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Go here for my American League preview.
1. Atlanta Braves
2. Philadelphia Phillies (Wild Card)
3. New York Mets
4. Washington Nationals
5. Miami Marlins
The Braves are filled with players poised to rebound off injuries or underperformance last season, including Austin Riley, Matt Olson, Ronald Acuña Jr., Michael Harris, Ozzie Albies, Sean Murphy and Spencer Strider … Strider pitches like an ace upon his return, while AJ Smith-Shawver deals in his place. Drake Baldwin also comfortably replaces Murphy until he’s ready to return from the IL, as the Braves have plenty of depth … Jurickson Profar proves last season’s breakout was no fluke, and Grant Holmes is a fantasy sleeper ... Spencer Schwellenbach finishes as a top 10 fantasy starter and is a dark horse Cy Young candidate (35/1) … The Braves win the World Series.
J.T. Realmuto bounces back with a nice fantasy season, while Max Kepler is a sleeper after his move to Citizens Bank Park ... Bryson Stott goes 15/35 and is one of the best fantasy values at second base … Philadelphia’s strong starting staff will get even better midseason once Andrew Painter gets called up. He’ll become a must-add in all fantasy leagues … The Phillies win a wild-card spot.
Juan Soto has the 12th-best wRC+ in MLB history, so he should overcome the dramatic change in home parks. Soto could easily win MVP should voters get Shohei Ohtani fatigue (or if injuries strike coming off surgery and returning to pitching) ... Pete Alonso puts up 125+ RBI … Jose Siri is a deep fantasy sleeper, and Clay Holmes has become one even in shallow leagues ... Griffin Canning may turn back into a pumpkin once the season starts, but the former prospect recorded a 29.3 K-BB% with a 1.88 ERA during spring. He’s worth a look in deeper leagues … The Mets just barely miss the playoffs on the final day of the regular season.
James Wood approaches 25/25 and is a second-round fantasy pick in 2026 … Those who drafted Dylan Crews over Jasson Domínguez regret it … Michael Soroka has one of the widest range of outcomes among all starting pitchers, but he’s a deep fantasy sleeper who’s going undrafted in 97% of Yahoo leagues ... The Nationals remain in rebuild mode.
The Marlins are projected to score the fewest runs in the National League this season, but at least they have an impressive SP staff currently residing on the IL (Braxton Garrett, Ryan Weathers, Eury Pérez and Edward Cabrera) … Sandy Alcantara will struggle to win 10 games even if he fully returns to past form. With a modest K rate, Alcantara’s ADP (SP39) shouldn’t be higher than Jack Flaherty (SP41), Robbie Ray (SP42), Carlos Rodón (SP43), Kevin Gausman (SP47), Nick Pivetta (SP54) or Gavin Williams (SP60) … Agustín Ramírez is a rare catching prospect with speed, so he’s a name to remember later this season … Anthony Bender leads the Marlins in saves, but Miami finishes last in its division.
1. Chicago Cubs
2. Milwaukee Brewers
3. Cincinnati Reds
4. St. Louis Cardinals
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
Matt Shaw goes 20/20, finishing runner-up in Rookie of the Year voting … Matthew Boyd posted a 3.29 FIP with a 19.9 K-BB% that would’ve been top 15 among qualified starters while returning from Tommy John surgery last season. Boyd’s 29.9% CSW would’ve ranked seventh, just behind Logan Gilbert. He’s a deep fantasy sleeper ... Ben Brown needs to be added in fantasy leagues after being named Chicago’s SP5 to open the year. He may return to the bullpen once Javier Assad is ready to come off the IL, but Brown has real fantasy upside when in the rotation. His CSW ranked 11th among all starters last season, sandwiched between Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto … The Cubs win the NL Central.
Jackson Chourio, who posted a 150 wRC+ after the All-Star break as a 20-year-old last season, is a top-five pick in 2026. If we prorated Chourio’s final 250 ABs last season over a 600-AB pace, we get: .310-93-29-105-29. And he was too young to order a drink! Chourio is my No. 8 ranked player overall … Garrett Mitchell goes 20/20, while Rhys Hoskins clubs 30 homers with 90+ RBI … Christian Yelich is a great fantasy value, but Brice Turang is a fantasy bust ... Trevor Megill begins the season as Milwaukee’s closer, but Craig Yoho ends the year in the role.
Elly De La Cruz may be due for SB regression after last season’s historic rate, but he’s the heavy favorite to lead the league in 2025 and can help offset that with further improvement at the plate. De La Cruz is a special talent who also gets to call Great American Ballpark home. He finishes as fantasy’s top player in 2025 … Christian Encarnacion-Strand has 30-homer upside, while Matt McLain could easily outperform Jose Altuve while available 30+ picks later … Austin Hays has mostly played in Baltimore over the past three years, where Oriole Park has decreased HR for RHB by 21%. Great American Ballpark has increased them by 19% over that span. He’s a deep fantasy sleeper ... The Reds use a frustrating committee to close games … Nick Lodolo finishes a lot closer to Hunter Greene than their ADPs (110.4 vs. 214.0).
Lars Nootbar is a fantasy sleeper while slated to hit leadoff, but Masyn Winn fails to live up to his ADP (191.2) ... Victor Scott II looks like a terrific cheap source for steals available late in drafts, and Quinn Mathews becomes a must-add as soon as he’s called up to St. Louis. The Cardinals lack starting pitching, so the rookie should get an opportunity soon enough.
Oneil Cruz goes 30/25 and is a first-round fantasy pick in 2025. Cruz is a top-20 player on my board entering the season … Bubba Chandler has a nice future, but an ugly spring (-16.7 K-BB%!) suggests he’s not ready to help fantasy managers any time soon … Joey Bart, who’s going undrafted in 83% of Yahoo leagues, finishes as a top-10 fantasy catcher … The Pirates lost a big piece when Jared Jones went down, as he was poised for a monster year. Pittsburgh finishes in last place as a result.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Arizona Diamondbacks (Wild Card)
3. San Francisco Giants (Wild Card)
4. San Diego Padres
5. Colorado Rockies
The Dodgers are projected to score the most runs and allow the fewest this season, which is typically a good way to win baseball games … Shohei Ohtani is sure to regress after nearly going 60/60 and coming off surgery (he’ll also now need to concentrate on pitching unlike last season), but he’s so clearly baseball’s most valuable player since Barry Bonds (and maybe ever) … Mookie Betts already had concerns given his age and decline last season, and there’s now added risk with him entering the year recovering from an illness that dropped him down to 157 pounds ... Michael Conforto is a fantasy sleeper after getting a significant upgrade in home parks … Blake Snell wins the Cy Young, while Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto both also finish as top 15 fantasy starters … Stash Clayton Kershaw if you have an IL spot … Tanner Scott records 30+ saves, as the comically loaded Dodgers cruise into the postseason regardless of injuries.
Corbin Carroll finishes as a top five fantasy player, but Ketel Marte is a fantasy fade at his soaring ADP ... Brandon Pfaadt’s 4.71 ERA last season ranked bottom-five among qualified starters, but it also came with a 3.65 SIERA that ranked No. 21 — ahead of new teammate Corbin Burnes. Pfaadt’s 22.1 K-BB% after the All-Star break would’ve ranked sixth-best among starters for the season. His 29.4% CSW ranked top 15 in the second half, one spot behind Paul Skenes. Pfaadt is a pitcher to target … Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk split saves, resulting in a much better situation for Arizona than fantasy managers … The Diamondbacks secure a hard-fought wild-card spot.
Willy Adames suffered a downgrade with his move to one of baseball’s most extreme pitcher’s parks. The Giants haven’t had a 30-homer hitter since Barry Bonds in 2004 thanks in part to the air density right by the ocean; every other team has at least one since 2019 … However, Oracle Park is terrific for San Francisco’s pitchers, as is having the game’s best catcher-framer … Few players saw their ADP rise more than Robbie Ray after he recorded a 30.6 K-BB% during spring … Logan Webb finishes as a top 20 fantasy starter, while Landen Roupp (28.3 K-BB% in spring) became a must-add after being named to the Giants’ rotation … Hayden Birdsong is sure to get his chance soon enough (Jordan Hicks’ performance or injuries), so he’s a stash if possible … San Francisco has a strong bullpen led by Ryan Walker, who leads MLB in saves in 2025 … The Giants sneak into the final wild card spot, one game ahead of the Padres and winning a tiebreaker with the Mets.
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2025 MLB season]
Fernando Tatís Jr. goes 35/20, but Jackson Merrill fails to live up to his lofty ADP (28.3) … Nick Pivetta moves from the second-best hitter’s park to the third-best pitcher’s park according to Park Factors. Pivetta has the fifth-best K-BB% since 2023, so he looks like a borderline top 30 fantasy SP after his dramatic change in scenery. Pivetta is being drafted as the SP54 in Yahoo leagues … Robert Súarez finishes with fewer saves than Jason Adam, and the Padres fall just short of the postseason.
The Rockies are projected to score the seventh-fewest runs this season despite playing half their games in baseball’s paradise for hitters ... Zac Veen is a former top-10 pick who posted a 115 wRC+ with nine steals during spring. He’ll be someone to grab off waiver wires as soon as he’s called up in Colorado thanks to Coors Field … Hunter Goodman enters a bench player, but he recorded an encouraging 8.5 K% during a huge spring and has top 10 fantasy catcher upside should he get a regular role … Victor Vodnik leads a closing committee in Colorado, and the Rockies finish in last place in the National League.
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Fantasy and real-life predictions for the N.L. East
1. Atlanta Braves
2. Philadelphia Phillies (Wild Card)
3. New York Mets
4. Washington Nationals
5. Miami Marlins
Atlanta Braves
The Braves are filled with players poised to rebound off injuries or underperformance last season, including Austin Riley, Matt Olson, Ronald Acuña Jr., Michael Harris, Ozzie Albies, Sean Murphy and Spencer Strider … Strider pitches like an ace upon his return, while AJ Smith-Shawver deals in his place. Drake Baldwin also comfortably replaces Murphy until he’s ready to return from the IL, as the Braves have plenty of depth … Jurickson Profar proves last season’s breakout was no fluke, and Grant Holmes is a fantasy sleeper ... Spencer Schwellenbach finishes as a top 10 fantasy starter and is a dark horse Cy Young candidate (35/1) … The Braves win the World Series.
Philadelphia Phillies
J.T. Realmuto bounces back with a nice fantasy season, while Max Kepler is a sleeper after his move to Citizens Bank Park ... Bryson Stott goes 15/35 and is one of the best fantasy values at second base … Philadelphia’s strong starting staff will get even better midseason once Andrew Painter gets called up. He’ll become a must-add in all fantasy leagues … The Phillies win a wild-card spot.
New York Mets
Juan Soto has the 12th-best wRC+ in MLB history, so he should overcome the dramatic change in home parks. Soto could easily win MVP should voters get Shohei Ohtani fatigue (or if injuries strike coming off surgery and returning to pitching) ... Pete Alonso puts up 125+ RBI … Jose Siri is a deep fantasy sleeper, and Clay Holmes has become one even in shallow leagues ... Griffin Canning may turn back into a pumpkin once the season starts, but the former prospect recorded a 29.3 K-BB% with a 1.88 ERA during spring. He’s worth a look in deeper leagues … The Mets just barely miss the playoffs on the final day of the regular season.
Washington Nationals
James Wood approaches 25/25 and is a second-round fantasy pick in 2026 … Those who drafted Dylan Crews over Jasson Domínguez regret it … Michael Soroka has one of the widest range of outcomes among all starting pitchers, but he’s a deep fantasy sleeper who’s going undrafted in 97% of Yahoo leagues ... The Nationals remain in rebuild mode.
Miami Marlins
The Marlins are projected to score the fewest runs in the National League this season, but at least they have an impressive SP staff currently residing on the IL (Braxton Garrett, Ryan Weathers, Eury Pérez and Edward Cabrera) … Sandy Alcantara will struggle to win 10 games even if he fully returns to past form. With a modest K rate, Alcantara’s ADP (SP39) shouldn’t be higher than Jack Flaherty (SP41), Robbie Ray (SP42), Carlos Rodón (SP43), Kevin Gausman (SP47), Nick Pivetta (SP54) or Gavin Williams (SP60) … Agustín Ramírez is a rare catching prospect with speed, so he’s a name to remember later this season … Anthony Bender leads the Marlins in saves, but Miami finishes last in its division.
Fantasy and real-life predictions for the N.L. Central
1. Chicago Cubs
2. Milwaukee Brewers
3. Cincinnati Reds
4. St. Louis Cardinals
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
Chicago Cubs
Matt Shaw goes 20/20, finishing runner-up in Rookie of the Year voting … Matthew Boyd posted a 3.29 FIP with a 19.9 K-BB% that would’ve been top 15 among qualified starters while returning from Tommy John surgery last season. Boyd’s 29.9% CSW would’ve ranked seventh, just behind Logan Gilbert. He’s a deep fantasy sleeper ... Ben Brown needs to be added in fantasy leagues after being named Chicago’s SP5 to open the year. He may return to the bullpen once Javier Assad is ready to come off the IL, but Brown has real fantasy upside when in the rotation. His CSW ranked 11th among all starters last season, sandwiched between Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto … The Cubs win the NL Central.
Milwaukee Brewers
Jackson Chourio, who posted a 150 wRC+ after the All-Star break as a 20-year-old last season, is a top-five pick in 2026. If we prorated Chourio’s final 250 ABs last season over a 600-AB pace, we get: .310-93-29-105-29. And he was too young to order a drink! Chourio is my No. 8 ranked player overall … Garrett Mitchell goes 20/20, while Rhys Hoskins clubs 30 homers with 90+ RBI … Christian Yelich is a great fantasy value, but Brice Turang is a fantasy bust ... Trevor Megill begins the season as Milwaukee’s closer, but Craig Yoho ends the year in the role.
Cincinnati Reds
Elly De La Cruz may be due for SB regression after last season’s historic rate, but he’s the heavy favorite to lead the league in 2025 and can help offset that with further improvement at the plate. De La Cruz is a special talent who also gets to call Great American Ballpark home. He finishes as fantasy’s top player in 2025 … Christian Encarnacion-Strand has 30-homer upside, while Matt McLain could easily outperform Jose Altuve while available 30+ picks later … Austin Hays has mostly played in Baltimore over the past three years, where Oriole Park has decreased HR for RHB by 21%. Great American Ballpark has increased them by 19% over that span. He’s a deep fantasy sleeper ... The Reds use a frustrating committee to close games … Nick Lodolo finishes a lot closer to Hunter Greene than their ADPs (110.4 vs. 214.0).
St. Louis Cardinals
Lars Nootbar is a fantasy sleeper while slated to hit leadoff, but Masyn Winn fails to live up to his ADP (191.2) ... Victor Scott II looks like a terrific cheap source for steals available late in drafts, and Quinn Mathews becomes a must-add as soon as he’s called up to St. Louis. The Cardinals lack starting pitching, so the rookie should get an opportunity soon enough.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Oneil Cruz goes 30/25 and is a first-round fantasy pick in 2025. Cruz is a top-20 player on my board entering the season … Bubba Chandler has a nice future, but an ugly spring (-16.7 K-BB%!) suggests he’s not ready to help fantasy managers any time soon … Joey Bart, who’s going undrafted in 83% of Yahoo leagues, finishes as a top-10 fantasy catcher … The Pirates lost a big piece when Jared Jones went down, as he was poised for a monster year. Pittsburgh finishes in last place as a result.
Fantasy and real-life predictions for the N.L. West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Arizona Diamondbacks (Wild Card)
3. San Francisco Giants (Wild Card)
4. San Diego Padres
5. Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers are projected to score the most runs and allow the fewest this season, which is typically a good way to win baseball games … Shohei Ohtani is sure to regress after nearly going 60/60 and coming off surgery (he’ll also now need to concentrate on pitching unlike last season), but he’s so clearly baseball’s most valuable player since Barry Bonds (and maybe ever) … Mookie Betts already had concerns given his age and decline last season, and there’s now added risk with him entering the year recovering from an illness that dropped him down to 157 pounds ... Michael Conforto is a fantasy sleeper after getting a significant upgrade in home parks … Blake Snell wins the Cy Young, while Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto both also finish as top 15 fantasy starters … Stash Clayton Kershaw if you have an IL spot … Tanner Scott records 30+ saves, as the comically loaded Dodgers cruise into the postseason regardless of injuries.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Corbin Carroll finishes as a top five fantasy player, but Ketel Marte is a fantasy fade at his soaring ADP ... Brandon Pfaadt’s 4.71 ERA last season ranked bottom-five among qualified starters, but it also came with a 3.65 SIERA that ranked No. 21 — ahead of new teammate Corbin Burnes. Pfaadt’s 22.1 K-BB% after the All-Star break would’ve ranked sixth-best among starters for the season. His 29.4% CSW ranked top 15 in the second half, one spot behind Paul Skenes. Pfaadt is a pitcher to target … Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk split saves, resulting in a much better situation for Arizona than fantasy managers … The Diamondbacks secure a hard-fought wild-card spot.
San Francisco Giants
Willy Adames suffered a downgrade with his move to one of baseball’s most extreme pitcher’s parks. The Giants haven’t had a 30-homer hitter since Barry Bonds in 2004 thanks in part to the air density right by the ocean; every other team has at least one since 2019 … However, Oracle Park is terrific for San Francisco’s pitchers, as is having the game’s best catcher-framer … Few players saw their ADP rise more than Robbie Ray after he recorded a 30.6 K-BB% during spring … Logan Webb finishes as a top 20 fantasy starter, while Landen Roupp (28.3 K-BB% in spring) became a must-add after being named to the Giants’ rotation … Hayden Birdsong is sure to get his chance soon enough (Jordan Hicks’ performance or injuries), so he’s a stash if possible … San Francisco has a strong bullpen led by Ryan Walker, who leads MLB in saves in 2025 … The Giants sneak into the final wild card spot, one game ahead of the Padres and winning a tiebreaker with the Mets.
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2025 MLB season]
San Diego Padres
Fernando Tatís Jr. goes 35/20, but Jackson Merrill fails to live up to his lofty ADP (28.3) … Nick Pivetta moves from the second-best hitter’s park to the third-best pitcher’s park according to Park Factors. Pivetta has the fifth-best K-BB% since 2023, so he looks like a borderline top 30 fantasy SP after his dramatic change in scenery. Pivetta is being drafted as the SP54 in Yahoo leagues … Robert Súarez finishes with fewer saves than Jason Adam, and the Padres fall just short of the postseason.
Colorado Rockies
The Rockies are projected to score the seventh-fewest runs this season despite playing half their games in baseball’s paradise for hitters ... Zac Veen is a former top-10 pick who posted a 115 wRC+ with nine steals during spring. He’ll be someone to grab off waiver wires as soon as he’s called up in Colorado thanks to Coors Field … Hunter Goodman enters a bench player, but he recorded an encouraging 8.5 K% during a huge spring and has top 10 fantasy catcher upside should he get a regular role … Victor Vodnik leads a closing committee in Colorado, and the Rockies finish in last place in the National League.
Final Predictions
NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani (dark horse: Jackson Chourio)
NL CY YOUNG: Blake Snell (dark horse: Spencer Schwellenbach)
NL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Roki Sasaki (dark horse: Matt Shaw)
AL MVP: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (dark horse: Wyatt Langford)
AL CY YOUNG: Jacob deGrom (dark horse: Joe Ryan)
AL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Jasson Domínguez (dark horse: Kumar Rocker)
ALCS: Rangers over Yankees
NLCS: Braves over Dodgers
WORLD SERIES: Braves over Rangers
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