The 2025 MLB Opening Day Preview: Baseball is Back With 14 Games Tomorrow Afternoon (March 27)
The wait is almost over, baseball fans. The 2025 MLB season is about to begin as teams throw out the first pitch in 14 ballparks across the country tomorrow afternoon (we're still on the M-W-F schedule, so today will serve as our Opening Day primer). Dust off your cap, grab some crackerjacks and rejoice. Let’s recap the biggest offseason moves and storylines to watch before this 162-game marathon begins.
Faces in New Places: Juan Soto is a Met, and a rich one at that (15 years, $765 million). Corbin Burnes is in Arizona. Alex Bregman is in Boston. Blake Snell makes his Dodgers debut this afternoon. Max Fried, Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt are all in the Bronx, now. With plenty more jersey swaps this offseason, the former-team rematches will be plentiful.
New Skippers on the Block: Only two managers are new in 2025 — Clayton McCullough (Marlins) and Will Venable (White Sox). Last year’s two openings were well below average, so we could be due for more mid-season firings and open positions in 2025.
Top Teams to Watch: The Dodgers and Yankees clashed in the Fall Classic last October. There’s no reason the Dodgers should face a big setback with Ohtani soon to pitch and other new additions, but the Yankees could struggle without Soto and Gerrit Cole. The Mets, Braves and Phillies hope to deliver year-long drama in the NL East. I like the Padres and Red Sox to play spoilers.
World Series Odds (Top-10)
Dodgers (+275), Braves (+800), Yankees (+850), Mets (+1000), Phillies (+1000), Orioles (+1200), Astros (+1400), Padres (+1600), Red Sox (+2000), Rangers (+2500)
A new season begins. Let’s play ball!
