Biggest concern for every National League team

Hope springs eternal for most MLB fans this time of year. But all teams have concerns — some massive, others relatively minor.

Ahead of this week's start of spring training games, Yardbarker MLB writers identify the biggest concern for each National League team. (2024 regular-season records are in parentheses.)

NL East 

ATLANTA BRAVES (89-73) | Stars staying healthy | Sure, this is a concern for every club, but much of Atlanta's roster landed on the injury list last season. The return (and health) of outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. and pitcher Spencer Strider will be key to the club’s pennant hopes.

MIAMI MARLINS (62-100) | A league-worst offense? | It's hard to believe a team that is coming off a 100-loss season could get worse, but that may be the case for the Marlins. Their projected 2025 lineup is young and lacks experience and pop.

NEW YORK METS (89-73) | Can Clay Holmes succeed as a starter? | Closer Holmes, who went 3-4 with a 3.14 ERA last season for the New York Yankees, will join the starting rotation in 2025. The 31-year-old hasn't started a game since his rookie season in 2018, when he had four starts.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (95-67) | Strength of bullpen | The Phillies will depend on closer Jordan Romano returning to dominant form after losing a major piece of their bullpen, Jeff Hoffman, to the Blue Jays this offseason. Jose Alvarado, Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering must also step up.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (71-91) | Inexperience | Like the Marlins, the Nationals are young, with an average age of 26.7 (h/t: FanSided). However, they have ample talent that would be stronger with a veteran presence on the roster. — Lauren Amour

NL West 

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (89-73) | Finishing games | Last season, Arizona’s bullpen finished 23rd in ERA (4.16) and 26th in WHIP (1.37) in the eighth inning or later. Outside of taking a one-year flyer on former closer Kendall Graveman (who missed last season with a shoulder injury), the Diamondbacks have many of the same high-leverage relievers as in 2024, so internal improvement must be made.

COLORADO ROCKIES (61-101) | Taking advantage of Coors Field | The Rockies finished with the second-highest strikeout total (1,617) of any MLB team last season, part of the reason why Colorado finished 37-44 at home and was outscored in those games by 76 runs. Playing 81 games at altitude, Colorado must get back to the basics and put the ball in play to have Coors Field as a true home-field advantage.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS (98-64) | Will the expectations be too much? | It’s hard to imagine a scenario in which the talent-laden Dodgers stumble in 2025, but this will be the first year the current rendition of the team enters the regular season as the defending world champions. With L.A. in the constant crosshairs of their 29 competitors and expected to get back to the Fall Classic again, could the weight of the crown cause cracks in team chemistry?

SAN DIEGO PADRES (93-69) | Shortstop becomes a problem | The Padres have a number of players who could play shortstop, but only one is actually scheduled to man the position in 2025: Xander Bogaerts. Coming off an injury-filled season in which he posted an OPS+ of 92, the 32-year-old Bogaerts no longer has Ha-Seong Kim as a security blanket, so eyes will be on him to rebound and live up to his 11-year, $280M contract.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (80-82) | Young pitchers don’t perform | The Giants are veteran-loaded at the front of the rotation (Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and Justin Verlander), but 23-year-old pitchers Kyle Harrison and Hayden Birdsong will play a big role in how successful the back end of the rotation will be. Both posted ERAs over 4.50 last season in their first true experience in the big leagues, so how much improvement will they show in 2025? — Kevin Henry

NL Central 

CHICAGO CUBS (83-79) | Weak hot corner | The acquisition of three-time All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros came at the cost of a package that included All-Star third baseman Isaac Parades. With infielder Alex Bregman accepting Boston’s offer over Chicago’s, it leaves Jon Berti — who played just 25 games last season with the Yankees — as the starter at 3B.

CINCINNATI REDS (77-85) | Elly De La Cruz stays put | After a 2024 season with the fifth- most errors (96) and third-worst fielding percentage (.983) in the majors, Cincinnati’s defense remains one of the worst. The idea of moving shortstop De La Cruz to center field — something division rival Pittsburgh Pirates did with shortstop Oneil Cruz late in the 2024 season with significant success — seems unlikely despite Cruz leading the MLB with 29 errors last season.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS (93-69) | Infield’s offensive production | With the departure of SS Willy Adames (32 home runs, 112 RBI in 610 at-bats last season) to San Francisco, the Brewers lost the main power source in the infield. In 1,448 combined at bats, the remaining three starting infielders from the 2024 season — 1B Rhys Hoskins, 2B Brice Turang and 3B Joey Ortiz — collectively batted .247 with 44 home runs and 199 RBI.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES (76-86) | Stingy ownership |  After winning just 76 games for the second straight season, the team spent little in the offseason. The Pirates have a roster full of young talent, highlighted by NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes (11-3, 1.96 ERA last season), but minimal moves were made to build on that foundation, leading Pittsburgh to hold the worst odds to win the NL Central, per Bet MGM.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (83-79) | Nothing added | The Cardinals, who lost 2022 NL MVP first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and righty Andrew Kittredge in the offseason, are the lone team to spend no money in the offseason. St. Louis is projected by Bet MGM to finish fourth in the NL Central. If 3B Nolan Arenado, a six-time Platinum Glove winner, is traded before Opening Day, things could turn even more bleak for the Cardinals.  — Taylor Bretl