Cody Snavely
This story received contributions from Mike Salas, Max Langer, Anthony Arroyo, Cody Snavely
With domestic Opening Day set to begin this week on Thursday at Dodger Stadium against the Detroit Tigers, we are set to reveal our annual DodgersBeat staff predictions for the upcoming regular season.
With the Domestic Opening Day Kicking Off Thursday, What Will Their 2025 Record Be?
Cody
According to DraftKings, the Dodgers’ over/under for the upcoming Major League Baseball regular season is set at 103.5 wins, and I firmly believe that barring any major setbacks, the Dodgers should clear the century mark in wins.
However, I’ll go with a lower win total at 104 wins compared to them breaking the Seattle Mariners’ all-time wins record at 116 games. I think the Dodgers will be conservative with their MVP trio (Betts, Ohtani, Freeman) and their starting rotation, hoping they don’t get into a similar situation they saw themselves last October. So, they’ll settle at 104-58 and another National League West title.
Max
I know Miguel Rojas said that it’s an “expectation” for the Dodgers to break the all-time wins record, but I don’t see it happening. The Dodgers have always been conservative with pushing their starting pitchers and relievers, especially early in the season. There’s going to be some injuries, because it’s baseball. They’re going to get every team’s best shot. I’ll say they go 102-60, four wins higher than last year’s mark.
Mike
The Dodgers will end the regular season with a record of W-101 L-61
Anthony
With the Dodgers entering regular season play, I predict that the Dodgers will win 106 games. With the Sheer talent added in the offseason, this team will at least win over 100 games.
Steve
With the NL West being strong, and the balanced schedule, I don’t think there are enough easy wins to get the Dodgers into record territory. It seems to me they will fall short of their 110-win high water mark of a couple seasons back. I’m going to say a nice tidy 102-60. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up in the high 90s.
Who Will be the Dodgers Team MVP?
Cody
The easy answer is any of the Dodgers trio atop the Dodgers lineup, whether it’s the reigning 2024 National League Most Valuable Player in, Shohei Ohtani, who is also returning to the mound this season, 2024 World Series MVP Freddie Freema,n or three-time World Series champ Mookie Betts.
However, like last season, I’ll go with Mookie Betts yet again. While his recent illness could affect his start to the season, Betts will be at shortstop for a full season, and based on his offensive numbers, we could see a possible 9.0 WAR season.
Max
As much as I’d love to be different and pick a Tyler Glasnow or a Freddie Freeman here, I can’t pick against Shohei Ohtani. There’s going to be a profusion of hype built around his return to the mound in May, and while he won’t go for 50-50, we’ll still see him do some pretty special things at the plate.
Mike
Freddie Freeman picks up right where he left off in the WS and will be the team
MVP in 2025.
Anthony
Even after learning a new position in the offseason, I predict the Dodgers MVP will be Mookie Betts, having been injured for a duration last season. Betts will not only be the team’s MVP but could be the league’s MVP in the National League.
Steve
This one’s a tough one because the obvious answer is Shohei and it almost seems silly to expect anything different from him in 2025, especially if he’s throwing innings. It’s boring to say so, but I have to go with Shohei Ohtani.
Who Will Be the Dodgers’ Best Pitcher?
Cody
Yoshinobu Yamamoto will by far be the best pitcher on the Dodgers staff this upcoming season in a staff full of aces. In his rookie season, Yamamoto finished with a 3.00 ERA despite a shaky first month of his Major League career.
In the postseason, Yamamoto was nails and helped the Dodgers win their first full season World Series since 1988. For year two, I’m expecting a breakout year, and so far, throughout spring and his first start in Tokyo, Japan, allowing one run in five innings of work.
Also, per FanGraphs, Yamamoto is +2000 to win the National League Cy Young, which is a favorable bet for a pitcher I believe will finish in the top three in Cy Young voting this season.
Max
I’ll go with Blake Snell. He’s the perfect addition for this team, and I felt the same exact way when the Dodgers signed the southpaw last Thanksgiving to a five-year contract. The big knock on Snell is that he hasn’t been a great, or for that matter, solid starting pitcher in the first half for much of his career, and that he also doesn’t go deep into games. Guess what?
The Dodgers don’t care. As long as Snell can take the ball every sixth day, they’ll be just fine. In fact, extra rest could help alleviate some of Snell’s first-half woes. Then, after the All-Star break and into the postseason, Snell turns it on. He’s a terrific postseason pitcher and has stuff that plays against the best hitters in baseball. I’ll say he goes 13-5 with about a 3.5 ERA.
Mike
Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be the best pitcher and be considered for the Cy
Young Award.
Anthony
Not surprisingly, the Dodgers’ best pitcher will be newly acquired ace Blake Snell. When Snell is right, he is undoubtedly a lock to win an NL Cy Young award. I believe if Snell can pitch around 180 innings this season, he can indeed have a chance to win his third Cy Young. Especially with him starting his Spring Training regimen early, I believe he will have a stellar season leading this rotation into October.
Steve
I’ll give two awards for this category. For starters, I’m going to with Tyler Glasnow. He was on his way to a terrific season before he got sidetracked in 2024. I know he’s fragile with that big frame, but I’m an optimist. Go Tyler!
As far as the bullpen is concerned. I think while Tanner Scott will get the lion’s share of saves this year, Blake Treinen will prove an invaluable tool once again for the Dodgers to set up the closer, his best natural position.
What Rookie or Surprise Player Will Come Up Big for the Dodgers in 2025?
Cody
The Los Angeles Dodgers have plenty of candidates for this question, such as 23-year-old rookie Roki Sasaki, bounce-back candidate Bobby Miller, or the rejuvenated Ben Casparius. However, I’m going with Dustin May, who is set to return after a nearly two-year hiatus.
May, 27, won the Dodgers’ fifth spot in the starting rotation thanks to a great spring training performance and Tony Gonsolin‘s back injury. However, when May is healthy and on the mound every fifth day, he is one of the nastiest pitchers in the Dodgers’ rotation.
With the Dodgers’ abundance of pitching set to return throughout the summer (Ohtani, Kershaw, Sheehan, Gonsolin), May will have to prove that he should remain in the rotation long-term, and that could bode well for his success this season.
Max
Andy Pages. I think Tommy Edman will end up having to play a lot of second base, and frankly, I don’t think James Outman is gonna cut it in center field. Pages will get a lot of time in the outfield, and as he displayed in 2024, he’s not scared of the moment. He’ll score a lot of runs and probably steal a good chunk of bases, and if he can improve defensively, could maybe even be in the mix for an All-Star appearance.
Mike
Hyeseong Kim drives in the winning run to advance the Dodgers over the Phillies
in the NLCS.
Anthony
With the injury of Michael Grove, reliever Ben Casparius will take the role and run away with it. Having been part of the 2024 World Series roster. Casparius will have a chip on his shoulder to try and remain with the team as pitchers like Kershaw and Gonsolin continue to get healthy.
Steve
Sasaki will get some ROY consideration, but I think the surprise player of the year this year will be Mr. Clayton Kershaw. With a loaded rotation, people have basically written him off. I think with a later start to his season, he will be able to pitch well all the way through the tape and into October this year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes a key start in the postseason this year.
What is Your Biggest Concern with the Dodgers for this Season?
Cody
My biggest concern for the Dodgers this season, like last season, was the starting rotation. The last two seasons, the Dodgers’ rotation has been a shell of itself due to injuries, inconsistencies, and off-the-field trouble.
Last season in particular, despite adding Yoshinobu Yamamoto, James Paxton, and Tyler Glasnow the Dodgers’ rotation was lackluster on multiple fronts, ranking 19th in ERA (4.23), 22nd in FIP (4.28), 20th in fWAR (10.1), 11th in K% (22.8), 20th in WHIP (1.26), and most embarrassingly 25th in innings pitched (797.2).
The Dodgers are taking a quantity approach, having nearly ten eligible starters in their rotation and adding two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki to the mix. However, until they charge the narrative this season, it’ll be a concern of mine, especially approaching October.
Max
Injuries, and it’s not close. As currently constructed, this roster can compete with any team, ever. But the Dodgers are already bumped and bruised a little bit even before Opening Day, and LA’s front office and coaching staff doesn’t exactly have the best track record of keeping players healthy. If one thing’s going to stop the Dodgers from winning back-to-back championships, it’s the injury bug.
Mike
The biggest concern is the outfield. At best, the two corner outfielders are
average and centerfield is up in the air.
Anthony
With a team as talented as the Dodgers, there are a few things to be worried about. But with the uncertainty of who will play center field for the “Boys in Blue,” it is a little concerning. With Outman, Kim, and Pages all struggling this spring, we’ll see who will step up and perform this season.
Steve
With Mookie moving back to the infield, it’s a pretty lackluster group of outfielders out there for the Dodgers, especially if Tommy Edman is playing second. I’m just not sure what to expect from Conforto this year. He’s had some nice moments, but he feels like he’s on the downslope of his productivity. Outman is a huge question mark after his backsliding last season. Pages and Taylor? Meh. Teo’s great, but beyond that, pretty slim pickings.
How Far will the Dodgers Go in 2025?
Cody
Anything less than a World Series appearance would be a failure for the Los Angeles Dodgers after the offseason they put together. Last year, it was a relief that despite the injuries to the starting rotation, they were able to pull together and slug their way to a World Series title. This season, they’ll have a target on their backs, which could make or break the team.
There hasn’t been a repeat champion in baseball since the New York Yankees, who won three straight from 1998-2000. Winning one World Series is hard, and winning back-to-back is even harder, but this Dodgers team is more than capable of making it happen.
Max
I truly believe that any team’s best chance to beat the Dodgers is in the NLDS during a best-of-five series, when the games are more random and a hot streak or cold stretch from any one player can potentially determine your season. With that said, I think the Dodgers win the World Series, and take down old friend Corey Seager and the Texas Rangers in six games. But if the Dodgers don’t repeat, I think it’ll be another early exit in October.
Mike
The Dodgers go back-to-back and sweep the Astros.
Anthony
The Dodgers will repeat as back-to-back champs. I don’t see a world where a team this talented doesn’t at least make it to the World Series. However, there will likely be a few bumps on the road. I firmly believe the Dodgers will hoist up another World Series trophy in October.
Steve
This will be the middle year of the Dodgers threepeat. I say the Rangers claw their way back to the Fall Classic and the Dodgers dispatch them 4-2.
One Bold Prediction
Cody
I’m going to go with my Mookie Betts Gold Glove Award win at shortstop, which I mentioned in my three bold prediction articles published last month.
Overall, last season, Betts was a below-average fielder at shortstop, but some advanced metrics, such as DRS, liked him there due to his overall athletic performance and playing a premium position.
After an offseason of hard work and reaching out to former all-star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, Betts looks like a completely new person out there in the middle infield. I think his goal of proving his doubters wrong will firmly put him in the driver’s seat for Gold Glove consideration.
Max
Mookie Betts eventually gets moved back to right field AGAIN. I’ve just got a feeling that (knock on wood) someone in the Dodgers’ outfield will suffer an injury, and the best way for LA to address it is to move their gold-glove defender back to right. Miguel Rojas or Tommy Edman, or a trade deadline acquisition, can take over shortstop in Betts’ place.
Mike
Yamamoto throws a perfect game.
Anthony
My bold prediction for this season is that Tyler Glasnow will throw 200 innings and be a Cy Young Candidate at the end of the season.
Steve
The Dodgers’ starters will stay healthy all year, and Friedman will deal one of them for a premium outfield bat at the trade deadline.
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