With the start of the MLB season just weeks away, now is the time for fans and media alike to come up with predictions, ranging from the "slam dunk" variety to those that are so off the wall that they really stick with you all season as things play out. And while not completely unreasonable, the recent so-called "bold" predictions from MLB.com writer Will Leitch are exactly that — bold.
From predicting that the Cincinnati Reds will finish ahead of the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central to his assertion that the Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodríguez will win AL MVP, you can't discount his picks as being irrational. As for the Philadelphia Phillies, they are nowhere to be found on the radar for Leitch, whose NL East prediction states that the Atlanta Braves will not only win the NL East this year, but that they will enter the postseason as the top seed in the National League.
MLB.com's 'bold' prediction for NL East won't sit well with the Phillies or their fans
There's a lot to unpack here. First and foremost, where are the Phillies? Leitch's column does not mention the Fightins at all, simply stating that the Braves will win the most games in the NL this year, even after the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers made all the headlines this offseason. That's all well and good, but how do you counter the fact that the Phillies finished six games ahead of the Braves last year and didn't lose any key pieces from last season's 95-win club? And while they didn't bring in Juan Soto or Roki Sasaki, the Phillies also had a pretty decent offseason of their own. They are a seasoned team, confident in what they bring to the table this season, and they aren't to be taken lightly.
A key point made by Leitch is that the Braves still managed a postseason berth last year despite being severely bitten by the injury bug, and that's valid. But Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider are both still working their way back from serious maladies. Neither will be available for the entire season, nor can they be expected to be at 100 percent in 2025. Their presence will no doubt help the Braves, but Atlanta also lost starting pitchers Max Fried and Charlie Morton to free agency and are replacing their spots in the rotation with some question marks.
It's the Braves, and their pitching always seems to work out in some fashion or another, but their roster churn on the rubber can't be discounted. Still, it seems that Leitch and others are simply counting on the Braves performing at last year's level and then tacking on a few extra wins thanks to the returns of Acuña and Strider.
My 2025 MLB (NL) Standings Predictions:
— Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) February 23, 2025
NL East
1. Braves
2. Mets
3. Phillies
4. Nationals
5. Marlins
NL Central
1. Cubs
2. Brewers
3. Pirates
4. Reds
5. Cardinals
NL West
1. Dodgers
2. D-Backs
3. Padres
4. Giants
5. Rockies
Wild Cards:
1. Mets
2. D-Backs
3. Phillies
The Braves also got a Cy Young season basically out of nowhere from Chris Sale last year (although Zack Wheeler should have won the award). Sale, who made just 56 starts between 2019 and 2023, cannot be counted on to deliver the same kind of results in his age-36 season. Sale himself didn't even anticipate pitching this long. A similar surprise in 2024 was Reynaldo López. He was a revelation in the Braves' rotation last year after being used exclusively as a reliever for the four years prior. Does anyone think that he'll repeat his 1.99 ERA in his age-31 season? Expect some regression, folks.
Nobody is questioning that the Braves are a good team. We haven't even touched on Matt Olson, Austin Riley, and the rest of their solid lineup. But the Mets and the Phillies are both likely to finish ahead of them in the NL East this season, given returning players and new additions. Not only that, but for Leitch to proclaim that the Braves will also win more games than the Dodgers and anyone else in the National League comes across as extremely unlikely at best. Other "experts" are no doubt picking the Braves and/or the Mets to at least finish ahead of the Phils in the NL East, but Leitch's prediction seems like a tad much overall.
Nobody said that these were run-of-the-mill predictions; they're "bold" to get your attention and start a discussion and perhaps an argument. We should expect nothing less from Leitch, the founding editor of Deadspin. Now, over the next several months, the Phillies will aim to make some folks eat their words for doubting them. The pressure is on as a critical 2025 season is set to begin in Philadelphia.