Following last week’s MLB Tokyo Series 2025 between the Dodgers (2-0) and Cubs (0-2), 26 teams will begin play Thursday, with the Rockies and Rays joining the marathon MLB season Friday.
With two games down and 2,428 to go, here are 10 storylines on our radar ahead of Opening Day.
1. Dodgers get richer
MLB’s best got better this winter.
The Dodgers followed their 2024 World Series triumph by solidifying their starting pitching rotation, which ranked 21st in wins above replacement last season (h/t Baseball Reference).
Per FanGraphs, Los Angeles enters 2025 first in starting rotation WAR.
The Dodgers signed two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, 32, to a five-year, $182M contract and 23-year-old Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki, who was only eligible to sign a minor league contract because of MLB rules.
The pair solidifies the team’s pitching depth, which also includes Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Dustin May. Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani looms as an addition to the rotation after September 2023 elbow surgery restricted him to the plate last season. More on that in a bit.
The major’s top heavyweight became even more formidable with other offseason additions, including closer Tanner Scott, who had a 1.75 ERA with 84 strikeouts in 72 innings last season with the Marlins and Padres.
2. Shohei Ohtani’s return to the mound
The three-time MVP hasn’t pitched since August 2023, when he was with the Angels. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has suggested this spring that Ohtani could return to the mound in May, although those plans remain fluid.
“This is a long-term play for Shohei’s well-being also,” Roberts recently said, per MLB.com. “The most important piece of this is having him … through the end of the season, through October.”
3. Red Sox back in AL East mix
Welcome back, Boston.
Per ESPN Bet, the Red Sox (+250) are tied with the Orioles for the second-best odds of winning the AL East, trailing the Yankees (+150).
Boston has been an afterthought entering the season the past couple of years. In 2024, it was +1900 to win the AL East, a slight drop from 2023, when it was +1800.
After consecutive last-place AL East finishes (2022-23), the Sox improved to third a season ago, going 81-81. They followed with an active offseason, signing third baseman Alex Bregman (three years, $120M), starting pitchers Walker Buehler (one year, $21.05M) and Patrick Sandoval (two years, $18.2M) and former Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman (one year, $10.75M).
Boston also acquired starting pitcher Garrett Crochet from the White Sox, confirming its 2025 playoff ambitions.
4. Juan Soto, the King of Queens
Soto spurned the Yankees, his 2024 home, when he signed a 15-year, $765M contract with the Mets, who are looking to build on last year’s run to the NLCS.
In 2024 with the crosstown Yankees, Soto, a four-time All-Star, slashed .288/.419/.569 with a career-high 41 home runs in 157 games.
He joins a solid lineup that includes lead-off man and shortstop Francisco Lindor, first baseman Pete Alonso, outfielder Brandon Nimmo, third baseman Mark Vientos and designated hitter Jessie Winker.
The Mets (+1000) have the fourth-best odds of winning the World Series, trailing the Dodgers (+275), Braves (+800) and Yankees (+850). Soto might be the piece to get their first championship since 1986.
5. What does Pirates SP Paul Skenes have in store for an encore?
The former LSU national champion burst on the scene last season, debuting on May 11, 2024. He started 23 games for Pittsburgh, going 11-3 and posting a 1.96 ERA. Skenes struck out 33.1 percent of the batters he faced, the highest rate among NL 2025 Opening Day starters.
If he did all that as a rookie, wait until he hits his prime. Skenes could be an even bigger force in Year 2, making every one of his starts must-see TV.
6. The delicate Blue Jays-Vladimir Guerrero Jr. dance
The four-time All-Star first baseman is entering his final season under contract with the Blue Jays and has failed to gain ground on a long-term extension. Earlier this month, the outfielder revealed his most recent counteroffer in negotiations “didn’t reach 600 [million]” (h/t ESPN), well below the market set by Soto’s Mets deal.
Without a long-term contract, Guerrero will pop up in trade conversations all season, particularly if Toronto fails to keep pace in the crowded AL East.
7. Mike Trout’s last stand?
The three-time AL MVP has missed 58.9 percent of Angels games since 2021 because of injuries. He has looked sharp this spring, slashing .297/.469/.595, a potentially promising sign for a bounce-back 2025. However, the Angels are going nowhere, which could make Trout, who moved from center field to right field this spring, a name to watch at the trade deadline should he waive his no-trade clause.
8. AL West up for grabs
The Astros have reigned over the AL West for nearly a decade, but the tide might turn. Houston lost Bregman in free agency and dealt outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Cubs, two significant losses. Could the Rangers or Mariners catch the ‘Stros in the standings?
9. St. Louis’ uncomfortable reality
Third baseman Nolan Arenado stymied a trade to Houston, setting up an awkward situation with the Cardinals that might not be resolved anytime soon.
“After spending much of the past 4 1/2 months pondering life after Arenado, the Cardinals are now having to do an about-face,” wrote MLB.com’s John Denton in February.
Per FanGraphs, St. Louis, which hasn’t made the postseason in two consecutive seasons, has a 23.4 percent chance of qualifying for the playoffs and only a 0.7 percent chance to win the World Series.
If the Cardinals quickly fall out of contention, trade talks involving Arenado could be revisited.
10. The White Sox at ground zero
The White Sox will try to pull themselves off the mat after recording an MLB-record 121 losses in 2024. Surely, they can’t get any worse. Right?
Wrong.
Chicago’s pitching staff may have gotten worse after trading Crochet. Yet while prospects Sean Burke, the team’s Opening Day starter, and Shane Smith, selected in December’s Rule 5 draft out of the Brewers farm system, have promise, the Sox should still have one of the league’s worst offenses. In 2024, White Sox batters ranked last in batting average (.221), on-base percentage (.278) and slugging percentage (.340).
This offseason, the front office added infielder Josh Rojas (one year, $3.5M), and outfielders Austin Slater (one year, $1.75M), Mike Tauchman (one year, $1.95M) and Michael A. Taylor (one year, $1.95M) on cheap contracts that shouldn’t raise the team’s floor much.
Things might not be much better, if at all, in 2025.
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