A new MLB chapter and season is finally at the doors as the 2025 baseball season starts next week with the Tokyo Series. The Los Angeles Dodgers are the defending champions, having beaten the New York Yankees in the 2024 World Series. There have been some shocking offseason moves, so let’s break down all of the contenders’ chances of winning.
The official MLB 2025 schedule was released back in July, with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs opening the season on March 18 and 19 in Tokyo, while the official Opening Day is set for March 27. The 2025 Major League Baseball season will conclude on September 28. Some teams, like the Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, and Chicago Cubs, have performed well in spring training.
| ℹ️ Tournament: | 2025 Major League Baseball (MLB) Season |
| 🏟️ Venues: | Venues across the United States |
| 🗓️ Dates: | 18 March – 28 September 2025 |
MLB is made up of 30 teams, evenly divided between the American League and the National League. During the regular season, each team plays 162 total games to determine which teams will qualify for the playoffs. The postseason consists of 12 teams (six from each league), as the ALCS and NLCS champions face off in the World Series.
It would be very tough for any team to beat the Yankees’ record of 27 World Series titles won. The Cardinals are their closest rivals with 11 championships, while the Oakland Athletics and Boston Red Sox have nine titles each. The San Francisco Giants are behind them with eight titles won, lastly in 2014.
The league has announced a couple of rule changes for the 2025 MLB season, which are as follows:
Here is how the last five World Series finals finished:
Let’s break down the latest MLB season 2025 odds and top favorites to win the AL this year, according to the best bookmakers for baseball:
The New York Yankees are still the favorites to win the AL, even after trading Juan Soto to the Mets and losing Gerrit Cole to an injury, but they acquired Max Fried, who is expected to shine with them. The Baltimore Orioles made back-to-back playoffs for the first time since 1997, but they couldn’t win a single postseason game in the last two years.
The Houston Astros were favorites to win the AL last year, but they failed to get past the Wild Card round, and trading Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman certainly won’t help their chances this season. The Boston Red Sox have had a great off-season, trading for Garrett Crochet and signing the free agent Alex Bregman, so they are expected to return to the playoffs after three years of absence.
The Texas Rangers were terrible last season after winning the World Series in 2023, but they are looking stronger this year and will be back to their best form, especially since Jacob deGrom is finally healthy and ready to dominate again.
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The Texas Rangers took a step back last season, but the World Series hangover is over, and they should be back to their best again. They re-signed Nathan Eovaldi, who will form a strong pitching duo with Jacob deGrom, while Marcus Semien and Corey Seager are looking great in the off-season and will be crucial for their success, especially if the latter can stay healthy throughout the season.
The Yankees will be without Juan Soto and Gerrit Cole, and they aren’t looking as strong as they were last season, while the Astros also lost some key players in the offseason and are weaker. This is a good opportunity for the Texas Rangers to get back on track and win the AL.
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The Detroit Tigers had an unexpectedly great run last season, having finished the regular season with an 86–76 record, which put them in fifth place and sent them to the Wild Card. They beat the Astros in a big upset and were close to beating the Guardians. The Tigers are looking even stronger this season, as they solved their pitchers rotation depth by adding Jack Flaherty to the in-form Tarik Skubal. They won more than 83 games last season with a weaker team, so they have a great chance of doing that again and making a push for the playoffs.
Here’s a look at the latest odds and the top favorites to win the NL this year, according to the best MLB 2025 betting sites:
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the World Series defending champions, so it’s not a surprise seeing them as the clear favorites. They added Blake Snell to an already loaded roster that has Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts, so their chances are high to win the NL again.
The Atlanta Braves were very unlucky last season with injuries and still made the playoffs, but they are much healthier this year and should be back to their best. The New York Mets made a big trade for Juan Soto, and Pete Alonso is finally back, so they will be one of the most dangerous teams.
The Philadelphia Phillies had the second-best record in baseball last season, as they have two of the best pitchers in the league, Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola, but their offense has to step up for them to win the NL this season. The San Diego Padres have the players to make some noise this season. Fernando Tatis Jr. is looking great in the spring training, and Nick Pivetta is expected to be a great addition to the team.
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The injuries were the Atlanta Braves worst enemy last season, but they still finished with a positive record of 89–73. They had the best record in the league in 2023 when healthy, and they are in better shape this season, with players like Austin Riley, Sean Murphy, Ozzie Albies, and Michael Harris all expected to start strong.
The Braves are underrated this season due to the uncertainty about whether they can stay healthy, but they have one of the best rosters in the league, and they can beat any team on their day.
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The New York Mets aren’t messing around this season, having acquired Juan Soto in a $765 million contract for 15 years, which is the biggest in MLB history. They also re-signed Pete Alonso, Sean Manaea, and Jesse Winker and added Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas in the offseason to strengthen their roster depth. They had 89 wins last season, and their goal will be to compete for the title this time, so there’s a lot of value on their win total to go over.
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The NCAA baseball bookies have some enticing odds on the Baltimore Orioles to win the title. Their young and talented roster hasn’t changed much since last season. Gunnar Henderson is coming off one of the best seasons in Orioles history, and he will lead the team again this year. They acquired Tyler O’Neill from the Red Sox, and they also signed Zach Eflin and Charlie Morton to solve their pitching problems. They have a top-five offense, and they will try to win their first World Series in more than four decades; at least, their odds for an outright win are surely worth a bet.
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Shohei Ohtani won his first NL MVP Award with the Dodgers last season, as he hit 54 home runs and stole 59 bases, becoming the only player in the league’s history to do so. The Japanese star was a key player for the Los Angeles Dodgers in winning the title, and he had previously won two AL MVP Awards with the Angels before that, so he has great experience and is expected to have another exceptional season.
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The Washington Nationals selected Dylan Crews as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 draft, and he is expected to have his breakout season this year. Crews has had some great performances in the spring training in the last couple of weeks, so he should be one of the main players for the Nats this season after his improvement. Dylan is a well-rounded player, and he has shown that many times in the minor leagues, so the value is on his winning the NL Rookie of the Year.
There are a lot of good and ready teams that will be competing for the title, and we expect the Orioles, Rangers, and Braves to do well. Make sure to use our 2025 MLB predictions and bet them at the US sportsbooks and sports betting apps to have more fun watching the event.
