Ranking the Top 5 Starting Rotations in MLB for 2025
For teams looking to push their way into contention conversations, locking in a dominant starting rotation is crucial. Here are the top five rotations in MLB.
The start of the MLB season is mere days away, and as teams work to lock in their Opening Day rosters, some have set themselves apart for all the right reasons. From new offseason additions to proven aces returning for another year, teams across the majors are solidifying dominant starting rotations for 2025 — a crucial step for any club looking to push their way into contention conversations.
Earlier in the offseason, the New York Yankees were set to have one of the best rotations in baseball, but things have changed. With Gerrit Cole ruled out for the entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and Luis Gil sidelined for at least three months with a lat strain, the Yankees’ rotation has fallen out of the top-5 rankings, with other teams quickly overtaking them.
So as Opening Day quickly approaches, which teams have the best starting rotations in MLB?
Ranking the Top 5 Starting Rotations in MLB for 2025
Honorable Mentions:
Atlanta Braves: LHP Chris Sale, RHP Reynaldo López, RHP Spencer Schwellenbach, RHP Grant Holmes, RHP AJ Smith-Shawver (RHP Spencer Strider on IL)
Detroit Tigers: LHP Tarik Skubal, RHP Jack Flaherty, RHP Reese Olson, RHP Casey Mize, RHP Jackson Jobe
5. Kansas City Royals
LHP Cole Ragans, RHP Seth Lugo, RHP Michael Wacha, RHP Michael Lorenzen, LHP Kris Bubic
Having re-signed Michael Wacha at the start of the winter and Michael Lorenzen in January, the Royals are going into 2025 with a very similar starting rotation to last season — and that’s definitely not a bad thing. Kansas City’s starters posted a combined 3.55 ERA in 2024 to rank second in the majors, marking an incredible turnaround from ranking fourth-worst just a season earlier.
This year, Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo will be returning to the Royals’ rotation as their No. 1 and No. 2 starters, respectively, after both earning their first All-Star selections in 2024. Ragans went 11-9 with a 3.14 ERA and 223 strikeouts across 186.1 innings last season, finishing fourth in AL Cy Young voting and becoming just the fifth pitcher in Royals history to record 200 strikeouts in a single season. Not to be outdone, Lugo went 16-9 with a 3.00 ERA and 181 strikeouts in 206.2 innings, and won his first Gold Glove Award after finishing the season with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
Going into spring training, the fifth spot in the Royals’ rotation behind Ragans, Lugo, Wacha, and Lorenzen was still up for grabs, with left-hander Kris Bubic contending for the role alongside Alec Marsh and Daniel Lynch IV. Bubic was a frontrunner after putting together a surprisingly strong campaign out of the Royals’ bullpen last season, finishing with a 2.67 ERA across 30.1 relief innings after missing the large majority of 2023 due to Tommy John surgery. On March 22, MLB.com’s Anne Rogers reported that Bubic had won the role as the team’s fifth starter for 2025, with Royals manager Matt Quatraro confirming that Lynch would be joining the relief corps.
The Royals surprised the baseball world with their incredible comeback season last year — going from 106 losses in 2023 to a playoff campaign just one season later — and the starting pitching played an enormous role in that success. If the rotation can manage to conjure up the same ferocity on the mound this year that set them apart in 2024, the Royals are certain to be a team to watch, not just in the AL Central, but across all contention conversations.
4. Arizona Diamondbacks
RHP Corbin Burnes, RHP Zac Gallen, RHP Merrill Kelly, LHP Eduardo Rodríguez, RHP Brandon Pfaadt
The Diamondbacks made perhaps one of the most unexpected moves of the offseason when they signed ace Corbin Burnes to a six-year, $210 million deal on December 30, 2024, bolstering their starting rotation with one of the best hurlers in the majors. Coming off a season plagued by injuries and underperformance, the Diamondbacks’ rotation is now in a great position to dominate in 2025 — if they can stay healthy.
Burnes — a four-time All-Star and former NL Cy Young Award winner — will be joined in the rotation by Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, and Eduardo Rodríguez, two of whom spent a decent chunk of last season on the IL. Kelly was limited to just 13 starts in 2024 due to a teres major muscle strain in his right shoulder that he suffered at the end of April, while Rodríguez’s shoulder issues meant he only managed 10 starts across the season.
With the addition of Burnes, the Diamondbacks went into spring training with more starters than spots in the rotation — which certainly isn’t a bad problem to have, especially after an injury-riddled campaign last year. On March 23, The Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro reported that Brandon Pfaadt had officially been selected as the Diamondbacks’ fifth starter for 2025, and both Ryne Nelson and Jordan Montgomery will begin the season in the bullpen.
Although Pfaadt — who is yet to meet his potential at the major league level — is the Diamondback’s fifth starter, he will actually pitch in the team’s third game of the regular season due to a scheduling issue surrounding Burnes. According to Piecoro, Arizona’s rotation this year will begin with Gallen on Opening Day, followed by Kelly, Pfaadt, Rodríguez, and Burnes.
3. Seattle Mariners
RHP Logan Gilbert, RHP Luis Castillo, RHP Bryce Miller, RHP Bryan Woo, RHP Emerson Hancock (RHP George Kirby on IL)
The Mariners’ incredible starting rotation led the majors in ERA (3.38), WHIP (1.02), batting average against (.222), strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.77), and quality starts (92) last season, so it’s unsurprising that they’ve stuck with the same formula for 2025. Despite rumors that Seattle was open to trading Luis Castillo this winter due to ongoing budget constraints and a need for offensive power, the three-time All-Star is back for another year, along with Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller, and Bryan Woo.
Unfortunately, the Mariners’ rotation has already been dealt a blow this season, with George Kirby — who posted a 3.53 ERA across 33 starts last year — being sidelined due to shoulder inflammation. Since being placed on the IL on March 6, the 27-year-old has begun a throwing program and is expected to return to the roster in late April, but in the meantime, right-hander Emerson Hancock has been named as the Mariners’ fifth starter.
Even with Kirby starting the season on the IL, there’s no denying that the Mariners have a stunning amount of talent in their rotation.
Gilbert — who has been named the team’s Opening Day starter — was selected to his first All-Star team in 2024, and finished sixth in Cy Young voting after posting a 3.23 ERA across an MLB-leading 208.2 innings of work. Miller’s 2.94 ERA was the eighth-best in the majors last season, and Woo’s 2.6% walk rate was the lowest of any MLB starter. Even Castillo, who admittedly had shaky moments in 2024, managed to finish the season with an impressive 3.64 ERA across 30 starts.
The Mariners have gone with an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach to their rotation this season, and once Kirby is back in action, there’s no reason it won’t pay off for them.
2. Philadelphia Phillies
RHP Zack Wheeler, LHP Jesús Luzardo, RHP Aaron Nola, LHP Cristopher Sánchez, RHP Taijuan Walker (LHP Ranger Suárez on IL)
After four seasons in Philadelphia, it’s truly bizarre that Zack Wheeler doesn’t have a Cy Young Award to his name, especially since he’s finished second in the voting on two separate occasions and leads all major league pitchers in both bWAR (25.4) and fWAR (24.7) from 2020 to 2024. This year, the two-time All-Star will be the Phillies’ Opening Day starter for the second consecutive season, and teammate Aaron Nola — who made six consecutive Opening Day starts for the Phillies from 2018-23 — was quick to sing his praises.
“He’s a stud, man,” Nola told MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. “His track record shows it. I’ll say it again, I think he’s the best in the league.”
Behind Wheeler, the Phillies’ rotation will feature newly-acquired Jesús Luzardo, Nola, Cristopher Sánchez, and Ranger Suárez, all of whom are extremely capable No. 2-level starters. Sánchez and Suárez were both first-time All-Stars in 2024, finishing the season with ERAs of 3.32 and 3.46, respectively, while Nola wasn’t far behind with a 3.57 ERA. Luzardo, who the Phillies added via a trade with the Miami Marlins this winter, was limited to just 12 starts last year due to a lumbar stress reaction, but if he’s able to return to his pre-injury numbers, he’s certain to be a very strong addition to Philadelphia’s rotation.
All in all, there’s a lot to like about the Phillies’ starting rotation this season, and if they can stay healthy, there’s no reason they can’t pitch just as well as the No. 1 team on this list.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
LHP Blake Snell, RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, RHP Rōki Sasaki, RHP Tyler Glasnow, RHP Dustin May
The Dodgers took home the World Series title last year, and if their current starting rotation is anything to go by, they’re set for another strong season in 2025. In what’s seemingly become commonplace for the team, the Dodgers spent big in free agency this winter, including adding two top-shelf starters to the roster — Blake Snell and Rōki Sasaki.
Coming off an All-Star season with the NL-West rival San Francisco Giants, Snell went into the offseason as one of the top free agent starting pitchers on the market, and on November 30, he signed a five-year, $182 million deal with the Dodgers. Just under two months later, Los Angeles bolstered the rotation even further by signing Japanese star Sasaki out of international free agency.
Joining Snell and Sasaki in the rotation are Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, both of whom are entering their second year in Los Angeles after winning the World Series with the team last season. Going into spring training, there were three players — Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, and Bobby Miller — contending for the final spot in the rotation, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts recently confirmed that May won the role after Gonsolin suffered a “hiccup” with his back.
Considering the high-profile — and expensive — moves the Dodgers have made over the last few seasons, it’s hardly surprising that their rotation is one of the best in MLB. Once Shohei Ohtani gets back on the mound (likely in May), Los Angeles may just be unstoppable.
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