rewrite this title NL best-case scenarios: Why Braves, Cubs have high ceilings

The Major League Baseball season will open in Tokyo on March 17-18 with a two-game series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs. The other big-league teams, meanwhile, will open their seasons later in March.

Ahead of Opening Day, Yardbarker MLB writers offer a best-case scenario record for every team in the National League.

NL East

ATLANTA BRAVES (Best-case record: 97-65) | With the return of right fielder and 2023 NL MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. and ace Spencer Strider, the Braves will ideally reclaim the division they’ve won 18 times. A healthy Atlanta can contend with just about anybody in the league.

MIAMI MARLINS (Best-case record: 54-108) | A playoff team in 2023, the Marlins are set to lose 100 games for the second straight season. Anything less than 100 losses would be ideal for this inexperienced club that’s severely lacking in star power, with the exception of former NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara.NEW YORK METS (Best-case record: 86-76) | You know what they say: Pitching wins championships, and the Mets’ staff is not pennant-caliber as it stands. Should the club overcome the countless injuries they’ve suffered in spring training, OF Juan Soto and SS Francisco Lindor can lead them to nearly 90 wins and perhaps a wild-card berth.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (Best-case record: 92-70) | A second consecutive division title isn’t in the cards for the Phillies, but their pitching staff will carry a somewhat disappointing offense to a postseason appearance for the fourth year in a row. After falling short in recent years, it’s World Series or bust for their veteran core.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (Best-case record: 78-84) | The Nationals have talented players (OFs James Wood and Dylan Crews and pitcher MacKenzie Gore), but they are not ready to contend. A year of growth for their young players to help solidify a promising future is the most they can ask for. — Lauren Amour

NL West

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (Best-case record: 90-72) | With 90 wins, the Diamondbacks would likely leapfrog their division rivals in San Diego and also possibly be back in the postseason for the second time in three years. After getting to the World Series in 2023 and barely missing the postseason last year, Arizona is in position to play meaningful October baseball, a big step forward in the desert.

COLORADO ROCKIES (Best-case record: 75-87) | The Rockies likely won’t contend for a postseason spot this year, but new faces (right-hander Chase Dollander and OF Zac Veen) are expected to debut in 2025. If they join a young core that can break Colorado’s two-year skid of logging more than 100 losses, there could be hope for the Rockies in 2026.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS (Best-case record: 100-62) | The Dodgers are the odds-on favorite to once again win the World Series. They have a plethora of talent to make it happen. Los Angeles finished with 98 wins last year, so winning another title and hitting triple-digits in regular-season wins could arguably make 2025 even more special than 2024.

SAN DIEGO PADRES (Best-case record: 88-74) | The Padres were agonizingly close to knocking off the Dodgers in last year’s National League Division Series, so a best-case scenario would be that San Diego meets the Dodgers again in the 2025 postseason…and beats them. If the Padres can get into October, anything is possible with a star-studded roster.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (Best-case record: 79-83) | It’s a new era in San Francisco with SS Willy Adames becoming the face of the franchise after signing a seven-year, $182M deal in the offseason. With six games against the Diamondbacks and eight against the Dodgers in September, the Giants, with Adames playing the lead role, could be spoilers. But this team is not headed for the postseason. — Kevin Henry

NL Central

CHICAGO CUBS (Best-case record: 91-71) | The Cubs haven’t found themselves finishing the season atop the NL Central in a full-length season since 2017. With big offseason moves — most notably trading for three-time All-Star OF Kyle Tucker — they put themselves in the best position to take back the division. Per FanDuel, the Cubs are favored to win the division.

CINCINNATI REDS (Best-case record: 86-76) | With some of the best young talent in baseball, including 2024 All-Star shortstop Elly De La Cruz, the Reds could make a push to win the division. Cincinnati is in position to win more than 83 games, something it hasn’t done since 2013 (90).

MILWAUKEE BREWERS (Best-case record: 90-72) | The Brewers are one of four teams to make the playoffs in at least five of the past six seasons (Dodgers, Astros and Braves), but they are the only team in the group to win no rounds in the span. With postseason expectations high, second-year manager Pat Murphy must not only guide Milwaukee back to the playoffs but also advance past the wild-card round — where they’ve played in four of their past five appearances — to relieve the team’s lingering burden.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES (Best-case record: 83-79) | Pittsburgh has struggled to compete in the NL Central over the past nine seasons, last achieving a top-two division finish in 2015, which was also the last time they achieved more than 82 wins in a season. However, with promising young talent and a relatively weak division, the team has a chance to reestablish itself.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (Best-case record: 79-83) | The lone team to not add a free agent, the Cardinals are expected to see a sizable decrease in production in 2025. Projected for just 75.5 wins in 2025, per FanDuel, St. Louis, if its young talent rises, could top the projection. — Taylor Bretl