Category: Sports News

Alex Rodriguez on Yankee beards, Juan Soto and who will be in 2025 World Series originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Alex Rodriguez says umpires stink.

No, not at calling balls and strikes. They smell, just like sweaty baseball players.

So, A-Rod is going to bat for umps in his latest commercial for Lysol Laundry Sanitizer that debuted on Opening Day.    

“Bacteria and sweat can lead to seriously stinky clothes, which I can attest as a player,” Rodriguez recently told NBC Local. “So, umpires get stinky, and we come in and help out.”

A-Rod’s World Series prediction

Those umpires are back behind the plate across the country today with the Major League Baseball season officially getting underway. How it ends this fall could come as a surprise if Rodriguez’s prediction plays out, with one team reaching the World Series for the first time in over 40 years.

“The one thing I will not sleep on is the Baltimore Orioles,” said Rodriguez, who hit 696 career home runs, the fifth most in MLB history. “The Baltimore Orioles I think can win 100 games. In many ways, everyone is talking about the Yankees and the Red Sox, but I think the Orioles have a chance to be the head of the class in the American League.”

The Orioles are not far removed from a triple-digit victory season, having gone 101-61 in 2023 for their winningest season since 1979. They followed that up with a 91-win campaign last year. But each season ended without a single postseason victory, with the O’s having been swept in the 2023 ALDS and 2024 Wild Card Series. Rodriguez believes that will change this season.

“I’m a big, big believer in continuity,” he said. “So, they’re a young team, think about them like they’re almost like juniors or seniors in college now, but they’ve come together. Freshman year, they came out and made a big splash. Sophomore year is always the toughest, plus they had a tough injury with their closer. I think this year they have new ownership, they have good mojo, they have continuity.”

Rodriguez’s pick for the Orioles’ opponent in the Fall Classic comes as no surprise. He expects the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers to once again reach the World Series, comparing the dominance of the team to a young Tiger Woods.

“Reminds me a little bit of when Tiger was in his prime, where it was Tiger against the field,” Rodriguez said. “I feel it’s the Dodgers against the field.”

Yankees with beards?!

The field includes the defending American League champion New York Yankees, who lost Juan Soto in free agency and Gerrit Cole to injury, but added Cody Bellinger and Max Fried.  

“For them it’s just play par golf, just move on to live another day,” Rodriguez said. “Look to get healthy and hot at the right time in the summer, kind of leading into the fall, just play really, really strong fundamental baseball. I think one of the things Brian Cashman did a really good job of is addressing some of their liabilities, which kind of all came together in that fifth inning of Game 5 — which is a bit of a lack of fundamentals, lack of focus on those details. I think they’re really much better off going into this year, and then when the time is right, I’m sure they have the resources to go out and plug and play whatever they need at the deadline.”

And those players will be permitted to have a beard. The Yankees lifted their long-standing facial-hair policy that limited players to having nothing more than a mustache.

“I was surprised,” Rodriguez said, joking it would not have impacted him as a player because he’s unsuccessfully been trying to grow a beard for 30 years.

“It was wild pivot for the organization, a rule that had been on there since 1973 when George Steinbrenner acquired the team,” he said. “Give them credit, they’re fluid, they’re willing to change, they’re not just married to whatever the past was.”

Clean-shaven faces are now part of that past – as is Soto.

Advice for Juan Soto

The 26-year-old signed a 15-year, $765 million contract with the crosstown rival New York Mets. Rodriguez also changed teams as a marquee free agent at the height of his career when he left the Seattle Mariners for the Texas Rangers in 2001 at the age of 25.

“What advice would I give him? I think slow and steady wins the race,” Rodriguez said. “Don’t try to get all [15] years done in one at bat or one month. But I think he’s really well positioned. I think he has perfect training. He’s been around a little bit, he’s already been a world champion, he’s already been to another World Series, he played in New York, he understands the media market, which is one of the biggest and toughest challenges of New York, he’s already done that very, very well. So, take your time, be patient and play the long game.”

What does he think Soto saw in the Mets that convinced him to change New York boroughs?

“I think Alex and Steve Cohen are very compelling owners,” Rodriguez said. “They have a really big vision, they have tremendous resources, they’re avid, avid enormous Mets fans. They’ve been partners with the Mets now for over a decade. Usually when Steve Cohen wants something, he gets it. And I’m sure he made a really strong compelling argument of why Juan Soto’s career was better with the Mets than the Yankees.”

Soto returns to Yankee Stadium for his first game as a member of the Mets on May 16.

“He’s gonna get a Bronx reaction,” Rodriguez said with a smile.

Does baseball need a salary cap?

Rodriguez, an MLB analyst for Fox, won three MVP awards and one World Series during his 22-year playing career. He recorded 3,115 hits and 2,086 RBIs – the fourth most all-time. He also set financial records, signing a 10-year, $252 million contract with the Rangers in 2000 that at the time was the largest deal in MLB history.   

He is now set to become one of the majority owners of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves. Having first been a well-compensated baseball player and now expected to be at the other side of the bargaining table as a team owner, Rodriguez was asked if he feels MLB needs a salary cap like the NBA amid the league’s increasing payroll disparity among its teams.     

“I don’t know what the answer is, but I think you have much smarter people than me that are having to figure that out now,” Rodriguez said. “I do think that you need a system where somehow everybody has an opportunity. I’m not sure what that looks like, but I think they’ll figure it out. And again, we have to make sure that the game stays healthy and it stays fair, and more teams than the Yankees and Mets have an opportunity to win year in and year out.”

Robot umpires? ‘I hate it’

In the years to come, balls and strikes could be determined by robot umpires, a computerized system that MLB recently tested during spring training games.

Stadiums are outfitted with cameras that track each pitch and judge whether it crossed home plate within the strike zone. In early testing, umpires wore ear buds and would hear “ball” or “strike,” then relay that to players and fans with traditional hand signals as part of the Automated Ball-Strike System.

A-Rod, however, does not want to see robot umpires replace the stinky umpires.

“I hate it,” he said. “But I’m a bit of an old school guy. I don’t believe robots should be taking the jobs of human beings. I think umpires are some of the most undervalued assets that we have in sports, and I love to see them be a part of it. I mean, they’re so damn good, and we have to support them and not replace them.”

He’s 89 years old and has been retired for two years, but Dodgers broadcasting legend Jaime Jarrín looked like he was ready to call another season or three as he strode into Gale’s Restaurant in Pasadena.

The mellifluous tenor that narrated Dodgers games for generations of Spanish-language listeners hasn't weakened. His magnificent head of hair remains full. His capacity to tell tales is still worthy of Gabriel García Márquez.

It was the lunch rush earlier this week, yet every Gale's server, busboy and cook stopped what they were doing to shake Jarrín's hand. Wearing a crisp outfit of brown khakis, an Ecuador soccer jersey, Harold Lloyd-style glasses and a 1988 Dodgers World Series championship ring that was simultaneously brilliant yet understated, he greeted them all by name.

“I've eaten here over 20 years,” Jarrín said in Spanish as we made our way toward his regular spot near a wall of glass block windows. "When my wife was alive, we’d come in at least four times a week. If I like something, I stay with it.”

Ya think?

The Hall of Famer called Dodgers games for 64 years, the second longest tenure for one team of any baseball broadcaster after his dear friend, Vin Scully. Jarrín and his late wife, Blanca, were married for 65 years. He has lived in the same San Marino home since 1965. He's still a spokesperson for the Los Defensores legal firm, a relationship that goes back 41 years.

Jarrín never misses a Dodgers game on television and attends home games whenever possible, “because I do miss a little bit the atmosphere of the stadium.”

But his big project these days isn't baseball.

Read more:Arellano: A hearty thank you to Dodgers legend Jaime Jarrín. 'He made me believe that I belong'

He serves as the name and face of a scholarship fund that has awarded more than a quarter million dollars to students. His sons Jorge and Mauricio founded it in 2019 to honor their mother, who died of a heart attack during spring training that year.

“My name is the only thing I have,” Jarrín said as he sipped on an Arnold Palmer and nibbled on complimentary bruschetta. Jorge, himself a broadcaster of note, joined us. “It’s not necessary to have our name [on the fund], but to be able to be associated with something that helps others is wonderful because the need is so obvious and large.

“The community has been so loyal to me, so kind,” he continued. “And in our business — radio, television — if you don’t have followers, it’s over. So the least I can do is give back.”

A waiter came over to take our order. “Denosunos minutitos, por favor,” Jarrín said. Please give us a few minutes, sir.

There were stories to tell.

He remembered as a teenage radio reporter in the 1950s going into the newsroom of El Comercio, the largest newspaper in Quito, Ecuador, in the early morning to swipe stories from desks, “but since we were the same company, it didn’t matter.”

Then there was the time in the 1970s when Sears was expecting 500 people to show up at its landmark Boyle Heights store for a live broadcast with Jarrín, Davey Lopes, Steve Garvey and Ron Cey. About 15,000 people showed up instead: “We told the players, ‘Here’s your check — go! Go! We’re not responsible for your security.”

Above all, Jarrín praised his “extraordinary teacher,” Scully.

“When Blanca died, he called me,” he said. A small bowl of corn chowder was now before him. He tucked a large napkin over his Ecuador soccer jersey. “And they were the most beautiful 20 minutes of my life. Listening to Vin talking in that melodious voice — his mastery of the language, that vocabulary, that intonation, that heart. He spoke from experience, because he had lost his wife too.”

Scully passed away in 2022, just a few months before Jarrín called his last game. Jorge said Scully inadvertently served as an inspiration for him and his brother to start their family foundation.

“We started to discuss, 'How are we going to maintain and perpetuate his legacy and not let it fade away?'” he said. “It’s wonderful the love that people had for Vin Scully. But in another generation or so, it’ll just be, ‘Oh yeah, I heard of that guy — they say he was a great announcer.”

He looked at his dad, who was busy forking through a small house salad with extra garbanzos, and smiled. “My father doesn’t want to write a book because he doesn’t feel that the story is over. But this, he’s proud of.”

Jorge joked that the Jaime and Blanca Jarrín Foundation is “done on our laptops out of the house” with the help of his brother and sons. They’ve yet to ask the Dodgers to donate — “but the wife of [Dodgers CEO] Mark Walter sends us a check,” Jaime noted. Students of all backgrounds and interests can apply, but two scholarships are set aside for students pursuing law and journalism — the former as a nod to the Jarrín Foundation’s primary sponsor, Los Defensores, the latter in honor of Jaime’s career.

Not that he’s happy about the state of journalism.

Read more:Jaime Jarrín has seen every big Dodgers moment in L.A.: Here are his fondest memories

“Maybe I’m a dummy, but I don’t get it,” he said, his voice suddenly sharp. “In all industries, when the competition is hard, you try to better yourself. You try to offer something special. The news industry, instead of fighting to do that — offering better editions, more reporters, more columns, something to attract people to pay attention? No, they gave up against social media.

“It’s an embarrassment,” he added.

Jarrin said that young people long would approach him to share that they wanted to get a communications degree in the hope of breaking into journalism, “and I’d say, ‘Perfect. Very good. Wonderful.' But in the last two years, I’ve said, ‘No. Take language classes.' If you speak three languages, the world is at your feet. This country is behind the rest of the world in two fields specifically because we don’t have enough bilingual people: politics and the economy.”

Our time was nearly up, so I tossed three more questions. First up: How are the Dodgers going to do this year?

Jarrin praised the recent contract extension for manager Dave Roberts “because he has the respect of the clubhouse,” and said he has no problem with huge player contracts because “it would be unjust if the owners kept all the money. … Dodger Stadium is a gold mine. Do you know how much money you get from feeding 50,000 people every night?”

He thinks this year’s team is the strongest Dodgers squad he’s seen since the 1977 and 1978 ones that made it to the World Series only to lose to the New York Yankees. “On paper, they have the most powerful unit, above all with pitching, which is extraordinarily good,” Jarrín said, going as far as to say they’ll win the National League. “If they don’t win, it’s going to be an absolute and total failure.”

Next was a change-up: What do Latinos need to do to now that we’re nearly half of the population in Southern California?

“Even though the numbers favor us, we remain a minority,” he replied. “We need to better ourselves more and do a little bit more than what a white person would do to excel. And the foundation for this is to learn English.”

Jarrín blamed himself for not speaking English as well as he'd like on account of his career and talking only Spanish at home so his sons could be bilingual — “I sacrificed my knowledge” for them, he claimed.

Would he have had a more successful career if his English were better?

For the first time all afternoon, Jarrín seemed unsure of himself.

“Maybe?”

He reflected on all of the accolades and accomplishments of his career. “I don’t know if I would’ve been able to achieve all of that in English.”

A chuckle.

“The competition would’ve been harder, no?”

Finally, a softball: What did he want people to say about what his legacy is?
 
Jarrin didn't hesitate: "Only that they think and say to others, 'I want you to be like Jaime Jarrín in your commitment to whatever you want to do. Follow his way and his discipline, and you'll achieve what you want.'"
 
Throughout our conversation, he waved or gave a thumbs up to admirers who didn't want to interrupt our conversation. The moment we got up from our table, the floodgates of fans opened. Soon came photos, more handshakes, more conversations. The lunch rush was over, so most of the Gale’s workers looked on in admiration.

“A lot of people do that,” said server Francisco Perez in Spanish. “He’s such a loving man. Refined and loving. He’s what we say in Mexico is gente de raza.”

Man of the people.

Chef Leonardo Castillo stood behind the counter. He’s worked at Gale’s for 20 years.

“He’s never been someone who comes in and says, ‘I’m Mr. So-and-So,'” said the native of Puebla, Mexico. “He comes in like anyone else, even though he's Jaime Jarrin! What an honor that he's one of us."

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Are the days of small markets teams winning the World Series over?

No, because winning the World Series only requires 11 postseason wins, providing you avoid the wildcard. The best thing that any team can do to win the World Series is to get into the playoffs. Getting into the playoffs usually requires that teams spend money to employ the best players, but last year was the first time since 2018 that the team with the best regular-season record won the World Series. GB

Definitely not. There are young studs scattered in some of the smallest markets. Pair a couple of trusty veterans with Bobby Witt Jr (Royals), Elly de La Cruz (Reds), or Paul Skenes (Pirates) and crazy things like winning a World Series can happen. See the Nats in 2019. MJ

Small market teams will continue to have a shot for as long as there are more postseason spots than there are $300m-plus payrolls. October baseball is a unique, mercurial beast that can be bested by a healthy team getting hot at the right moment. In baseball, financials may buy you consistent contention – the Dodgers may not miss the playoffs for at least another decade. But each October is still a crapshoot, money just ensures you get to gamble every year. HK

Small market teams? How about teams like the Giants and everyone else outside the top 10 payrolls? Those guys are also up a creek. That said, I do still think there are some slim opportunities for a fantastically designed minor league system to produce unicorns and beat the big boys. It’ll take a perfect game from the front office to get even close and then the window will be smaller than Eddie Gaedel’s strike zone. DL

What I’m most looking forward to this season …

Baseball is teeming with young stars: Skenes electrified baseball upon his arrival last year and is a top contender to win the NL Cy Young; the Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll is a budding superstar with power, speed and a hard-charging style; with his size, power and plate discipline, Nationals outfielder James Wood resembles a young Aaron Judge. And those are just a few across the league. GB

Related: Ferocious, calm and deadly: why the Mets agreed to pay Juan Soto $765m

While attention will be on the big market powerhouses, the AL Central is packed with talented young teams. The Royals, Tigers and Guardians are poised for postseason berths once again but will entertain us as they duke it out for the division title first. MJ

The two different receptions awaiting Juan Soto this season will take place fewer than 10 miles apart: when he plays for his new team in Queens and when he visits his most recent team in the Bronx. It’s not just the Soto of it all, the Mets and Yankees are both formidable, flawed, and have reason to believe they’re the premier New York team. The crosstown rivalry should be especially pointed and important this season. HK

Will Soto sink or swim in Flushing? What does $765m, divided into 15 tidy parcels, actually yield? We’ve seen players come to Queens and crumble under the expectations. Yes, I know that Soto has been great almost everywhere he’s been, including the Bronx. Still, nothing on the 7 line is ever guaranteed and I get the feeling that the baseball world wouldn’t mind a Soto shit show to begin the season. Such a slow start could snowball pretty quickly, but the good news is, however he performs, it’s guaranteed to be entertaining. DL

Young player to watch

The Dodgers’ Japanese hurler Roki Sasaki will transfix any viewer with his roaring fastball and disappearing splitter, so I’ll take a moment to focus on my favorite young bat: Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler, who possesses a thrilling combination of power and speed that led to 25 home runs and 18 stolen bases in his rookie campaign. A 30 homer-30 stolen base campaign is not out of the question. GB

Wood. There’s only one reason to watch the Nats this year, and that’s to see how Wood will jumpstart the rebuild. At 6ft 7in and 235lbs, the 22-year-old has crazy speed and the potential to become one of the great hitters in baseball. MJ

It’s tough to make trading away Soto look good but the haul that the Nationals got in return is starting to pan out – headlined by the Nats’ Wood, who pairs the kind of power you would expect out of that physique with the sort of smooth athleticism that you wouldn’t. I’m hardly going out on a limb after he was 20% better than league average in a partial season last year. But if you’re not watching the Nats, you might have missed the debut of the soon-to-be star. HK

We all want to know when Skenes will undergo his seemingly inevitable Tommy John surgery. This year? Next year? Is that a cynical take? Oh yeah it is, and though I do kid, every bad joke has a kernel of truth in it. Skenes has elite secondary stuff and he isn’t quite max effort on every single fastball. But even still, half of his fastballs are over 100 mph and his sinker settles at about 95. So, you know, I worry. A prayer to the baseball gods: Please let Skenes become a sturdy, dominant workhorse who hurls deep into games – the sport needs it desperately. Can I get an amen? DL

MVP winners

NL: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers. I am aching to pick Carroll, whom I believe will hit between 25 and 30 home runs and steal over 50 bases in 2025, but Ohtani is the default answer once he resumes pitching. AL: Gunnar Henderson, Orioles. I like the young shortstop, who finished fourth in last year’s voting after a phenomenal age-24 season, to edge out another star young infielder, the Royals’ Witt. GB

AL: Witt. The do-it-all stud is a great defender with lightning speed and huge power. Witt could be the next 40-40 man. NL: Ohtani. Speaking of 40-40 seasons, Ohtani is coming off his first. He’s the best player in baseball, and there is no credible counterpoint. MJ

NL: Ohtani. He has won MVP in 50% of the full seasons he’s played in MLB. He’s won with the Angels in the American League and with the Dodgers in the National League. He’s won as the only two-way player this century and he’s won as the first-ever strictly DH to take home the honors. He’s winning it again this year for the NL. Since that’s so chalk, I have a slightly more interesting AL pick: Wyatt Langford, the Texas Rangers outfielder, who debuted last season less than a year after getting drafted. He struggled for most of the season before getting red-hot in September. But even while struggling he was fast, patient, and sprayed the ball all over the field. Now he just needs to add back the power he had in college and the minors. HK

Well there’s Ohtaniin the NL at the juicy price of 5-4 and then there’s the field. If the slugger turns starter around the All-Star break, well, you know the deal. Baseball is generally unpredictable, but with Ohtani, it’s just about whether he will stay healthy. His only competition is in the other league and that’s Judge, who was actually better overall than Ohtani last season, if only because he plays the field. One problem for No 99: nobody will pitch to him now that Soto is gone, and that means Witt gets the trophy in the AL. DL

AL East winners

Even after losing Soto to the Mets and ace Gerrit Cole to an elbow injury (he’ll miss the entire 2025 season), the Yankees should excel after savvy offseason additions like outfielder Cody Bellinger, starting pitcher Max Fried and closer Devin Williams. This will be an extremely competitive division and all five teams may finish with records over .500. GB

While the Yankees did sign Fried, Bellinger and Williams, they lost Soto and Nestor Cortes, and Cole is done for the season. That leaves a Red Sox team that had a fruitful offseason acquiring Garrett Crochet and Alex Bregman with a viable path to AL East glory. MJ

Yes, the Yankees are reigning pennant winners and pivoted admirably from losing Soto. And yes, the Red Sox missed the postseason entirely the past three years. But I believe in the pitching moves Boston made this winter and the influx of talent in the form of a trio of top prospects ready to contribute at some point this summer. It’s a shame Netflix isn’t following them around this season, because the Red Sox are going to be the team to beat. HK

I know who it won’t be: the Yankees. No Cole, no Soto, no Giancarlo Stanton and Luis Gil, at least for now. They still have three MVP’s on the roster, which is nothing to sneeze at, but that’s a lot of losses. It opens the door to the Orioles, who shamefully failed to adequately invest in their rotation after the loss of ace Corbin Burnes to free agency. They’re still more than capable, with an enormous amount of talent on the roster. They should hold off the improved Red Sox for the crown. DL

AL Central winners

The Twins suffered an ugly collapse, going 8-18 in the final month of the 2024 regular season en route to a fourth-place finish in a clustered AL Central. Here’s a bet that their starting pitching depth and versatile lineup – with major contributions from slugger Matt Wallner and former top pick Royce Lewis – put them back in the playoffs in 2025. GB

This will be the most competitive division in baseball and any of three teams could take it. But people are sleeping on the Royals, not believing they can improve on their 30-win jump a season ago. The front of their lineup should be bolstered by new leadoff hitter Jonathan India. Most of Kansas City’s useful rotation stayed intact, and they fortified the bullpen in the offseason. MJ

I would love to see what the Twins could do with full and fully healthy seasons from Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa, but I don’t think we’re ever going to get that. The Royals went from 100 losses to playing in the postseason in the span of a single season. I like their spunkiness – and the fact that Witt projects to be the fourth-best position player, behind only marquee names like Judge, Soto, and Ohtani. HK

Remember when everyone handed the Twins the AL Central last season and ignored the Guardians? Well that was embarrassing. What now? Well, really, I have no idea. We have four middling teams, none of whom light up the room and any of them are capable of winning the Central. That said, KC’s rotation is bright, especially if Seth Lugo can be the ace he broke out to be last season. Plus they have the soon-to-be MVP in Witt, so, the Royals are worth a whirl. DL

AL West winners

The Astros look a bit less fearsome without franchise cornerstones Bregman and Kyle Tucker, so the 2023 World Series champion Rangers will sneak past them and the punchless Mariners. A veteran core should propel this sturdy squad to 92 wins, which will probably be enough to win the division. GB

Welcome back, Jacob deGrom! He’s not the only key player back: with the return of Evan Carter and Josh Jung, as well as adding more pop in the lineup via free agency, these Rangers should hit a lot of homers on the road to the division title. MJ

The Astros have won the West seven out of the last eight years. But their core is aging or getting shipped out while the Rangers have Langford, Carter, and Jung to supplement their 30-something stalwarts (also Corey Seager is somehow only just now going into his age-31 season?). Plus, they may get most of a season out of deGrom for the first time since he signed with Texas ahead of 2023 – and he’s the best pitcher in the sport whenever he’s on the mound. HK

Related: MLB players are giving their new robot umpire overlords a cautious welcome

Oh, the AL West: the AFC South of MLB, or at least it was last season. It was not so interesting to watch the Rangers sink and the Mariners slide, with many thanks to Julio Rodriguez’s mystifying decline. The Astros won, again. Yawn. The good news? That may finally be over. The Rangers have the boys to bounce back into the post season, especially if deGrom can stitch together 20 or so starts: wouldn’t that be something? Their infield is stacked, the rotation may be serviceable and there’s no real closer. Warts and all, it looks like Texas, mostly thanks to the decline in Houston, a cheap, lazy Mariners front office and a flimsy back end of the division. DL

NL East winners

The Mets had the splashiest offseason by adding Soto, but the Phillies still have the league’s deepest starting lineup after the Dodgers and a reliable pitching staff. Zack Wheeler should be the frontrunner for the NL Cy Young award after finishing second last year and he could be challenged by teammate Christopher Sánchez. GB

Unlike other teams that overhauled their rosters in the offseason, Atlanta just needed their stars to return to health. Getting Ronald Acuňa Jr back will be huge. Same with Spencer Strider. If Marcell Ozuna sits somewhere near 40 homers once again, and the rest of the lineup steps it up, this offense will easily lead the Braves to more than 100 wins. MJ

You could justifiably put the Braves, Phillies, and Mets in virtually any order. Which is why I’m going with the boring pick of the Braves. And actually, the projection systems don’t seem to think it’s as close as I do. The Braves finished second in the East last year after losing two of the most impactful players in the sport to early-season injuries. Getting Strider and Acuña back puts them back on top. HK

Loaded, that’s the NL East. The Phillies have a tremendous core, but in a game increasingly defined by young, raw talent, there’s always a chance that their aging roster breaks down. And while that decline could happen sooner than later, it won’t be in 2025: the Phillies will win a tight race with the Braves and Mets. That’ll be thanks to a deep starting rotation led by Wheeler and the usual suspects on offense, Bryce Harper and Co, featuring a Trea Turner who bounces back to his old self. DL

NL Central winners

The Brewers have lost franchise shortstop Willy Adames, who signed a seven-year contract with the Giants, but feature one of the game’s brightest young stars in outfielder Jackson Chourio and arguably the game’s best offensive catcher in William Contreras. GB

The Reds and Cubs could certainly make a push, but Milwaukee’s stacked bullpen will be key in keeping the Brewers as division leaders. Can we stop calling them overachievers? MJ

Speaking of projections, the computers have a hard time separating the NL Central teams right now. I’m going with the Brewers just on gut feeling. Their offseason was a net negative, but somehow they always manage to overcome their financial austerity. And not always just by the skin of their teeth! Last year they scored the sixth-most runs in baseball and they’ll bring back offensive contributors like Chourio, Contreras, and a healthy Yelich, who looked hot in spring. HK

If the Cardinals don’t make the playoffs, it will be their longest streak of postseason less seasons since 1995. And they’re not going to make it, so will we finally hear consistent booing from their wholesome fans who love their team SO MUCH? Who will be more miserable? St Louis or Milwaukee, who traded off Williams and lost Adames to free agency? The door is open for the Cubs, a flawed but capable club led by their freshest face, Kyle Tucker. DL

NL West winners

This won’t be a cakewalk. The Padres were one win away from ending the Dodgers’ season in 2024 and the Diamondbacks made two marquee offseason additions – starting pitcher Burnes and first baseman Josh Naylor – to fortify an exciting young core. Even so, the Dodgers are simply too powerful: Adding Blake Snell and Sasaki gives them the best pitching staff in baseball and their offense is the envy of any executive and fan. They may not win the World Series, but they’ll probably win 100 games. GB

The most loaded hitting and pitching staffs in baseball. Most of the who’s who in MLB are on this roster. The Dodgers feel like a bully at this point, which makes them extra fun to hate. MJ

This winter, the World Series champions – and winners of the most games not just last year but the past decade – added a two-time Cy Young Award winner and the most coveted starting pitcher on the market, and those were not the same person. Plus, their lineup is studded not just with All-Stars or potential MVPs, but likely future Hall of Famers. It adds up to a pretty dominant Dodgers team. HK

It’s all about the Rockies, who seem poised to break out and win the NL West for the first time in when, (checks baseball-reference), ever? Yes, ever! Wow! Spectacular third baseman Ryan McMahon and dynamic Ezequiel Tovar will lead this spicy Colorado bunch along with a revitalized Kris Bryant (remember him?) and veteran hurler German Marquez. How long can I keep this farce up? I’d say up until right about now when I saw the Dodgers. DL

AL wildcards

Orioles, Rays, Guardians. GB

Yankees, Orioles, and Tigers. MJ

Astros, Yankees, Orioles. HK

Red Sox, Yankees, Blue Jays – that means four AL East teams in the playoffs! DL

NL wildcards

Diamondbacks, Braves, Mets. GB

Mets, Phillies, Reds. MJ

Diamondbacks, Mets, Phillies. HK

Mets, Braves, Padres. DL

ALCS

Rangers over Orioles. GB

Red Sox over Yankees. MJ

Red Sox over Royals. HK

Orioles over Rangers. DL

NLCS

Phillies over Dodgers. GB

Braves over Dodgers. MJ

Phillies over Dodgers. HK

Dodgers over Phillies. DL

World Series

Phillies over Orioles. After their surprise run to the 2022 World Series, the Phillies have struggled with the weight of expectations over the last two Octobers. I like them to finally overcome those recent ghosts to outlast a weaker, but mentally tough opponent in the Rangers thanks to brilliant postseasons from Bryce Harper and Wheeler. An underrated contributor this season will be infielder Bryson Stott, who should flush a disappointing 2024 with a breakout offensive season thanks to improved plate discipline. GB

Braves over Red Sox. The Braves win the World Series over the Red Sox thanks to a deep roster that can swing the bat up and down the order. Crochet, a huge add for Boston, will eke out a win. But Atlanta’s starting rotation is too loaded, with reigning NL Cy Young winner Chris Sale and a bunch of contenders. MJ

Red Sox over Phillies. Let’s get this out of the way: the Phillies are not the best team in the NL. But, they have an incredible – and incredibly durable – top of the rotation, which has an outsized impact in October. They’ll ultimately fall, however, to a Red Sox team who pair a gaggle of high-ceiling young players with the veteran presence – and perspective from having played nearly 100 playoff games – of Bregman. To a starting rotation that had the third-lowest park-adjusted ERA last year they added the best pitcher on the trade block in Crochet and a fiery competitor with interesting upside in Walker Buehler. He was on the mound for the end of the 2024 World Series and I’m predicting that he’ll be somewhere in the vicinity again when the 2025 championship is decided. HK

Dodgers over Orioles. It’s 1966 all over again, except this time, Baltimore lose to LA in five games. The Dodgers’ second consecutive title leads us neatly into 2026, which will be dominated by the unavoidable labor issues which are coming at the sport like a speeding locomotive. LA’s grip means split ownership groups taking sides and clarion calls for a salary cap. The Dodgers just have too much talent, for way too much money. Is their roster fair? Does it spoil MLB? Well, as they say, don’t hate the player, hate the game. And that’s why all hell is coming to the game, sooner rather than later. DL

Giants' 2025 MLB Opening Day starting lineup extends historic left field streak originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

CINCINNATI — Heliot Ramos laughed earlier this week and nodded. Yes, the young Giants outfielder said, he was well aware that he would be added to the list, but he’s hopeful somebody else isn’t answering that question next March.

Ramos is in left field as expected at Great American Ball Park, meaning the Giants are starting a different left fielder in their opener for a 19th consecutive season. Perhaps the most incredible part is that they don’t have sole possession of the record for changes at one position. The St. Louis Browns/Baltimore Orioles franchise also started 19 different left fielders in 19 years from 1937 to 1955. 

The streak started in 2007 with Barry Bonds. Last year, Michael Conforto became No. 18, but he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the offseason. There was never any doubt that Ramos would be the guy this year if healthy, and the plan is for the streak to end with the homegrown All-Star.

Right fielder Mike Yastrzemski is a free agent at the end of the year and there’s a chance Ramos moves there next season if there’s an option in left that necessitates it, but for now, the Giants view him as their long-term left fielder. 

“You can’t forecast the future,” manager Bob Melvin said. “But it looks pretty good for him.”

The rest of the lineup against Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene features no surprises. As he talked about all spring, Melvin has Jung Hoo Lee hitting third. Ramos is expected to lead off against left-handed pitchers, with LaMonte Wade Jr. doing it against righties.

Here’s the full lineup for the opener: 

This is the first Opening Day start for Ramos, who was in the minors at the beginning of last season. By running out to left, he’ll join — in order — Bonds, Dave Roberts, Fred Lewis, Mark DeRosa, Pat Burrell, Aubrey Huff, Andres Torres, Michael Morse, Nori Aoki, Angel Pagan, Jarrett Parker, Hunter Pence, Connor Joe, Alex Dickerson, Austin Slater, Joc Pederson, Blake Sabol and Conforto.

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Five intriguing Athletics storylines to follow during 2025 season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Roughly six weeks ago, Athletics manager Mark Kotsay proudly admitted that there lies a “higher level of expectation” for his organization and its 2025 MLB season. Only hours remain before Opening Day at T-Mobile Park, and it’s clear the fourth-year skipper was right.

The Athletics have momentum entering the newest 162-game slate. Despite finishing 2024 with a 69-93 record, the Green and Gold finished a promising 39-37 over their final 76 games, and their eventful offseason matched the franchise’s upbeat, youthful on-field energy.

Money was spent. Cores remained intact. Veterans and prospects are eager to compete. Here are five on-field storylines to follow during the Athletics’ 2025 season.

Big Names Worth The Bigger Checks?

General manager David Forst entered the offseason expecting the Athletics to be “active” in MLB free agency and “increase” payroll; both ideas came to fruition.

The Athletics made waves throughout the league in December by signing right-handed ace Luis Severino to a franchise-record three-year free-agent contract worth up to $67 million. The franchise followed the blockbuster move by retaining its core, signing All-Star designated hitter Brent Rooker to a five-year, $60 million contract extension, rising-star outfielder Lawrence Butler to a seven-year, $65 million contract extension and Kotsay to a three-year contract extension worth an undisclosed amount.

Numerous under-the-radar moves were made to address areas of need, too. The Athletics traded for veteran left-handed pitcher Jeffrey Springs and his $10.5 million salary to round out their rotation; signed right-handed reliever José Leclerc to a one-year, $10 million contract to likely be All-Star closer Mason Miller’s set-up man; and signed third baseman Gio Urshela to a one-year, $2.5 million free-agent contract to stabilize the hot corner.

The Athletics committed more money than usual to more players than usual. While a risky process, all will be well if the Green and Gold collectively play as expected.

A Strong Start Can Go A Long Way

The Athletics need to start hot.

They haven’t finished above .500 over the first 10 games of a regular season since the coronavirus-shortened 2020 campaign, when they began 6-4. The Athletics’ last playoff appearance coincidentally was that year.

The opening 10-game stretch has indicated how successful the Athletics will be. 

In 2024, for example, the Athletics started about as unfavorably as any team could before missing the postseason for the fourth consecutive year. At their old Oakland Coliseum stomping grounds, the Athletics won just one of their first four games against first-year manager Stephen Vogt and the Cleveland Guardians, ultimately being outscored 29-11 over the four-game series. The Athletics would drop their next four and fall to 1-7, being outscored 49-19 on the season through eight games.

Kotsay and his team often recall their strong second-half performance from 2024 and use the memory as fuel for what is possible. But despite their momentous offseason, the Athletics will struggle to reach the postseason any year they dig themselves a deep hole early in the first half.

Youth Movement Persists

The Athletics’ roster had an average age of 26.8 last season, and it’ll be carrying — and considering — a similar number of youngsters in 2025.

On their first Opening Day, top prospect and shortstop Jacob Wilson is just 22, No. 7 overall prospect and infielder Max Muncy is 22, fifth starting pitcher Joey Estes is 23 and first baseman Tyler Soderstrom is 23. Butler still is 24, and don’t forget the injured Athletics players, as second baseman Zack Gelof and pitcher Luis Medina are 25.

No. 2 overall prospect and first baseman Nick Kurtz, who was selected No. 4 overall by the Athletics in the 2024 MLB Amateur Draft, also is expected to see the majors at some point in 2025. He’s just 22. Other Athletics players, such as relievers Noah Murdock and Miller, are just 26. 

While additions such as Severino, Urshela and Leclerc are north of 30, it’s clear the franchise remains very youth-oriented.

Whose Time To Shine?

The Athletics have had an underrated player emerge into a star over the past few seasons. Who will be next?

In 2023, Rooker transformed from a down-on-his-luck outfielder to an MLB All-Star after slashing .246/.329/.488 with 114 hits, 69 RBI and 30 home runs, and has since been paid a massive sum correlative with his impact.

Butler followed suit in 2024 and earned his expensive payday after slashing 291/.330/.565 with 89 hits, 50 RBI and 20 home runs over the Athletics’ final 84 games of the 2024 season. Miller, too, made himself a household name as an All-Star and rookie closer after posting a 2.49 ERA with 104 strikeouts over 65 innings in 55 games, embarrassing opposing batters with his four-seam fastball that casually surpasses 103 miles per hour.

Kotsay emphasized that one of his favorite aspects of his new-look roster is, in a good way, the lack of opportunities available; in other words, Kotsay doesn’t believe external struggling players can view the Athletics as a haven, as the franchise is trying to win now and has faith in its current roster.

So, who will be the next up-and-comer to break out with the Green and Gold? From Wilson to Estes, there are plenty of competitive candidates.

Another Leap In The Win Column?

The Athletics made a 19-game jump in the win column in 2024 and can do something similar in 2025.

They finished 69-93 in 2024 and a duplicate rise would put them at 88-74 and into serious AL playoff contention; for what it’s worth, history supports the plausibility.

In 2018, the Athletics improved to 97-65 after finishing 75-87 in 2017. In 2012, they finished 94-68 after a 74-88 ending in 2011. In 1999, they finished 87-75 after a subpar 74-88 in 1998. 

You get the point. 

Or, you can even look at the 1980 season — the legendary and late Rickey Henderson’s first entire campaign — and how the Athletics jumped to a relatively strong 83-79 after a 54-108 finish in 1979.

The Athletics seemingly are serious about winning before moving to Las Vegas. As history proves, the franchise can be in for another big-time jump and compete for more than pride.