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2025 MLB predictions, betting odds for MVP, Cy Young, World Series picks
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- 2025 MLB predictions, betting odds for MVP, Cy Young, World Series picks
Baseball is back . Fire up the grill. Let's make some predictions (that will almost surely be proven wrong).
Opening Day , which some argue should be a national holiday, is Thursday. Yes, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs technically opened the 2025 season in Japan , but for most of MLB's 30 clubs, their playoffs hopes get underway on March 27.
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As baseball returns and the hot dogs get topped with ballpark mustard, here are award, playoff and World Series predictions. Play ball.
Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. (7) celebrates his two-run home run against the Cleveland Guardians on June 4, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.
American League MVP: Is this Bobby Witt Jr 's time to overtake Aaron Judge ?
Pick: Bobby Witt Jr.
It might take a 60-homer season from Aaron Judge to again keep Bobby Witt Jr. from winning his first MVP award. Witt is coming off a 30-30 season with 200-plus hits and a .977 OPS. He might just carry the Kansas City Royals all the way to the postseason by himself.
Value (at least +1000 betting odds as of March 25, for entertainment purposes only): Jose Ramirez (+1600)
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Jose Ramirez has finished in the top six in MVP voting six times in the last eight seasons. He's been a finalist three times. And there's an argument to be made that he's as valuable to his own team as any player in baseball, with Witt possibly being the lone exception.
National League designated hitter Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers (17) bats against the American League during the 2024 MLB All-Star game July 16, 2024, in Arlington, Texas.
National League MVP: Shohei Ohtani might be inevitable
Pick: Shohei Ohtani
This is going to become a somewhat boring pick every year, but nobody is close to as valuable as Ohtani. He's coming off a ridiculous 50-50 season and he'll likely be pitching again at some point in 2025. Juan Soto is his best competition in his first year with the Mets after signing his mega-contract.
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Value: Elly De La Cruz (+1800)
Arguably nobody is as exciting in the game today as De La Cruz, who has a real opportunity to put up some ridiculous power-speed numbers.
Boston Red Sox starter Garrett Crochet delivers a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during a Grapefruit League spring training game Feb. 28, 2025, in Clearwater, Florida.
American League Cy Young: Garrett Crochet escaping the White Sox makes him a bigger contender
Pick: Garrett Crochet
Garrett Crochet is one of the best lefties in the game and now gets to pitch in an environment away from the worst team in baseball history. Tarik Skubal , though, is a monster in Detroit .
Value: Hunter Brown (+2000)
Hunter Brown is likely to be a player more fringe baseball fans know by the end of 2025.
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler pitches against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning Thursday, April 25, 2024, at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.
National League Cy Young: Zack Wheeler can finally win it after two runners-up
Pick: Zack Wheeler
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Zack Wheeler already has two Cy Young runner-up finishes. Paul Skenes is the favorite, but it might be time for Wheeler to finally win it.
Value: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (+2000)
A dynamic pitcher on the best team in baseball, Yoshinobu Yamamoto is almost being overshadowed by Roki Sasaki 's arrival — but he shouldn't be.
Kristian Campbell plays catch ahead of a spring training game on March 12, 2025.
American League Rookie of the Year: Jackson Jobe is the next great Tigers pitcher
Pick: Jackson Jobe
Jackson Jobe has secured one of the Opening Day spots in the Tigers rotation and is one of the pitchers primed to follow Tarik Skubal.
Value: Kumar Rocker (+1800)
Kumar Rocker looks like he'll have a chance to hold down a spot in the Rangers rotation.
Roki Sasaki of the Dodgers delivers a pitch in the bottom of the first inning.
National League Rookie of the Year: Roki Sasaki's splitter might win it
Pick: Roki Sasaki
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Did you see that splitter? Roki Sasaki might set the baseball world on fire in his first season in the U.S.
Value: Bubba Chandler (+900)
OK this isn't quite +1000, but it should be noted that Paul Skenes and Jared Jones aren't the only highly touted young pitchers in the Pirates' arsenal.
Boston Red Sox standout Alex Bregman signs autographs before a spring training game against the Baltimore Orioles on March 17, 2025, in Fort Myers, Florida.
American League East: Red Sox , Orioles , Yankees all with great cases to win it in 2025
Pick: Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox finally have some positive momentum with some key additions and a number of up-and-coming prospects who should hit the majors in 2025.
Minnesota Twins' Matt Wallner (38) celebrates with Willi Castro (50) after hitting three-run home run against the Cleveland Guardians on Aug. 9, 2024, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
American League Central: Twins, Tigers, Guardians, Royals could make for a razor thing race
Pick: Minnesota Twins
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The race for the AL Central could be razor thin, with four teams projected within two wins of each other. If the Twins can stay healthy, they might be slight favorites — but it's a big if. It's going to be a fun divisional race (not for you, White Sox). One-through-four could be separated by a couple games, with the Twins, Tigers, Guardians and Royals all racing for the finish line.
Guardians record:83-79
Aug 23, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager (5) hits an RBI double during the second inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
American League West: Rangers, Astros in showdown (and maybe Mariners?)
Pick: Texas Rangers
Like the Twins, perhaps the biggest thing holding back the Rangers is health.
American League Wild Card picks: Baltimore Orioles , New York Yankees , Houston Astros
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The AL Central sent three teams to October last year. This season, the AL East pulls it off.
Atlanta Braves' Ronald Acuna Jr. (13) runs back to first against the Cleveland Guardians on April 26, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia.
National League East: Braves, Phillies , Mets create monster division
Pick: Atlanta Braves
Having a healthier Ronald Acuna Jr. will help. It'll be a fun three-team race in the East (not for you, Nationals and Marlins) that might feature three of the four best teams in the National League, not just the division. A 90-win season might get you third in the NL East.
National League pitcher Shota Imanaga of the Chicago Cubs (18) reacts after pitching in the fourth inning during the 2024 MLB All-Star game July 16, 2024, in Arlington, Texas.
National League Central: Cubs are favorites, but barely after slow offseason
Pick: Chicago Cubs
The Cubs would be bigger favorites had they spent a little more this offseason, which might have left the door open for the Brewers .
Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts is greeted in the dugout after scoring on a double by Tommy Edman in the first inning against the Guardians at Dodger Stadium, Sept. 7, 2024, in Los Angeles.
National League West: The Dodgers might be the best team ever (on paper)
Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers
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Rumor has it the Dodgers spent some money this offseason.
National League Wild Card picks: Philadelphia Phillies , New York Mets , Arizona Diamondbacks
Just like in the AL, three teams from the NL East make the postseason.
Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman hits a two-run double off Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher John Curtiss during a spring training game March 10, 2025, in Phoenix.
2025 World Series: Can anyone take down the Dodgers?
Pick: Dodgers over Red Sox
The baseball postseason is one of the great equalizers in all of sports. It's a proverbial crapshoot, which makes picking the favorite pretty volatile. But the Dodgers on paper have a borderline ridiculous roster that might end up breaking baseball's economic system in a few years. Most of the baseball world will be rooting for their downfall in October.
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Value: Phillies over Red Sox (+12500)
Boston wouldn't have to go through the Dodgers, or the Braves, or the Mets, or the Phillies to get to the World Series. And just about anything can happen in a 7-game series. Plus, by the time October rolls around, the Red Sox could be a much better team than they are today once several of their top prospects can get some games under their belts.
But the Phillies are especially dangerous (along with having one of the best playoff atmospheres in the game), and if they can take down the Dodgers along the way, they'll already have passed their toughest test.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: MLB betting odds, predictions for World Series, awards in 2025
