Which Team Will Most Improve Their Win Total in 2025?
Which MLB team is in the best position to most improve their win total this coming season? Let's break down the top candidates.
The Kansas City Royals were one of the best stories in baseball this past season. After finishing with the second-worst record in MLB in 2023 (56-106), they improved their win total by 30 games in 2024 and broke their eight-year playoff drought.
Many things went into Kansas City taking such a substantial leap forward. For starters, Bobby Witt Jr. put together an MVP-type season and established himself as one of the best players on the planet.
Additionally, their starting rotation performed significantly better than in previous years. In 2024, the Royals’ rotation finished the year with the second-best ERA in MLB at 3.55. For context, their rotation had a 5.12 ERA in 2023, which was 27th in baseball.
Their bullpen didn’t blow people away this past season, as they finished 20th in the league in ERA (4.13). But that was a significant improvement from year prior, where they had the second-worst bullpen ERA in the league (5.23).
It goes to show just how quickly things can change in Major League Baseball if the right pieces are in place.
With Opening Day less than a month away, it’s time to start looking ahead and predicting who could be the next team to make that kind of leap in 2025. Let’s assess the top candidates.
Who Are the Candidates?
When analyzing which team could most improve their win total in 2025, the candidates come in many forms.
For example, the Chicago White Sox were the worst team in MLB history this past season, losing a whopping 121 games. While nobody is expecting them to be any good in 2025, there’s a chance for them to have the most improved win total due to their historically-bad performance in 2024.
They could rattle off 61 wins this coming year and still finish among the worst teams in MLB. But that 20-win increase from 2024 could be enough to put them in this conversation.
While they’re still a team that could lose well over 100 games, nobody really knows what to expect from the White Sox in 2025. The possibility of them being just slightly better this coming year makes them a team worth mentioning.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are another candidate that comes on the complete opposite side of the spectrum.
The Dodgers won 98 games and finished with the best record in MLB in 2024. But they made some significant roster additions this winter (one could argue they were the biggest winner of the offseason), and by all accounts they should be even better in 2025.
Given how impressive their roster is, there’s a world in which the Dodgers win 113 games, for example. That 15-win jump could certainly put them in this discussion.
While I think it’s more likely that a team we’re about to talk about takes a bigger leap this coming year, the Dodgers are deserving of at least being honorably mentioned.
Without further ado, here are the teams who could most improve their win total in 2025.
Tito Sprinkles His Magic on the Reds
The Cincinnati Reds have rising expectations heading into 2025, and they will look to turn the page to a fresh era of baseball with a new skipper leading the way.
David Bell is out as manager, and Terry Francona is in. The significance of that change cannot be overstated. He was the most significant addition for Cincinnati this offseason, and he’s expected to bring new life and a breath of fresh air to the organization.
The 2024 season was a disappointment by all accounts for the Reds. They went into Opening Day with playoff aspirations, but ultimately fell short of those expectations after ending the year with a record of 77-85 and finishing fourth in the NL Central.
However, there’s no denying the talent on this roster, and the Reds have so much room for growth in 2025.
Expect the Offense to Improve in 2025
The Reds’ offense as a whole finished 26th in MLB in wRC+ (87), and it was in the bottom-third of baseball in OPS (.693) last season. Among hitters with at least 100 plate appearances, only three Reds hitters had a wRC+ over 100 (Elly De La Cruz, Tyler Stephenson, and Johnathan India).
That’s hard to believe, especially for a team that plays their home games at the hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park.
Looking at their 2025 ZiPS projections, the model has eight Reds slotted for a wRC+ of 100 or greater in 2025, which is much more in line with what fans are expecting to see out of this talented group of hitters.
Of course, De La Cruz is the focal point of the offense. If he takes the step forward that some believe he is capable of (similar to what Witt did with the Royals last season), it would be the spark that gets this offense going.
Beyond De La Cruz, there’s a lot of untapped potential with a lot of Cincinnati’s young hitters. Their offensive floor seems to be higher heading into 2025, and there is so much room for growth if the pieces can come together.
A lot of their hitters will need to bounce back from an underwhelming 2024 season, and they need their youngsters to take a step forward at the plate. Given the talent we’ve seen from this team throughout stretches in recent years, there’s reason to believe both of those things can happen in 2025.
An Intriguing Starting Rotation
The Reds only had one starter throw more than 140 innings in 2024: Hunter Greene.
Greene took a leap forward last season and established himself as the ace of this staff, pitching to a 2.75 ERA across 150.1 innings. He’s the anchor at the top, and it’s the rest of the rotation that will need to take a step forward in 2025.
Nick Lodolo has been bogged down by injuries and has yet to showcase what he’s capable of at the big league level.
He once again missed time in 2024, making just 21 starts and logging 115.1 innings (which were both career highs). If he can finally turn in a healthy campaign in 2025, it completely changes the dynamic of the Reds’ rotation.
Moreover, Andrew Abbott has been a steady producer throughout his first two big league seasons (3.78 career ERA). The team also brought back Nick Martinez, who pitched to a 3.10 ERA last season, and added Brady Singer into the mix to round out a pretty solid rotation.
Not to mention the club also has two of the top pitching prospects in baseball in Chase Burns (Just Baseball’s No. 40 prospect) and Rhett Lowder (Just Baseball’s No. 62 prospect) knocking on the door at the big league level.
A substantial improvement in the win column for the Reds will hinge upon bounce backs from a lot of their hitters, De La Cruz taking a leap into superstardom, and their pitching staff as a whole elevating their production and efficiency.
A lot of things will need to go their way if the Reds want to push into the 90-win range. But the pieces are there for it to happen, and there’s reason to believe that Francona can get the most out of this talented roster.
The Sky is the Limit for the Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox made some significant splashes this offseason in an effort to break out of their recent stretch of mediocrity.
They bolstered their starting rotation in a huge way by signing Walker Buehler and trading for Garrett Crochet. Offensively, adding Alex Bregman should elevate their lineup to an even higher level in 2025.
There’s a lot of star power on this roster, and Boston’s stock is rising as we near Opening Day.
An Overall Improved Pitching Staff
Crochet takes over as the ace of this pitching staff and heads into this season as Just Baseball’s No. 7 starting pitcher. Few starters have higher expectations than Crochet in 2025, and having him at the top of the rotation could be what this team needs to get over the hump.
Additionally, adding a veteran like Buehler, who has been one of the best big-game performers in recent years, adds an extremely valuable element of experience to this pitching staff on top of the talent he brings to the mound.
Add those two arms to Boston’s list of internal options, like Tanner Houck, who pitched to an impressive 3.12 ERA in 2024, Brayan Bello, and Kutter Crawford, and this is a very formidable group of starters.
Boston’s rotation was solid in 2024, finishing seventh in MLB in starter ERA (3.81). There’s reason to believe it can be even better this coming year.
What’s more, the bullpen was Boston’s weakness last season, but it figures to be improved in 2025.
While they lost veterans such as Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin, the Red Sox brought in Aroldis Chapman to fill the setup role, and Liam Hendricks will return to the mound in 2025 as the club’s primary closer to start the year.
Moreover, Garrett Whitlock being moved from the rotation to the bullpen is a positive for this pitching staff (the righty has a career ERA of 2.65 as a reliever versus a 4.29 as a starter). Likewise, Justin Slaten and Greg Weissert showed a lot of good to build upon from 2024.
It won’t be the best bullpen in the AL, but but it should be better than it was last season. As a whole, there’s plenty to like with this pitching staff.
A Good Offense That Got Even Better
Boston had a top-five offense in the AL last season, and they did it by hitting for both average and power.
Among AL teams, they ending the year fifth in wRC+ (104); third in OPS (.741), ISO (.171), and runs scored (751); and second in batting average (.252). And by all accounts, it’s an offense that could be even better in 2025.
There’s an enticing blend of young talent and veteran hitters in this lineup that makes this unit so intriguing.
Adding Bregman into the mix, whatever his role it may be, should provide a valuable boost both offensively and defensively. An infield of Devers-Story-Bregman-Casas should get Red Sox fans very excited about what could be in store at the plate.
It also helps that Jaren Duran experienced a full-blown breakout in 2024 and established himself as a building block for this franchise moving forward.
Boston also has a handful of top prospects who could be in the big leagues sooner rather than later, including the top prospect in MLB, Roman Anthony, as well as infield prospects Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell.
The offensive potential of this unit is as high as any in the AL, and it’s a starting rotation that got noticeably better this winter. Given their impressive offseason, it’s not far-fetched to say the Red Sox could win over 95 games in 2025.
Like any of the other teams mentioned in this piece, a lot of things need to go their way in order for such a leap to occur. But the recipe is there for Boston to be baseball’s biggest improver this coming year.
The Rangers Will Look to Return to the Mountaintop
The Texas Rangers might have the widest range of outcomes in all of baseball for the 2025 season.
The 2023 World Champions took a huge step back in 2024, missing the postseason with a record of 78-84. Injuries played a big part in that disappointing record, but the Rangers appear primed to get back into contention in 2025.
Better Days Are Ahead for Texas’ Offense
Texas finished 22nd in MLB in wRC+ last season (95) and 23rd in OPS (.686). They hit just .238 as a team, and they went from the third-best ISO in baseball in 2023 (.190) to 24th this past season (.142).
It was an enormous step back across the board, but this lineup has far too much talent for them to be near the bottom of the league in offensive production once again in 2025.
In fact, ZiPS projections have a whopping 12 Rangers projected for a wRC+ over 100. That speaks to just how talented this lineup is, and it highlights how much they underwhelmed in 2024.
Wyatt Langford is one of the brightest young stars in the game, and he’s expected to take the leap into stardom this coming year. Again, much like Witt’s leap with the Royals last season, a Langford breakout could be what gets this offense back on track.
Moreover, Evan Carter and Josh Jung will look to bounce back from injury-riddled 2024 seasons. Each player has flashed exciting potential when they’re healthy, and they will have valuable roles in the Rangers’ lineup once again.
Of course, having a hitter like Corey Seager lead the way offensively is a luxury, and he continues to be one of the most talented hitters in the game when on the field.
Furthermore, projection models like Marcus Semien to bounce back in a big way from his below-average performance at the plate in 2024. It’s also a similar story with Adolis García, who put up a career-low 92 wRC+ last season but should have better days ahead.
Add Joc Pederson and Jake Burger into the mix, and it creates such a deep lineup with a ceiling as high as any when it’s firing on all cylinders.
The Pitching Staff Will Be the Determining Factor
The Rangers had two starters go over 100 innings pitched in 2024: Nathan Eovaldi (170.2 IP) and Andrew Heaney (157.2 IP).
The former will continue to have a prominent role in this rotation, while the latter is now a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Of course, the return of Jacob deGrom is the storyline of this rotation. His level of availability as the year progresses will have a very direct impact on the ceiling of this team, and it won’t come as a surprise when I say he will be the X-factor for this pitching staff.
Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter will also be in the mix for a rotation spot, and each bring an intriguing amount of appeal to the mound. Assuming health, this rotation has the ability to surpass their 4.35 ERA from 2024 (21st in MLB).
The Rangers had a bottom-five bullpen in MLB last season (4.41 ERA, 4.37 FIP). As a result, the front office completely revamped their group of relievers this offseason.
While losing Kirby Yates and his 1.17 ERA from a season ago certainly stings, the Rangers have an abundance of new faces to help fill the void.
The newcomers include: Chris Martin (free agency), Robert Garcia (trade via Washington), Jacob Webb (free agency), Shawn Armstrong (free agency), Hoby Milner (free agency), and Luke Jackson (free agency).
Texas’ bullpen won’t be as good as some of the other relief units in the AL, but I expect better results than what we saw in 2024.
Which Team Will Make the Biggest Leap?
In order for a team to take a Royals-esque leap in 2025, a lot of things will need to fall into place for the team in question.
Each of the ball clubs previously mentioned check the boxes necessary to take a significant leap forward, but it feels as if the Rangers are in the best position to be baseball’s biggest improver in win column.
In terms of room for growth, Texas has the best opportunity to improve their win total. While they won a similar number of games as the Reds in 2024 (77 for Cincinnati, 78 for Texas), it feels as if the ceiling for the Rangers is higher than the Reds this coming season.
Relatedly, one could argue Texas and Boston have similar ceilings for 2025. But the Rangers have more room for improvement after winning 78 games last season while Boston won 81, giving the slight edge to Texas.
There’s star power littered throughout each of these rosters as well. But we’ve seen how lethal this Rangers offense can be with Seager leading the way. Add a healthy deGrom back into the rotation, and the overall potential of this team is tantalizing.
Sure, the Red Sox have their fair share of star power with Devers, Bregman, and Duran, while also having a Cy Young candidate in Crochet. However, I side with Texas knowing that they reached the mountaintop just two seasons ago with much of this same core.
Regardless of which team ends up most improving their win total in 2025, the fact that there are so many teams in this discussion gives baseball fans plenty to get excited for as we inch closer to Opening Day.
Written by
Joey Peterson is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an editor for Just Baseball. He covers the Milwaukee Brewers, along with various other MLB…