2025 Major League Baseball season
Ongoing professional baseball season in the United States and Canada From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2025 Major League Baseball season began on March 18–19 with a two-game series between the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs held in Tokyo, Japan, before the regular season proper runs from March 27 to September 28. The 95th All-Star Game is planned for July 15 at Truist Park in Cumberland, Georgia, the home of the Atlanta Braves.[1]
| 2025 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | Major League Baseball |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | March 18 – September 28, 2025 |
| Number of games | 162 |
| Number of teams | 30 |
| TV partner(s) | Fox/FS1 TBS ESPN/ABC MLB Network |
| Streaming partner(s) | Max Apple TV+ The Roku Channel ESPN+ |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Washington Nationals |
| Regular season | |
| Postseason | |
| World Series | |
The Athletics relocated from Oakland to West Sacramento, California, for at least three seasons before their planned relocation to the Las Vegas metropolitan area.[2] The team is branded as the Athletics, with no city name attached.[3]
Schedule
Major League Baseball released its 2025 schedule on July 18, 2024. There are 162 games scheduled for all teams. The scheduling formula was modified this season to increase the number of games between "prime" Interleague rivals from four to six, playing two three-game series instead of two two-game series. May 16–18 has also been designated as "Rivalry Weekend", featuring 11 series of these "prime" Interleague rivals.[1][4]
The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs opened the season at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo on March 18–19 in the MLB Tokyo Series 2025. Opening Day in North America occurred on March 27 for all teams except for the Colorado Rockies and the Tampa Bay Rays, which was rescheduled to March 28 due to work done at the Rays' temporary ballpark Steinbrenner Field.[1]
The 95th All-Star Game will be played on July 15, hosted by the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park in Cumberland, Georgia. The Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds will play a game at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee, on August 2. The MLB Little League Classic at Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, will be played on August 17 with the Seattle Mariners taking on the New York Mets.
Rule changes
On January 25, 2025, MLB announced a set of rule changes to take effect during the season:[5]
- If a team violates the previously instituted ban on the infield shift, which requires a minimum of two infielders on either side of second base, the batter will be given first base and runners will be able to advance one base. Previously the penalty for violating the ban was an automatic ball. Teams will continue to have the ability to decline the penalty and accept the results of the play.
- Replay review will now be able to check whether or not a player overruns second or third base, and call them out for abandonment, even if that was not the subject of the original review.
Experimental rules
During spring training only, 13 stadiums were used to test the Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS). When ABS was available, teams had two challenges per game, retaining successful challenges. The batter, catcher, or pitcher could challenge a ball or strike call, but had to do so immediately and without assistance from anyone else.[6]
Standings
American League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 21 | 16 | .568 | — | 13–8 | 8–8 |
| Boston Red Sox | 20 | 19 | .513 | 2 | 11–9 | 9–10 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 16 | 21 | .432 | 5 | 9–16 | 7–5 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 16 | 20 | .444 | 4½ | 11–8 | 5–12 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 13 | 23 | .361 | 7½ | 8–9 | 5–14 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Tigers | 25 | 13 | .658 | — | 13–3 | 12–10 |
| Cleveland Guardians | 22 | 15 | .595 | 2½ | 11–5 | 11–10 |
| Kansas City Royals | 23 | 16 | .590 | 2½ | 15–5 | 8–11 |
| Minnesota Twins | 18 | 20 | .474 | 7 | 12–6 | 6–14 |
| Chicago White Sox | 10 | 29 | .256 | 15½ | 7–11 | 3–18 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle Mariners | 22 | 14 | .611 | — | 12–6 | 10–8 |
| Athletics | 20 | 18 | .526 | 3 | 7–11 | 13–7 |
| Houston Astros | 18 | 18 | .500 | 4 | 11–7 | 7–11 |
| Texas Rangers | 18 | 20 | .474 | 5 | 12–8 | 6–12 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 15 | 20 | .429 | 6½ | 8–7 | 7–13 |
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Mets | 24 | 14 | .632 | — | 13–3 | 11–11 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 22 | 15 | .595 | 1½ | 13–6 | 9–9 |
| Atlanta Braves | 18 | 19 | .486 | 5½ | 12–6 | 6–13 |
| Washington Nationals | 17 | 21 | .447 | 7 | 10–9 | 7–12 |
| Miami Marlins | 14 | 22 | .389 | 9 | 10–12 | 4–10 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Cubs | 22 | 16 | .579 | — | 10–9 | 12–7 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 19 | 20 | .487 | 3½ | 9–10 | 10–10 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 19 | 19 | .500 | 3 | 12–7 | 7–12 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 19 | 19 | .500 | 3 | 15–6 | 4–13 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 12 | 26 | .316 | 10 | 7–12 | 5–14 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 25 | 12 | .676 | — | 15–3 | 10–9 |
| San Diego Padres | 23 | 13 | .639 | 1½ | 14–4 | 9–9 |
| San Francisco Giants | 24 | 14 | .632 | 1½ | 12–5 | 12–9 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 19 | 18 | .514 | 6 | 9–10 | 10–8 |
| Colorado Rockies | 6 | 31 | .162 | 19 | 4–14 | 2–17 |
Managerial changes
Summarize
Perspective
General managers
Off-season
| Team | Former GM | Reason For Leaving | New GM | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Twins | Thad Levine | Fired | Jeremy Zoll | On October 4, 2024, Levine departed after eight-year tenure with the team.[7] |
| San Francisco Giants | Farhan Zaidi | Zack Minasian | On September 30, 2024, Zaidi was fired after six years as the team's president of baseball operations. The same day, the Giants named former catcher Buster Posey as the new president of baseball operations.[8] On November 1, Posey hired Zack Minasian to serve as general manager.[9] |
Field managers
Off-season
| Team | Former Manager | Interim Manager | Reason For Leaving | New Manager | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago White Sox | Pedro Grifol | Grady Sizemore | Fired | Will Venable | On August 8, 2024, the White Sox fired Grifol. In two seasons as manager of the White Sox, he compiled a record of 89–190 (.319) with no playoff appearances.[10]
Sizemore was named as the interim manager on the same day Grifol and bench coach Charlie Montoyo were fired. This was his first managerial position.[11] Venable was hired on October 31. He had previously been an assistant coach for the Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, and Texas Rangers.[12] |
| Cincinnati Reds | David Bell | Freddie Benavides | Terry Francona | On September 22, 2024, the Reds fired David Bell. During his six seasons as the Reds skipper, Bell compiled a record of 409–456 (.473) with one playoff appearance during the 2020 COVID-shortened season.
Benavides, the current bench coach, was named as the interim manager for the rest of the season. This was his first managerial position.[13] On October 4, Francona was hired as the new manager for the Reds.[14] | |
| Miami Marlins | Skip Schumaker | — | Clayton McCullough | On September 29, 2024, the Marlins announced that Skip Schumaker would not return as the team manager for the 2025 Season. In his two seasons as the Marlins skipper, Schumaker compiled a record of 146–178 (.451), with one playoff appearance.[15]
On November 11, McCullough was hired as the new manager for the Marlins.[16] | |
| Contract expired |
In-season
| Team | Former manager | Interim manager | Reason for leaving | New manager | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Derek Shelton | Don Kelly | Fired | On May 8, the Pirates fired Derek Shelton. During his six seasons as the Pirates skipper, Shelton compiled a record of 306–440 (.410) with no playoff appearance. Kelly, the current bench coach, was named as the interim manager for the rest of the season. This is his first managerial position.[17] |
League leaders
(Updated through May 7)
American League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Aaron Judge (NYY) | .400 |
| OPS | Aaron Judge (NYY) | 1.241 |
| HR | Aaron Judge (NYY) Cal Raleigh (SEA) |
12 |
| RBI | Aaron Judge (NYY) | 34 |
| R | Aaron Judge (NYY) | 34 |
| H | Aaron Judge (NYY) | 56 |
| SB | Luis Robert Jr. (CWS) | 15 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Max Fried (NYY) | 6 |
| L | Charlie Morton (BAL) | 7 |
| ERA | Max Fried (NYY) | 1.05 |
| K | Cole Ragans (KC) Carlos Rodón (NYY) |
57 |
| IP | Max Fried (NYY) | 51.2 |
| SV | Andrés Muñoz (SEA) | 13 |
| WHIP | Nathan Eovaldi (TEX) | 0.80 |
National League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Brendan Donovan (STL) | .331 |
| OPS | Pete Alonso (NYM) | 1.085 |
| HR | Kyle Schwarber (PHI) | 12 |
| RBI | Pete Alonso (NYM) Teoscar Hernández (LAD) |
34 |
| R | Shohei Ohtani (LAD) | 40 |
| H | Corbin Carroll (ARI) Brendan Donovan (STL) |
46 |
| SB | Oneil Cruz (PIT) | 15 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | 5 tied with | 5 |
| L | Germán Márquez (COL) | 6 |
| ERA | Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD) | 0.90 |
| K | MacKenzie Gore (WAS) | 68 |
| IP | Zack Wheeler (PHI) | 51.0 |
| SV | Robert Suárez (SD) | 14 |
| WHIP | Hunter Greene (CIN) | 0.81 |
Milestones
Batters
- Tyler O'Neill (BAL):
- Hit a home run on Opening Day for the sixth consecutive season, extending his Major League record. He hit a three-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays on March 27.[18]
- Kameron Misner (TB):
- Became the first player in Major League history to hit his first home run as a walk-off on Opening Day. He accomplished this on March 28 against the Colorado Rockies.[19]
- Carson Kelly (CHC):
- Became the first player in Major League history to hit for the cycle in March. He accomplished this feat on March 31 against the Athletics.[20]
- Aaron Judge (NYY):
- Became the first player in Major League history to have at least five home runs with at least 15 RBIs in his team’s first six games of a season on April 3 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.[21]
- Became the first player in Major League history to have at least six home runs and 17 RBIs in his team's first seven games of a season on April 4 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.[22]
- He played in his 1,000th career game on April 4 against the Pirates. Judge's 321 home runs are the most for any player through his first 1,000 games in Major League history. The previous mark was held by Ryan Howard, who had set the mark with 279 homers in his first 1,000 games.[22]
- Eugenio Suarez (ARI):
- Hit four home runs in one game against the Atlanta Braves on April 26. He became the 19th player to accomplish this feat.[23]
- José Ramírez (CLE):
- Became the 24th player in Major League history with 250 career home runs and 250 career stolen bases when he stole his 250th base on May 1 against the Minnesota Twins.[24]
- Riley Greene (DET):
- Became the first player in Major League history to hit two home runs in the ninth inning of a game on May 2 against the Los Angeles Angels. Greene lead off the ninth with his first homer of the inning against Kenley Jansen. Later in the inning, Greene homered off Jake Eder to accomplish this achievement.[25]
Pitchers
- MacKenzie Gore (WAS):
- With his 13 strikeouts against the Philadelphia Phillies on March 27, Gore joined Bob Gibson as the only pitchers in Major League history with at least 13 strikeouts and no walks in a scoreless outing on Opening Day. Gibson accomplished this feat in 1967.[26]
- Kenley Jansen (LAA):
- Recorded his 450th save by closing out the victory on April 8 against the Tampa Bay Rays. Jansen became the fourth pitcher to achieve this feat.[27]
- José Quintana (MIL):
- Became the 24th pitcher to earn a win against all the current teams on April 11 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He joined Gerrit Cole, Charlie Morton, Max Scherzer, and Justin Verlander as the only active pitchers to do so.[28]
- Spencer Strider (ATL):
- Recorded his 500th career strikeout in the fifth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 16. His strikeout of Addison Barger yielded his 500th, which made him the quickest primary starter to reach that mark. Strider accomplished this in 334 innings, breaking the record of 372 innings by Freddy Peralta.[29]
- Jacob deGrom (TEX):
- His strikeout of Jorge Polanco of the Seattle Mariners on May 4, was deGrom’s 1,700th career strikeout. This strikeout made him the fastest pitcher to reach this mark, taking only 225 games, beating Yu Darvish and Randy Johnson who took 230 games.[30]
Miscellaneous
- New York Yankees:
- Became the first team in Major League history to hit three home runs on the first three pitches of the game. This was accomplished on March 29 against the Milwaukee Brewers.[31]
- Set a Major League record for most home runs hit, seven, through the first three innings in a game on March 29 against the Milwaukee Brewers.[32]
- Set a Major League record for most home runs in a team's first four games of the season, hitting 18 home runs from March 27 to April 1. The previous record of 16 was set by the Detroit Tigers in 2006.[33]
- Set a Major League record for most home runs in a team's first eight games of the season, hitting 25 home runs from March 27 to April 5. The previous record of 23 was set by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2000.[34]
- Became the first team in Major League history to hit three consecutive homers to start a game twice in one season. The first was on March 29 (see above) and the latest was accomplished on April 29 against the Baltimore Orioles.[35]
- Los Angeles Dodgers:
- Became the first team in Major League history as the defending World Series champions to begin the season 8–0.[36]
- San Diego Padres:
- With their shutout on April 13 against the Colorado Rockies, the Padres tied a Major League record by becoming the second team to notch six shutouts in its first 16 games of the season. The only other team to accomplish this was the 1966 Cleveland Indians.[37]
- Paul Skenes / Henry Davis (PIT):
- Became the first-ever battery of No. 1 overall draft picks on April 14 against the Washington Nationals. Skenes was the first pick in 2023, while Davis was the first pick in 2021.[38]
- Kansas City Royals / Baltimore Orioles:
- In their game on May 4 in Camden Yards, the teams combined for ten solo home runs, which tied the Major League record for most combined home runs in a single contest. The other times this happened in league history was on May 22, 2022 (Diamondbacks–Cubs at Wrigley Field) and on May 28, 1995 (White Sox–Tigers at Tiger Stadium). The Royals hit seven of them.[39]
Awards and honors
Monthly awards
Player of the Month
| Month | American League | National League |
|---|---|---|
| April | Aaron Judge | Pete Alonso |
| May | ||
| June | ||
| July | ||
| August | ||
| September |
Rookie of the Month
| Month | American League | National League |
|---|---|---|
| April | Kristian Campbell | Luisangel Acuña |
| May | ||
| June | ||
| July | ||
| August | ||
| September |
Pitcher of the Month
| Month | American League | National League |
|---|---|---|
| April | Max Fried | Yoshinobu Yamamoto |
| May | ||
| June | ||
| July | ||
| August | ||
| September |
Reliever of the Month
| Month | American League | National League |
|---|---|---|
| April | Andrés Muñoz | Robert Suárez |
| May | ||
| June | ||
| July | ||
| August | ||
| September |
Uniforms
Summarize
Perspective
Wholesale changes
- Major League Baseball uniforms reverted to the previous cut and materials following the controversial Nike Vapor Premier changeover in 2024. This includes the return to larger letters on the player's name and pant customization options. However, the "batterman" logo will remain below the headspoon piping on certain uniforms, as it was in 2024. For 2025, the road uniforms will use the pre-2024 fabric, followed by the home uniforms in 2026. In addition, for the 2025 All-Star Game, regular home and road team uniforms will be used instead of game-specific uniforms that were introduced from 2021 to 2024. However, game-specific caps will still be used. Home uniforms will also be used on the Home Run Derby, while batting practice-specific uniforms will still be worn.[40]
- The Guardians unveiled a new uniform set. The biggest change for the 2025 season will be seen in Cleveland's blue alternative uniform set. The jersey will continue to have a navy base but will move away from "CLEVELAND" across the chest and instead feature the Guardians "Diamond C" logo. The Guardians red home alternative uniform will feature a new look across the chest, as the script Guardians from 2024 will change to the club's Bridge Print font with "Guardians" across the chest. Piping on the red jersey will showcase a blue-white-blue look. Cleveland's white home uniform will continue to carry on its primary historic look with the script "Guardians" across the chest. The logo will shift from being on a slant to horizontal. New piping will be on the jersey with a red-blue-red design on the neckline and arms. A new home hat will make its debut in 2025, solely with the white uniform set, as the main color of the hat will change to red with a blue bill. All hats will continue to feature the "Diamond C," and the club's blue cap with red bill will be worn with all other jerseys (home red, road blue, road gray). The road uniform will stay the same.[41]
- The Cubs unveiled a new powder blue alternate uniform, featuring a stylized Cubs logo on the right chest influenced by the team's early logos, and a guitar pick-shaped sleeve patch featuring the city name. The cap is blue with a white panel, emblazoned with the stylized Cubs logo in front. The uniform is inspired by Chicago's history of blues music and will be worn during Friday home day games in the summer.[42]
- The Athletics replaced their elephant sleeve patch with a new patch representing their temporary home of Sacramento along with a silhouette of the Tower Bridge. The road and alternate green uniforms will be emblazoned with "Athletics" in front in place of the city name. The Athletics will also bring back the gold alternate uniform last worn in 2018, with thinner green piping.[43][44][45]
- The Red Sox promoted their yellow City Connect uniforms to full-time alternates, replacing the navy blue road alternate uniforms, to make room for a new City Connect uniform.[46]
- The Mets unveiled a new alternate blue pullover road jersey. It features the "New York" script in blue trimmed with orange across the chest, which was featured on the team's road jerseys in 1987. This will replace their blue home alternate jerseys. The gray road uniforms will also be tweaked, removing the blue piping and adding blue-orange-blue stripes on the sleeves, collar and pants.[47][48]
- The Nationals brought back the alternate red "Curly W" uniform after a one-season absence but removed the white and blue piping. Due to the "4+1" rule by Nike, the team retired the white alternate pullover "Capitol W" uniform after only one season.[49][50]
- The Orioles added orange pants to pair with the orange alternate uniform for select games, and the set will be worn with the orange-brimmed black "cartoon bird" cap. This marked the first time since 1972 that the Orioles would wear all-orange uniforms as an alternate option. They will continue to wear white pants with the white-paneled "cartoon bird" cap for other select games with the orange uniform.[51]
- The Royals announced they will wear powder blue pants with the powder blue uniforms for Saturday home games. An alternate cap and batting helmet was also introduced with this uniform, featuring a white panel, powder blue crown and royal blue brim, and an updated version of the original "KCR" crown logo. White pants and the royal blue "KC" cap will still be worn with the powder blue uniforms on other select dates.[52][53]
- The Reds added an alternate home white uniform. The design is similar to the primary home white uniform, but with the chest numbers and piping removed, and the red "wishbone C" logo replacing the full "C-REDS" logo.[54]
Uniform advertisements
This is the third year that teams added advertisement patches to their uniforms. The following teams have announced their uniform advertisements.
City Connect
Eight teams unveiled new City Connect 2.0 uniforms and wore them for the first time during the season.[57]
- The Astros' second City Connect uniform is white with blue letters and features the team nickname "STROS" in blue lettering with an orange star logo, trim carrying over from their City Connect 1.0 with their "tequila sunrise" pattern and a lunar pattern pinstriping on the pants paying tribute to the history of the moon landing. They also debuted a new hat logo which is a futuristic design of their traditional star logo in the form of the Astros "A". The sleeve features a mission patch inspired by the long-time Union Station logo. The belt loop has "HTX" stitched along the beltline to pay tribute to Houston, Texas. The afterburner socks feature a mixture of orange and yellow in the design of a fire which symbolizes the afterburners on a rocketship.[58]
- The Nationals' second City Connect uniform is light blue featuring a white outline of Washington, D.C.'s street grid and an interlocking "DC" on the chest which is meant to resemble the block "W" worn by the 1956 Washington Senators. The cap and shoulder patch feature the block "W" with an outline of the United States Capitol dome, as well as two cherry blossoms.[59]
- The Giants' second City Connect uniform has a black base and white lettering. The jersey features the team name in white lettering with an image of a lava lamp and is meant to flow like sound, as the letting is shaded with orange and purple hues paying tribute to the Fillmore's stage lights and the posters seen in the Haight-Ashbury district. The shading also pays tribute to the club's roots to "San Francisco's spirit of rebellion." The Giants' outfield glove appears as a sleeve patch reimagined as a 1960s concert poster. A San Francisco mark is included above the jersey's jock tag. The cap blends the SF logo with tie-dye tones and an orange and violet gradient. A similarly colored gradient appears on the jersey's end. A neat detail of the design is nine music genre tiles scattered throughout the socks, brim of the hat, and jersey below the tuck line, representing hip-hop, blues, hyphy, rock, country, electronic, pop, Latin, and jazz.[60]
- The Rockies' second City Connect uniform features a split between light blue and purple, paying homage to the transition between day and night over the Rocky Mountains. The jersey features bluebird skies and purple mountain majesty as the inspirations behind the color palette. Accents all over the uniform, cap, and branding use the red, yellow, and blue of the Colorado state flag. The Denver city flag is also featured on the lining inside the hat. It is the first pullover City Connect jersey.[61]
- The White Sox' second City Connect uniform is largely influenced by the NBA's Chicago Bulls, another team owned by White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf. The red-based design featured the block-letter "CHICAGO" wordmark which was taken from the Bulls' black "Statement" uniform, along with black pinstripes as a nod to both teams' visual identities. On the black sleeve, an updated rendition of the "Winged Sox" logo was added, and red sleeve and pant piping featured a repeating black "SOUTHSIDE" wordmark. The uniform would be worn with two different cap designs: a red cap with black pinstripes and black brim, and a black cap with red brim. Both caps feature the "Winged Sox" logo with "CHICAGO" written inside the sock.[62]
- The Marlins' second City Connect uniform has a black base, with teal and pink lettering. The jersey features "MIAMI" in teal which represents the past with their inaugural season in 1993 using the same color and outline in pink which represents the cities electric glow skyline. The jersey also features horizontal pinstripes in both the teal and pink color with white pants that have "Retrowave" piping down the sides. The cap features Miami's area code "305" with the original Marlin logo over the top of the city area code. The brim is a two-toned to represent the "Retrowave" theme going from teal to pink. The team has two sleeve patches, one sleeve features an "ADT" patch, which is a pillar sponsor of the Marlins and continue to use the "Retrowave" theme and the other features a patch with the original Marlin logo with the new Miami M logo. Finally the jersey has a jock tag of the entire state of Florida with MIA on the side, which will represent the Sunshine State.[63]
Anniversaries and special events
| Team | Special occasion |
|---|---|
| All Teams | Jackie Robinson Day (April 15) |
| Pink Ribbons for breast cancer awareness (May 11, Mother's Day) | |
| Patch for Armed Forces Day (May 19) and Camouflage caps for Armed Force's Day Weekend (May 18–20) | |
| Poppy for Memorial Day (May 26) | |
| #4 patch for Lou Gehrig Day (June 2) | |
| "Play Ball" patch in partnership with USA Baseball and USA Softball (June 14–16) | |
| Blue Ribbons for prostate cancer (June 15, Father's Day) | |
| National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum logo patches (July 19–21) | |
| Gold Ribbons for childhood cancer (September 1) | |
| #21 patch for Roberto Clemente Day (September 15) | |
| "MLB Debut" patch for players who play their first Major League game | |
| Gold "batterman" patch for previous season's winners of the Most Valuable Player, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards | |
| Athletics | #24 Patch in memory of Rickey Henderson |
| Patch featuring "Sacramento" and the Tower Bridge to commemorate the team's first season in Sacramento.[64] | |
| Atlanta Braves | 150th season in National League (since 1876) |
| 2025 MLB All-Star Game | |
| 30th Anniversary of 1995 World Series Championship | |
| Baltimore Orioles | 30th Anniversary of Cal Ripken Jr.'s 2,131st consecutive game |
| 55th Anniversary of 1970 World Series Championship | |
| Chicago Cubs | 150th season in National League (since 1876) |
| Chicago White Sox | 125th Anniversary Season |
| 20th Anniversary of 2005 World Series Championship | |
| Cincinnati Reds | 50th Anniversary of 1975 World Series Championship |
| 35th Anniversary of 1990 World Series Championship | |
| #14 patch in memory of Pete Rose[65] | |
| Colorado Rockies | 30th Anniversary of Coors Field |
| Detroit Tigers | 25th Anniversary of Comerica Park |
| Houston Astros | 25th Anniversary of Daikin Park |
| Kansas City Royals | 40th Anniversary of 1985 World Series Championship |
| 10th Anniversary of 2015 World Series Championship | |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 70th Anniversary of 1955 World Series Championship |
| 60th Anniversary of 1965 World Series Championship | |
| 5th Anniversary of 2020 World Series Championship | |
| #34 Patch in memory of Fernando Valenzuela[66] | |
| 2024 World Series championship (March 27) | |
| Milwaukee Brewers | Signature Patch in memory of Bob Uecker[67] |
| New York Mets | #7 Patch in memory of Ed Kranepool[68] |
| New York Yankees | 25th Anniversary of 2000 World Series Championship |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 45th Anniversary of 1980 World Series Championship |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 65th Anniversary of 1960 World Series Championship |
| San Francisco Giants | 15th Anniversary of 2010 World Series Championship |
| 25th Anniversary of Oracle Park | |
| Washington Nationals | 20th Anniversary Season |
Venues
On November 16, 2023, MLB owners approved the Athletics' relocation from Oakland to Las Vegas. The Athletics then announced on April 4, 2024, that the team would temporarily play at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, California, from 2025 to 2027, with an option for 2028, while their new ballpark in Las Vegas is under construction.[2][69]
Due to severe roof damage sustained at Tropicana Field caused by Hurricane Milton, the Tampa Bay Rays will play at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the New York Yankees' spring training stadium in Tampa.[70]
Guaranteed Rate Field, home of the Chicago White Sox, was renamed to Rate Field during the offseason on December 17, 2024, as part of a rebrand of Guaranteed Rate.[71]
Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros, was renamed to Daikin Park during the offseason on January 1, after Japanese air conditioning manufacturer Daikin bought the naming rights.[72]
Media
Summarize
Perspective
Television
National
This is the fourth year of the existing seven-year deals with Fox, TBS, and Apple TV+.[73] This is also the fourth year of a deal with ESPN. However, ESPN and Major League Baseball announced prior to the season that both parties had exercised a mutual opt-out to end the agreement following the 2025 season.[74] This is the second year of a multi-year deal with TelevisaUnivision.[75]
Linear television
- Fox will continue to air their Fox Saturday Baseball and Baseball Night in America slate of games on most Saturdays during the season and select Thursday nights. Fox will exclusively air the MLB Speedway Classic as part of their package. Fox and FS1 will split coverage of the MLB Tokyo Series, with Fox airing the first game and FS1 airing the second; although Fox aired the first game, MLB allowed the Cubs' Marquee Sports Network and the Dodgers' Spectrum SportsNet LA to produce their own broadcasts in the Chicago and Los Angeles metropolitan areas.[76] Fox will air the 2025 MLB All-Star Game. FS1 will also broadcast games, mainly on Saturday afternoons, which will be both non-exclusive, and co-exist with regional broadcasts.[77]
- TBS will continue to broadcast MLB Tuesday. Most games are blacked out in the home markets of the teams playing, however, TBS is allowed to co-exist once with a teams' local broadcast.[78]
- ESPN will continue to broadcast Sunday Night Baseball, with the option to show alternate broadcasts, along with at-least five other exclusive regular season games. For the first time since 2021, ESPN will air a doubleheader on Opening Day.[79] ESPN will also air a doubleheader on Sunday, July 6, as part of July 4 weekend.[80] The network also has the rights to the Home Run Derby.[81] Select games may air on ABC or ESPN2. Joe Buck, who was the lead MLB on Fox play-by-play commentator until he moved to ESPN for Monday Night Football in 2022, will call his first nationally televised baseball game for ESPN on Opening Day in 2025.[82]
- MLB Network will continue to broadcast a regular slate of games. While most games will be simulcasts of the teams' local broadcast, select games will be produced by the network under its MLB Network Showcase banner. All games are blacked out in the home markets of the teams playing.[83]
- UniMás and TUDN will air the weekly whiparound show MLB En Vivo (lit. 'MLB Live') on Tuesday nights throughout the season, the weekly studio show MLB Esta Semana (lit. 'MLB This Week') on Saturday nights, and postseason coverage.[84]
Streaming
- For the first time, ESPN+ and Disney+ will simulcast coverage of ESPN's Opening Day games and the network has the option to simulcast additional ESPN produced games.[85] However, unlike previous seasons, ESPN+ will not stream a daily MLB game produced by RSN’s.[86]
- Max will continue to simulcast TBS' games.[87]
- Apple TV+ continues to hold the rights to Friday Night Baseball which features two exclusive games each Friday during the season.[73]
- This will be the second season that MLB Sunday Leadoff will be streamed on The Roku Channel under a multi-year deal which features one game each week from May to August. The network has the option in airing games in the early or late windows.[88]
- The league's MLB.tv will continue to stream out-of-market games, and all of Roku's games.[88]
Postseason
During the postseason, the ESPN networks (including ABC, with Spanish–language simulcasts on ESPN Deportes) will air all four Wild Card Series.[81] TNT Sports (TBS, truTV, and Max) will then broadcast the National League Division Series and the National League Championship Series,[78] and Fox Sports (Fox and FS1, with Spanish-language simulcasts on Fox Deportes) will broadcast the American League Division Series, the American League Championship Series and the World Series.[77]
Local
- The Chicago White Sox, the NBA's Chicago Bulls, the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks, and Standard Media launched the Chicago Sports Network in October 2024, replacing NBC Sports Chicago as their regional broadcaster. The new network is carried via both broadcast and subscription television.[89][90]
- MLB Advanced Media reached agreements with the Athletics, Dodgers, Giants, Mets and Phillies to launch in-market direct-to-consumer (DTC) streaming packages via MLB.tv. For all teams except the Dodgers, subscribers will have the ability to bundle the service with MLB.tv's out-of-market package.[91][92][93]
- Sportico reported that NBC Sports California had renegotiated its agreement with the Athletics to account for its transitional relocation to Sacramento. The network's broadcast territory has historically included the Sacramento market, where it serves as the regional broadcaster of the NBA's Sacramento Kings.[94]
- Amid the now-resolved bankruptcy of Main Street Sports Group (formerly Diamond Sports Group)—owners of the FanDuel Sports Network (FDSN, formerly Bally Sports) regional sports networks,[95] its contracts with the Cleveland Guardians, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, and Texas Rangers expired at the end of the 2024 season,[96][97][98] while the Reds announced an agreement to opt out of its existing contract with Diamond.[99]
- MLB Local Media will assume the rights to the Guardians and Twins beginning in the 2025 season.[100][101]
- The Brewers and Reds were originally announced as also moving to MLB Local Media, but Diamond later re-entered into negotiations with both teams, and reached new agreements for them to remain on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin and Ohio respectively. The new contracts also include additional options to carry the teams' games on DTC platforms.[102][99]
- The Rangers launched the in-house Rangers Sports Network (RSN); it operates similarly to MLB Local Media, distributing games via agreements with television providers within the team's market, and offering a DTC service hosted by Victory+ (which is available via a paid subscription, or at no additional charge to authenticated subscribers of television providers who carry Rangers games).[103][104][105] The Rangers also announced agreements with Gray Media and Nexstar Media Group to syndicate a package of 15 games—primarily Friday home games—to a statewide network of broadcast television stations, with KDAF in Dallas as flagship station.[105][106]
- Diamond renegotiated its contracts with most of the remaining teams it televises.[107][108][102][99]
- MLB Local Media will also oversee production of Mariners telecasts with Root Sports Northwest's 2024 separation from Warner Bros. Discovery/TNT Sports, but the network will still handle distribution as before.[109] Root Sports Northwest announced an in-house DTC service on March 21, 2025.[110]
- On November 22, 2024, the Miami Marlins parted ways with television play-by-play announcer Paul Severino after seven seasons.[111] On January 17, 2025, the Marlins announced that they have moved announcer Kyle Sielaff from radio to television play-by-play.[112]
- In addition to airing on FanDuel Sports Network, the Braves, Cardinals, Royals and Reds announced agreements to simulcast packages of games on networks of Gray Media broadcast stations. The Braves will air a package of 15 regular season games in simulcast with FanDuel Sports Network South, with WPCH-TV in Atlanta as the flagship station. In addition, Gray exclusively produced and aired 10 spring training games.[113] The Cardinals will air a package of at-least 10 regular season games in simulcast with FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, with Matrix Midwest as the flagship station.[114] The Royals will air a package of 10 regular season games in simulcast with FanDuel Sports Network Kansas City, with KSMO-TV as the flagship station.[115] The Reds will air a package of 10 regular season games in simulcast with FanDuel Sports Network Ohio, with WXIX-TV and Rock Entertainment Sports Network as the flagship stations.[116] These deals resemble arrangements made under some of FDSN's NBA and NHL contracts, which similarly enable teams to simulcast a limited package of games on broadcast television.[117]
- In March 2025, the Brewers and Tigers reached agreements with Fox Television Stations (a former sister to FDSN) to serve as flagships for similar arrangements, with Detroit's WJBK to simulcast 10 Tigers games with FanDuel Sports Network Detroit,[118] and WITI in Milwaukee to simulcast 10 regular season Brewers games and 3 spring training games with FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin. The Brewers' radio rightsholder Good Karma Brands is handling syndication agreements for the Brewers' package, which includes affiliates in other Wisconsin markets.[119]
- Later in March, the Diamondbacks, Padres and Rockies, whose television rights are controlled by MLB Local Media, reached similar agreements with Tegna Inc. to simulcast 10 games. The flagship stations will be KFMB-DT2 (The CW San Diego) for the Padres, KTVD for the Rockies, and KPNX for the Diamondbacks.[120] The Guardians reached a similar agreement with Tegna in April, with WKYC serving as the Guardians' flagship.[121] In April, the Twins also announced a 10-game simulcast agreement with Fox Television Stations. KMSP-TV will serve as the flagship station for these games; Gray Media will distribute games in other markets.[122]
- In April, the Marlins and Rays reached agreements with CBS News and Stations to simulcast 15 games. The Marlins' flagship will be WBFS-TV, while the Rays' flagship will be WTOG.[123][124]
- On February 21, 2025, the Seattle Mariners promoted announcer Aaron Goldsmith to lead television play-by-play following the departure of Dave Sims to the New York Yankees' radio booth. The Mariners also parted ways with long-time television analyst Mike Blowers after a 17-year tenure. As a result, analyst duties will be split between Jay Buhner, Dave Valle, Angie Mentink, and Ryan Rowland-Smith.[125][126]
- On March 3, the Orioles and Nationals reached a settlement to end the teams dispute over television rights fee payments. Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), which is owned and operated by the Orioles but airs both teams' games, pays rights fees to the Nationals. Through the settlement, the Nationals' agreement with the Orioles and MASN will end following the 2025 season.[127]
- On March 12, the Braves announced that they would introduce Spanish-language commentary on SAP for regional games on FanDuel Sports Network, with Francisco X. Rivera on play-by-play.[128]
- On March 18, the NBC Sports Regional Networks—the broadcast home of the Athletics, Giants and Phillies—launched in-market DTC services as paid add-ons for NBCUniversal's streaming service Peacock, which include all programming broadcast by the networks. Access to these services require an active Peacock subscription.[129] The next day, MLB announced separate agreements with the teams to also offer DTC packages via MLB.tv; these packages do not require a Peacock subscription, but does not include other programming from the teams' networks.[130]
- On March 24, Nationals TV play-by-play announcer Bob Carpenter announced that he will retire following the conclusion of the 2025 season. Carpenter has called Nationals games since the 2006 season, and previously called games for the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals, as well as occasional national assignments with ESPN.[131]
- On April 21, Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, the home of the Nationals and Orioles, announced the launch of a direct-to-consumer streaming service. The Astros are now the only MLB team without a DTC option.[132]
Radio
National
- This will be the final season that ESPN Radio will be airing games (due to ESPN opting out of this deal along with its TV deal), which includes Sunday night baseball, and the entire All Star Weekend and the entire MLB Postseason.[133]
Local
- On November 14, 2024, the New York Yankees announced the hiring of Dave Sims as the team's primary radio play-by-play announcer, succeeding John Sterling. Sims was previously the lead television play-by-play announcer of the Seattle Mariners, holding the job since 2007.[134]
- On November 15, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced the hiring of Luis Cruz (who played for the team in 2012 and 2013) as an analyst for its Spanish-language radio broadcasts, succeeding Fernando Valenzuela—who had died on October 22, 2024.[135]
- On January 16, 2025, the Milwaukee Brewers' long-time play-by-play announcer Bob Uecker died at the age of 90. A Ford C. Frick Award winner in 2003, Uecker had been the team's primary radio announcer since 1971, and also worked national broadcasts for ABC and NBC.[136] The Brewers will utilize Jeff Levering, Lane Grindle, and Josh Maurer on radio play-by-play during this season, with Grindle and/or Maurer calling games when Levering is on television.[137]
- The Boston Red Sox promoted Will Flemming to lead radio play-by-play following the retirement of Joe Castiglione. Flemming is the brother of San Francisco Giants announcer Dave Flemming.[138]
Retirements
The following players and coaches retired during the 2025 season and before the start of the 2026 campaign:
- Jay Jackson – March 29[139]
- Lance Lynn – April 1[140]
- Ross Stripling – May 6[141]
Retired numbers
- David Wright will have his No. 5 retired by the New York Mets on July 19. This will be the eleventh number retired by the team.[142]
- Ichiro Suzuki will have his No. 51 retired by the Seattle Mariners on August 9. This will be the fourth number retired by the team.[143]
- Billy Wagner will have his No. 13 retired by the Houston Astros on August 16. This will be the eleventh number retired by the team.[144]
See also
References
External links
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