The 2025 Major League Baseball season is set to begin with the Chicago Cubs taking on the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, March 18, and Wednesday, March 19, in Tokyo, Japan. Opening Day for the rest of the league will take place on Thursday, March 27, and the Washington Nationals will host the Philadelphia Phillies.
Opening Day can’t come soon enough for the Phillies who were knocked out of the playoffs in four games during the NLDS at the hands of their division rival, the New York Mets. The team will look to avenge its disappointing end to the 2024 season with a few new faces ready to help.
Phillies begin 2025 season No. 2 in MLB power rankings behind powerhouse Dodgers
MLB.com’s Will Leitch and a panel of contributors recently released their power rankings heading into the 2025 season. The Phillies came in at No. 2 in the rankings just behind the powerhouse Dodgers.
The Phillies finished with the second-best record in the majors a season ago behind none other than the Dodgers. The difference was that the Phillies were sent home early while the Dodgers went on to win the World Series.
The already star-studded Dodgers got even better this offseason, making significant signings. Two-time Cy Young Blake Snell, All-Star relievers Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates and Japanese starting pitching phenom Roki Sasaki all joined the reigning champions. The Dodgers also brought back legendary starter Clayton Kershaw and All-Star outfielder Teoscar Hernández.
The Phillies were relatively quiet this offseason. The defending NL East champions notably lost relievers Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez in free agency but signed two-time All-Star closer Jordan Romano and veteran swingman Joe Ross. Veteran outfielder Max Kepler was brought in to have stability in left field and Jesús Luzardo was acquired in an intra-division trade with the Miami Marlins to round out the Phillies’ starting rotation that should compete with the Dodgers as the best in baseball.
It won’t be easy to knock off the Dodgers, but the Phillies believe they have the team in place to get back to the World Series in 2025. The NL East is no cupcake of a division, featuring the Atlanta Braves at No. 3 in the power rankings and the Mets at No. 4.
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