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Three underrated teams to keep an eye on in 2025

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With Spring Training just around the corner, teams have mostly completed their roster transactions and are gearing up for another exhilarating baseball season. Despite the likely odd minor-league transactions here and there, a lot of teams are gearing up for the campaign with what they have. 

There are, of course, the playoff favourites like the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets and New York Yankees, but there are also teams who should be considered dark horses who can change the playoff contention landscape in 2025.

Below are three teams who can challenge the status quo this season.

Arizona Diamondbacks (PECOTA: 87.2 – 74.8)

In the much more competitive NL West, the Arizona Diamondbacks had a disappointing season as they came in third place with an 89-73 win-loss record. This was a frustrating outcome for a team that succeeded in reaching the World Series stage the year before but was also an inevitable result with the ever-dominant Los Angeles Dodgers and the resurgent San Diego Padres in play last year. 

However, Arizona didn’t waste any time in restructuring its roster as soon as the offseason began this winter. The crown jewel of the team’s free-agent signing was with right-handed starting pitcher Corbin Burnes (a six-year, $210 million deal), boosting Arizona’s starting rotation and its competitiveness. With this addition, the Diamondbacks now have Corbin Burnes, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez and Brandon Pfaadt, which now becomes a more formidable rotation in the league, with Jordan Montgomery lurking if injuries arise. 

The Diamondbacks also traded for power-hitting Josh Naylor from the Cleveland Guardians to strengthen their lineup and brought back right-handed outfielder Randal Grichuk to add pop and a platoon bat to their bench. Most recently, the team is also rumoured to have signed reliever Kendall Graveman to a one-year, $1.35 million contract, bringing stability to the relief pitching core. 

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Most of Arizona’s signings have flown under the radar aside from the Burnes signing because of the Dodgers being so active, but they are now becoming a challenger to the Dodgers, Padres and San Francisco Giants. The Diamondbacks’ biggest competitor is, of course, the titanic Dodgers. Based on both teams’ rosters and depth, it’s clear that Los Angeles still has an upper hand, but if Arizona’s roster can click for an extended time, it could easily threaten Dodgers and chip away at the number of win total they would need. 

But realistically, the Diamondbacks will have to successfully challenge the second-best team instead, which would be the Padres based on records from last season. Since San Diego has been in an odd place financially with former owner Peter Seidler’s passing, the Diamondbacks should be able to come out on top of the Padres if San Diego’s roster struggles to put things together. 

Milwaukee Brewers (PECOTA: 80.7 – 81.3)

The Milwaukee Brewers are an incredibly efficient team in the NL Central and have successfully topped the division for a long time. For the past few years, the Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals have fought for the first-place title with much of the division remaining uncompetitive. And when the Cardinals slipped from their competitiveness, the Brewers practically dominated the division despite some efforts from teams like the Chicago Cubs to challenge their status. 

So far, Milwaukee had a head-scratching offseason by trading away its closer Devin Williams to the New York Yankees in exchange for left-hander Nestor Cortes and second baseman Caleb Durbin. Later, the team also signed left-handed pitcher Tyler Alexander to boost its pitching staff, but none of these moves seemed like a blockbuster that would propel the team in 2025. 

However, the Brewers’ strength has been their resourcefulness and efficiency in player development. That’s how they defied their expectations and kept excelling despite baseball insiders’ doubts. Since 2021, Milwaukee placed first in its division except for the odd 2022 season where they came in second after the Cardinals. 

Even though the Cubs attempted to take over the division with gaudy free-agent signings of Cody Bellinger, Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki, the Brewers always successfully surpassed the Cubs without much struggle. This offseason, Chicago once again pulled their big moves by trading for all-star right fielder Kyle Tucker and shortstop Vidal Brujan. The team also signed talented free agents like Matthew Boyd, Carson Kelly, Ryan Pressly, Caleb Thielbar and more.   

While the Brewers haven’t made much move in the division and are projected for a regression in 2025, there is potential for an upset in the division. Milwaukee always prevailed despite any other division rivals’ efforts. The Cubs will become their main competitor this coming season but it’s also likely that the Brewers make this a hard fight for this aspiring contender. 

Texas Rangers (PECOTA: 89.9 – 72.1)

The Texas Rangers quickly retreated to third place in the AL West division after a glorious World Series win in 2023 due to injuries on the roster their uncertainty in TV deals impacting their payroll. Regardless of monetary factors, Texas was bound to experience some type of regression after experiencing the best chemistry between its explosive offence and the volatile pitching staff. 

Ultimately, the Houston Astros prevailed in the AL West given their solid roster core, including more consistent pitching. While the Rangers’ pitching performed well overall during the 2023 season when they needed it the most, its shakiness in 2024 resembled that of the 2022 season. And without many offseason additions and injuries to Josh Jung, Wyatt Langford and Corey Seager, the offence faltered as the season went on. 

But heading into the 2025 season, the Rangers are in a good spot to reclaim their superiority once again. This is mainly because the Astros are at a point where their dynasty is slowly coming undone with star players like Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker departing. Even if Houston can provide its talent from the farm system, it’s clear that it won’t be the same given how low the team’s picks have been in the past few years – there aren’t any future Tuckers or Bregmans coming along for this team. 

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Texas, on the other hand, has a great amount of talent with players like Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker waiting to contribute in the majors. The team also has a busier offseason and signed Shawn Armstrong, Nathan Eovaldi, Kyle Higashioka, Chris Martin, Hoby Milner and Joc Pederson to bring more depth to the roster. They also traded away first baseman Nathaniel Lowe for pitcher Robert Garcia with the Washington Nationals and traded for third baseman Jake Burger from the Miami Marlins. 

With more reinforcements for the upcoming season, the Rangers are primed to create an upheaval and challenge Houston for its dominance. This is a team that’s constructed to either go big or go home. If everything on the roster mashes together well, the team is poised even to take first or second place in the division. This type of prediction isn’t so far-fetched given the quieter offseason Houston and Seattle both put forward. The Athletics are also one to keep an eye on given their spending this winter as well.

Moreover, the Rangers also have one of the better starting pitchers Jacob deGrom, who could be a difference-maker should he stay healthy for most of the season. Relying on deGrom for everything related to starting pitching is a dangerous game to play but if the Rangers find a way for deGrom to become more effective while staying off the injured list, they may just have enough to become the powerhouse of the division.