MLB 2025: 30 Players Who Will Define Their Teams’ Seasons

It takes a village, or rather, a full 26-man roster and the depth of nearly 50 players within an organization, to forge a team capable of competing in the Major League Baseball playoffs. While every player contributes in some way, certain performances carry more weight, holding the potential to either propel a team to glory or condemn it to mediocrity.

As the 2025 MLB season dawns, USA TODAY Sports dissects 30 players whose potential resurgence, consistent performance, or even unexpected breakthrough could dictate the fate of their respective franchises over the next six months.

American League East

• Baltimore Orioles: Adley Rutschman, C – Despite the influx of All-Star talent like Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg, and the promising ascent of prospects such as Jackson Holliday and Samuel Basallo, Rutschman remains the Orioles’ cornerstone. His underwhelming performance in the latter part of the previous season coincided with the team’s decline. A rejuvenated approach this spring suggests a potential return to form, and at 27, he’s expected to be a major factor in Baltimore’s success.

• Boston Red Sox: Walker Buehler, RHP – With marquee acquisitions Garrett Crochet and Alex Bregman projected for stellar seasons, and rookie triplets Kristian Campbell, Roman Anthony, and Marcelo Mayer poised to contribute, the spotlight shifts to the starting rotation. The injury list includes Brayan Bello, Lucas Giolito, and Kutter Crawford, leaving a void that Buehler needs to fill. Signed to a one-year deal, Buehler’s performance could be the swing factor in Boston’s fortunes.

• New York Yankees: Carlos Rodón, LHP – Rodón’s fluctuating performance over the past seven seasons paints a picture of inconsistency. After a disappointing start to his six-year contract with the Yankees, he rebounded with a solid season. With Gerrit Cole sidelined, Rodón needs to be a reliable anchor for the rotation. His performance, alongside Max Fried’s, will be crucial in navigating the competitive AL East.

• Tampa Bay Rays: Brandon Lowe, 2B/OF – The Rays’ temporary relocation to a Yankee Stadium replica presents an opportunity for Lowe to capitalize on the dimensions and overcome past injuries. Lowe can get the ball over the 314-foot right field wall in the Steinbrenner Field, Lowe, 27, was dogged by an oblique strain from the jump and played in just 102 games last year, his adjusted OPS dropping from 128 to 98. With a strong pitching staff, a resurgence from Lowe could address their offensive struggles.

• Toronto Blue Jays: Bo Bichette, SS – With free agency looming, Bichette needs to rebound from a lackluster season marred by injuries. Bichette can point 2024 as an aberration and get back into the nine-figure contract game with a third All-Star caliber season. His performance will be key to the Blue Jays’ offensive output, especially after a disappointing season that left them in a 12-game hole early on.

American League Central

• Cleveland Guardians: Daniel Williams, RHP – Embracing their identity as a pitching-focused team, the Guardians need Williams to step up, Williams can be a crucial bridge from No. 1 starter Tanner Bibee to promising right-hander Luis Ortiz. With Shane Bieber’s return uncertain, Williams could either bridge the gap or ascend to become the team’s ace.

• Detroit Tigers: Gleyber Torres, 2B – After missing out on Alex Bregman and demoting prospect Jace Jung, Torres is the Tigers’ best chance at upgrading the position, Torres must be a viable lineup hub in the middle of it all. With potent bats like Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter surrounding him, Torres’ performance will be crucial to the team’s offensive success.

• Kansas City Royals: Gregory Estévez, RHP – The Royals’ success hinges on all their parts working in harmony. Estévez, acquired to be the team’s closer, needs to maintain his effectiveness to solidify the bullpen.

• Minnesota Twins: Matt Wallner, OF/DH – Wallner, has massive power and on-base acumen (.379 in five minor-league seasons, .366 with the Twins) overcomes his career 35% major league strikeout rate. Trimming that K rate and rattling the Target Field walls would greatly augment a lineup already missing Royce Lewis due to injury. With the Twins quietly confident in his potential, Wallner needs to capitalize on his power and on-base skills to boost the team’s offense.

• Chicago White Sox: Luisangel Vargas, SS – Vargas, 25, acquired in the three-way deal that dealt away Michael Kopech, Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham, had a rough go in his two-month South Side audition, producing a .104/.217/.170 line in 157 plate appearances. For better or worse, he’s a decent test case for whether the White Sox are simply accruing prospects or have the capability to turn them into finished products.

American League West

• Houston Astros: Izaac Paredes, LF – Paredes, 26. And the Tucker trade can be won if slugging prospect Cam Smith pans out. Yet the Astros are expecting Paredes to consistently populate the Crawford Boxes at the former Minute Maid Park with baseballs, his new digs hopefully clawing back the 100-point loss in OPS he suffered last season. Hitting between potential Hall of Famers Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvárez should help that cause.

• Los Angeles Angels: Mike Trout, RF – Trout, 33, was always a player who transcended the listicle, but after injuries limited him to 147 games in three of the past four seasons, he’s more of a working stiff like the rest of us. You know him well. It would be nice if he simply stayed healthy.

• Oakland Athletics: Zack Gelof, 2B – His OPS tumbled from .840 his rookie year to .632 with an AL-high 188 strikeouts. A bounceback year from Gelof would solidify a nice and club-controlled core alongside Brent Rooker, Lawrence Butler Jr. and perhaps J.J. Bleday for their four years in Yolo County.

• Seattle Mariners: Julio Rodríguez, OF – The neighborhood around him isn’t getting any better: The club believes reclamation project Victor Robles can be a viable leadoff man all season long, while platoon situations will toss veterans Mitch Haniger, Mitch Garver, Polanco and Rowdy Tellez into an irregular and seemingly ineffective mix. So yes, a lot rides on Rodríguez’s 24-year-old shoulders.

• Texas Rangers: Josh Carter, OF – A back injury limited him to just 45 games, casting some doubt on his roster security entering this spring, and he may share time with the switch-hitting Leody Taveras. Yet the Rangers are at their best when he’s both in the lineup and patrolling his piece of the outfield. If he’s healthy and productive, the lineup lengthens and the club’s depth is buttressed greatly.

National League East

• Atlanta Braves: Matt Olson, 1B – If anything else, momentum is on his side: Olson produced a .966 OPS in his final 56 games.

• Miami Marlins: Sandy Alcántara, RHP – Somehow, the Marlins are back in the position of tearing down to build back up again – and a dominant Alcántara leads the way in that venture, too.

• New York Mets: Kodai Senga, RHP – The Mets made the NLCS despite Senga’s shoulder strain that limited him to three starts, including the postseason. He was a 2023 All-Star. If his Ghost Fork is dipping and his health agrees with him, elbowing past the Braves and Phillies in the NL East is a possibility.

• Philadelphia Phillies: Nick Castellanos, RF – This year, the Phillies need just a little more quality regardless of quantity: His homers slipped from 29 to 23, his OPS from .788 to .742, his hard-hit rate from 43.3% to 38.2%. He’ll need to cash in opportunities from the five hole this year.

• Washington Nationals: Mackenzie Gore, LHP – Gore, 26, made strides in 2024, striking out 181 and completing at least six innings in 11 of his 32 starts. Yet command and efficiency still elude him: Gore made 10 starts where he threw at least 90 pitches yet did not pitch beyond the fifth inning and had a 1.42 WHIP. Gore’s complete ascension to ace would significantly move the Nationals closer to legit contender status.

National League Central

• Chicago Cubs: Luke Hodge, RHP – He racked up nine saves in 40 appearances while posting a 0.88 WHIP, giving up just two homers in 43 innings. Hodge generated swings and misses on more than half the sweepers he threw, and finished the season unscored upon in 18 of his final 19 outings. Hodge might not be the closer in name at Wrigley Field, but he could be their most indispensable arm.

• Cincinnati Reds: Nick Lodolo, LHP – Injuries have limited him to just 47 starts since his 2022 debut, with four IL placements last year and a left tibia fracture impacting his past two seasons. Despite all the starts and stops, he’s been effective, recording an average of 16 outs per start and averaging 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings.

• Milwaukee Brewers: Nestor Cortes, LHP – Nasty Nestor was pretty solid in 2024, making 30 starts, consuming 174 ⅓ innings with a 1.15 WHIP. The Brewers would absolutely take that. Yet Cortes has never posted consecutive 100-plus innings seasons.

• Pittsburgh Pirates: Bubba Chandler, RHP – But completing that leap would go a long way toward expediting a PNC Park turnaround.

• St. Louis Cardinals: Nolan Arenado, 3B – An Arenado offensive renaissance – even for just two months – would help all that.

National League West

• Arizona Diamondbacks: Zac Gallen, RHP – A hamstring injury limited him to 28 starts, while a handful of key metrics – most notably a dip in strikeout-walk ratio from 4.68 to 2.79 – moved in the wrong direction. He’s also a free agent after this season, and a strong platform year would dovetail nicely with the D’backs giving the Dodgers a strong challenge for the NL West title.

• Colorado Rockies: Brenton Doyle, OF – Doyle, though, presents a rare opportunity: Completing the leap from solid player to superstar. He was a 4-win performer last year, now owns two Gold Gloves and paired 23 homers with 30 stolen bases. At 26, a 30-30 season is within reach for Doyle, and pairing that with improving upon a .260/.317/.446 line could give the Rockies their perennial All-Star.

• Los Angeles Dodgers: Tommy Edman, UTL – His continued good health will make the club that much harder to beat.

• San Diego Padres: José Iglesias, DH – In San Diego? Iglesias will DH, clean up some leftovers on the infield and hopefully usher in good tidings to a team that could use some.

• San Francisco Giants: Willy Adames, SS – Adames will hopefully realize just being himself is enough.

These 30 players represent a diverse range of situations, from established stars seeking to regain their form to promising prospects on the cusp of stardom. Their performances will not only define their individual seasons but also shape the competitive landscape of Major League Baseball in 2025.