that this roster was riddled by injuries all season long, winners are going to win, and the Dodgers are proof of that. Even though they finished on top, there are still a few places (looking at you, bullpen!) that need some work if a three-peat is going to be in the cards.

San Diego Padres: The Padres had multiple chances throughout the year to leapfrog the Dodgers in the standings when the boys in blue faltered for brief periods of time. In typical Padres fashion, they were unable to capitalize, and were left with nothing but disappointment at season’s end. Like so many before them, the Padres had a year that ended in heartbreak, but their roster’s got the means to bounce back in epic fashion next year.

San Francisco Giants: As always, the Giants had some high highs and some low lows as the 2025 season marched on. At times, they looked like the best team in the game. On the flip side, there were also stretches where they looked utterly undeserving of the playoff spot they spent all season hoping for. Armed with a legitimately threatening roster moving forward, the Giants shouldn’t be counted out as annual contenders in the NL West just yet.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Anytime a team finishes a year with a record below .500, you know things didn’t go well for them. The 2025 Dbacks are a huge example of that, because they had hopes of giving the NL West a whopping four legitimate contenders this year. Instead, their pitching staff (that at one point had the potential to be league-leading) fell flat and the team’s non-stars failed to show up when it mattered most.

Colorado Rockies: The Rockies very nearly became the worst team in MLB history, but their 119-loss campaign in 2025 was only good for second-worst ever in the NL’s long and storied history. The team’s pitching staff posted the single worst ERA ever and their offense had the worst triple-slash line in franchise history. Must I go on?