Despite a more complicated path than expected, the [Los Angeles Dodgers](/mlb/team/_/name/lad/los-angeles-dodgers) could repeat as World Series champions, something that hasn’t happened since the [New York Yankees](/mlb/team/_/name/nyy/new-york-yankees) of the late 90s. If this happens, few will be surprised. However, based on what we’ve seen since Opening Day, it wouldn’t be surprising if they failed either.Therefore, the Dodgers’ season cannot yet be classified as a success or a failure. If they win another title, it is an obvious success. Failure is a bit more difficult to define, but let’s consider that Los Angeles is one of the five teams on their way to finishing more than 10 games below their preseason forecast. They also lead the competitive National League West. Success or failure?The answer is complex. Baseball is the most quantifiable and projectable of the major sports, and forecasts are invaluable for setting our expectations of what might happen and how to react to what actually happens. However, baseball is also paradoxically and wonderfully unpredictable.Teams and experts alike enter the season with a good idea of what each club’s strengths and weaknesses are, but those observations tend to disappear when faced with the reality of a real season.Using preseason expectations as a guide, we are going to identify the biggest success and the biggest failure for the 30 teams.[Arizona Diamondbacks](/mlb/team/_/name/ari/arizona-diamondbacks)
Top Success: Geraldo Perdomo
Most of the good news for Arizona this season has been on the position player side, led by a career year for Perdomo. After signing a four-year extension that doesn’t take effect until next year, the 25-year-old went out and had the best season for a shortstop in franchise history. Already outstanding on defense, Perdomo entered this season with 14 career home runs. This year, he has 19 and is on pace to drive in 100 runs. He could also reach 100 runs scored and 30 steals. It’s been an MVP-caliber performance.
Biggest failure: Rotation
Arizona began the season with a rotation on paper that seemed loaded: [Corbin Burnes](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/39878/corbin-burnes), [Zac Gallen](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/39910/zac-gallen), [Merrill Kelly](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/32968/merrill-kelly), [Eduardo Rodriguez](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/32675/eduardo-rodriguez) and [Brandon Pfaadt](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/4721302/brandon-pfaadt). That quintet has a record of 47-39 with an ERA of 4.37. Burnes missed the season in June. Kelly was traded. And the other three have ERA+ figures well below the league average. Arizona’s bullpen has been even worse, but the roster and payroll were built on a foundation of elite starting pitching that hasn’t held up.
[Athletics](/mlb/team/_/name/ath/athletics-athletics)
Greatest Success: Nick Kurtz
That Kurtz be good is no surprise. That he be so good so quickly is astonishing and exciting. After an aggressive call-up at the end of April, Kurtz didn’t hit his first home run until his 17th game in the Major Leagues. Then he hit 19 home runs in 49 games with an OPS of 1.078 and that was just the prelude to his 6-for-6, four-home-run explosion on July 25, in which he tied the MLB record of 19 total bases in a game. In his age-22 season, Kurtz is on pace to become the eighth rookie with an OPS over 1.000 (minimum 400 plate appearances) and of the eight, only Ted Williams and Albert Pujols were of a younger baseball age. The Athletics have found their key player.
Biggest failure: Luis Severino
The Athletics made a rare splurge in the free agent market last winter, signing Severino to a three-year, $67 million contract. The first year has been disappointing. Severino has a 6-11 record with a 4.82 ERA and an 87 ERA+, with the lowest strikeout rate (17.6%) of his career. His struggles in Sacramento have been epic: Severino has a 1-9 record with a 6.51 ERA in 14 starts at Sutter Health Park.
[Atlanta Braves](/mlb/team/_/name/atl/atlanta-braves)Top Success: Hurston Waldrep
Successes have been few and far between for the Braves, but Waldrep’s trajectory appears to be one of them. The sample size is still small, but Waldrep had a 4-0 record with a 1.33 ERA in his first seven starts in 2025 before being defeated by Houston. He seems like a key player, if the Braves can keep him healthy.
Biggest failure: The whole season?
The Braves are on their way to missing their forecast by 24 games, a fall so severe that it’s hard to blame it on just one thing. Injuries have played a role, but other teams are heading to the postseason with many of them: the Yankees, the Red Sox, the Dodgers, and the Brewers, among those with worse health metrics than the Braves. The collapse on the pitching side has been more acute than on offense, but no one is exempt from blame. Perhaps worst of all, the Braves have the second-worst organizational record in baseball. Things haven’t gone any better in the minors.
[Baltimore Orioles](/mlb/team/_/name/bal/baltimore-orioles)
Top Success: Trevor Rogers
The Orioles have underperformed across the board, so we might be damning Rogers with faint praise here, but he’s been a genuine revelation. Rogers started the season in the minors and wasn’t that good there, with a 0-3 record with a 5.51 ERA in eight starts. In the majors? The former Marlin is 8-2 with a 1.43 ERA in 16 starts with good peripherals. Go figure. Heading into what Baltimore hopes will be a bounce-back season in 2026, the Orioles’ rotation needs many more success stories like this.
Biggest Flop: Adley Rutschman
We hate to single out a player when the Orioles have disappointed in so many areas, but Rutschman is an avatar of a series of shortcomings. He hasn’t performed as expected: Baltimore began the season with the third-best projected WAR at the catcher position, but instead ranks 25th. He’s been injured: According to an injury impact metric based on data from Baseball Prospectus, the Orioles rank 29th in baseball. After two consecutive disappointing seasons for Rutschman, and considering the arrival of elite prospect [Samuel Basallo](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/4917646/samuel-basallo), the Orioles’ future at catcher looks very different than it did a couple of years ago.
[Boston Red Sox](/mlb/team/_/name/bos/boston-red-sox)Greatest Success: Pitching Acquisitions
You really can’t choose between Cy Young candidate [Garrett Crochet](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/4297835/garrett-crochet) or Reliever of the Year candidate [Aroldis Chapman](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/30442/aroldis-chapman), neither of whom were with Boston at this time last year. Crochet has flourished with the Red Sox, matching the dominance he showed per inning with Chicago with the workload of a true ace. Chapman, at 37, is on pace to record the best ERA of his career (1.26) and his second-best bWAR (3.3, just below his 3.4 in 2012).
Biggest failure: Template work during the season
The Red Sox have received great production from their rookie class, led by [Roman Anthony](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/5080767/roman-anthony) and [Carlos Narvaez](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/5012120/carlos-narvaez). But a team in a position to contend for the American League East title ranks 29th in my in-season acquisition index, a metric that analyzes the quality and quantity of production from players signed or traded during the season. Boston has dealt with many injuries (27 in injury impact) but has been too passive in compensating for them.
[Chicago Cubs](/mlb/team/_/name/chc/chicago-cubs)Greater success: The offensive
Things have slowed down in the second half, but the Cubs’ attack has been one of the most productive and exciting in baseball over the course of the season. Chicago leads the majors in secondary average (patience and power), isolated power, and team speed number. Production has come from top to bottom of the lineup, giving the Cubs one of their deepest offenses in years.
Biggest failure: The bullpen
The Cubs’ rotation has quickened the pace in the second half, which has helped offset the slump of the hitters. But as October approaches, the Cubs still lack clarity in the bullpen. With Daniel Palencia out, the relievers still lack a clear hammer for the end of the game. Since the All-Star break, the Cubs’ relievers’ ERA (4.40) is in the middle of the pack. For the most part, Craig Counsell has put things together, but the lack of impactful acquisitions during the season, with the exception of [Andrew Kittredge](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/35872/andrew-kittredge), could undermine the Cubs once the postseason arrives.
[Chicago White Sox](/mlb/team/_/name/chw/chicago-white-sox)
Greatest Success: The Rookies
According to my rookie contribution metric, basically summing the consensus WAR figures for first-year players, the White Sox (11.61 rookie WAR) have four more wins than any other team. In [Kyle Teel](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/4743772/kyle-teel), [Colson Montgomery](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/4872685/colson-montgomery), [Chase Meidroth](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/5136929/chase-meidroth), [Mike Vasil](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/4414551/mike-vasil), [Shane Smith](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/5201814/shane-smith), [Edgar Quero](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/4917824/edgar-quero) and [Wikelman Gonzalez](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/4917659/wikelman-gonzalez), Chicago has graduated some bona fide pillars to the majors. With a decent finish, the White Sox can avoid another 100-loss season. That might seem like a low bar for excitement, but when you’re coming off a 121-loss disaster, that’s a huge improvement.
Biggest Flop: Luis Robert Jr.
The season began with reports about Robert’s renewed focus at the plate, but 2025 proved to be another step back for one of the game’s most talented players. Robert improved his strike zone indicators, but it didn’t pay off in the final result, as his OPS+ fell two points further from his career low of 86 in 2024. And it looks like he’ll end the season where he’s spent too much time during his career: on the injured list. Whether you see Robert as a White Sox pillar or as the team’s last and best chance to generate an impactful return in the trade market, none of this is good.
[Cincinnati Reds](/mlb/team/_/name/cin/cincinnati-reds)Greater success: Rotation
The Reds’ pitching, in general, has kept the team out of the playoff chase all season, but the starters, in particular, have been rock solid. According to [my AXE metric used in the Awards Watch series](/mlb/story/_/id/46207127/2025-mlb-awards-watch-september-mvp-cy-young-al-nl-raleigh-judge-ohtani-skenes-skubal), six of the Reds’ top nine players this season have been starting pitchers, led by [Andrew Abbott](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/4414528/andrew-abbott), [Nick Lodolo](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/42433/nick-lodolo) and [Hunter Greene](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/39635/hunter-greene). Only three teams have compiled more quality starts.
Major Failure: The Declining Offensive
Cincinnati’s hitters are on pace to finish near their preseason projection of 660 park-neutral runs scored. But at midseason, the Reds were on pace to finish at 693, and during the regression stretch, a trade deadline passed. [Miguel Andújar](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/33743/miguel-andujar) has helped, when he’s played, but it hasn’t been enough. The Reds rank 19th or worse in five of the nine positions by OPS, and that’s with the built-in boost of Great American Ballpark.
[Cleveland Guardians](/mlb/team/_/name/cle/cleveland-guardians)Greater Success: The Final Stretch Rotation
After years of forging a reputation as a factory of starting pitchers, the Guardians’ actual performance in that area in recent years has not lived up to it. Until recently, that is. After ranking 18th with a rotation effectiveness of 4.17 through August 25, Cleveland is second with a mark of 2.78 since then. The Guardians have stayed in the playoff race with a 14-5 record during that span, despite ranking 22nd with only 4.16 runs scored per game.
Biggest failure: The offensive
Really, pick whichever you want. Whatever the offensive metric, the Guardians stink. They are 29th or worse in each of the slash line columns, last in BABIP, and 24th in isolated power. They rank 29th in OPS at catcher and shortstop, and 30th in center field and right field. There’s a limit to what [José Ramírez](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/32801/jose-ramirez) can do.
[Colorado Rockies](/mlb/team/_/name/col/colorado-rockies)Greatest Success: Assistance
The Rockies are in the group, attracting 29,676 fans per game, only 1,211 less than last season. They are surpassing the [Detroit Tigers](/mlb/team/_/name/det/detroit-tigers) who are in first place. The world is a very strange place sometimes.
Biggest failure: Everything else
Assuming the Rockies don’t lose everything, which could happen, of course, they won’t end up matching or surpassing the White Sox’s 2024 season record for losses. Still, this marks the Rockies’ third consecutive 100-loss season, the fourth consecutive last-place finish, and the seventh consecutive season finishing fourth or worse in the NL West. The Rockies need to ask tough questions about how they do things.
[Detroit Tigers](/mlb/team/_/name/det/detroit-tigers)Top Success: Tarik Skubal
The Tigers are close to their first division title in 11 years and their second consecutive playoff appearance. They are largely built on internally developed players and have the best overall record in baseball organization. In other words, much more talent is on the way. Still, Skubal stands out on a team full of success stories by replicating or even improving on his 2024 Cy Young-winning campaign. He has become one of the most important stars in baseball and the face of what Detroit has been building, and this building has many faces.
Biggest failure: The depth of the rotation
Skubal’s is just one turn through the rotation, and the Tigers’ run prevention has lagged in the second half of the season. Since the break, Skubal has a 2.31 ERA with eight quality starts in 10 starts. The rest of Detroit’s rotation has a 5.32 ERA with just 10 quality starts in 43 starts. If this bites the Tigers in the postseason, there will be questions about why Detroit didn’t make a bigger move at the trade deadline.
[Houston Astros](/mlb/team/_/name/hou/houston-astros)Greatest Success: Main Office Improvisation
The Astros are almost at their preseason forecast, but their path to those 87-88 wins has been less than predictable. Because of that, much of the story of Houston’s season can be told in two of the measures we keep mentioning. First, the Astros are last in the injury impact metric, meaning no team has been more affected by player absences ([Yordan Alvarez](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/36018/yordan-alvarez) especially). Second, the Astros are first in the in-season acquisition standings. [Carlos Correa](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/32653/carlos-correa), [Jesús Sánchez](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/39957/jesus-sanchez), [Ramón Urías](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/40610/ramon-urias), [Craig Kimbrel](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/30653/craig-kimbrel) and others have helped keep Houston’s competitive window ajar as we enter the final stretch.
Biggest failure: Christian Walker
The Astros’ offense is far less dynamic than it has been for a long time. No one player is to blame, and Alvarez’s long stint on the injured list must be taken into account. But things wouldn’t be so dire if Walker had filled what has become a long-standing hole for Houston at first base. It’s always risky to sign free-agent hitters who are already over 30, and so it has been so far for Walker, whose OPS+ has dropped from a three-year average of 123 in Arizona to 95 in Houston. He has been better since the All-Star break, so we should postpone final judgment on the signing for now, but the bottom line is that, at this moment, Walker is barely above replacement level for the season.
[Kansas City Royals](/mlb/team/_/name/kc/kansas-city-royals)Greatest Success: Starting Pitching
Last season, the Royals got 151 starts from their top five starters. This season, they’ve had 12 pitchers make at least two starts and, depending on when, and if, Michael Wacha returns before the end of the season, none of them could qualify for an ERA title. Injuries have affected the rotation’s performance during the second half, but it hasn’t collapsed, and for the season, Kansas City has the sixth-best rotation ERA in MLB. Whether converting relievers ([Kris Bubic](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/41201/kris-bubic)), developing mid-level prospects ([Noah Cameron](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/4417208/noah-cameron)) or identifying trade targets ([Ryan Bergert](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/5196249/ryan-bergert)), the Royals have become experts at finding rotation answers that fit their system.
Biggest failure: The offensive
[Bobby Witt Jr.](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/42403/bobby-witt-jr) continues to be a superstar. [Maikel García](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/4905884/maikel-garcia) has been one of baseball’s most improved players. [Vinnie Pasquantino](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/4109109/vinnie-pasquantino) remains a high-level run producer. But, aside from a mid-season surge, the Royals simply haven’t been able to score consistently to stay in the playoff hunt, despite their combination of elite pitching and defense. They’ve tried to plug their holes with trades during the season, but the baseline for the lineup is too low to fix on the fly.
[Los Angeles Angels](/mlb/team/_/name/laa/los-angeles-angels)Top Success: Zach Neto
With a second consecutive season of five WAR, Neto has become one of the best shortstops in baseball at 24 years old. He was out of action at the beginning of the season and his numbers are mostly similar to those of 2024, except for a non-trivial increase in slugging. As he has matured, Neto has hit the ball harder more often, while also shining in the field and on the bases.
Biggest bust: Mike Trout
During the four-year period from 2021 to 2024, Trout averaged only 66.5 games per season. But on a 162-game basis, he had rates of 46.3 home runs, 109 runs, and an OPS+ of 160. If only he could stay in the lineup. With a move to DH this season, Trout has been more available, but his impact has diminished. Trout’s OPS+ is 115, solid, but not like Trout, and his slugging percentage is a shocking .417. Maybe it’s just the adjustment to DH, which isn’t always smooth. Trout, after all, is still only 34 years old.
[Los Angeles Dodgers](/mlb/team/_/name/lad/los-angeles-dodgers)Greatest Success: Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Remember, we’re dealing with expectations here, so [Shohei Ohtani](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/39832/shohei-ohtani) doesn’t get credit in this context for doing the incredible things he was already doing. But it’s been a standout season for Yamamoto, the most stable part of a deep Dodgers rotation that has again been plagued by injuries. Yamamoto has lived up to his pre-2024 hype, but by increasing the volume, at least for a Dodgers pitcher. Already above the minimum of 162 innings, Yamamoto is the first Dodgers pitcher to qualify for the ERA title since 2022.
Biggest failure: Health
Health has continued to be a general problem for the Dodgers, but it continues to be especially bad on the pitching side. The Angels are the deepest team in baseball, but despite that, injuries have been so frequent that the Dodgers have kept the transaction wire spinning all season. They have used 39 different pitchers, 16 of whom have started at least one game and 10 of whom have earned at least one save. How does manager Dave Roberts keep everything in order?
[Miami Marlins](/mlb/team/_/name/mia/miami-marlins)Greater Success: An Emerging Alignment
Among the young players who have started off on the right foot ([Agustin Ramirez](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/5132014/agustin-ramirez), [Jakob Marsee](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/4866735/jakob-marsee)) and the young veterans who are improving as they enter their prime ([Otto Lopez](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/41917/otto-lopez), [Xavier Edwards](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/41326/xavier-edwards) and, especially, [Kyle Stowers](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/42796/kyle-stowers)), the Marlins are increasingly looking like a team that can field an exciting lineup in 2026.
Biggest failure: Rotation
Injuries in recent years have shaken a talented group of Marlins starters. Aside from a mid-season surge when Marlins pitchers got hot as a group, Miami’s starters have been lit up for most of 2025, ranking 28th in rotation effectiveness with the second-lowest total of quality starts. However, the talent of [Sandy Alcantara](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/35241/sandy-alcantara), [Eury Perez](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/4917854/eury-perez), Edward Cabrera, Max Meyer and an interesting wave of prospects to come remains tempting. Perhaps next season everything will come back into focus.
[Milwaukee Brewers](/mlb/team/_/name/mil/milwaukee-brewers)Top Success: Brice Turang
The rise of Turang to an All-Star caliber player is undeniable now that he has added power to an already complete toolbox. He is one of the best second basemen in the game, but more than that, he typifies Milwaukee’s transformation into the best regular season club in MLB. He is young, athletic, excellent on defense, and gets on base. And he is exciting, as he stands out as one of the most aesthetically pleasing players to watch in baseball.
Biggest failure: Relievers’ health?
Almost everything has gone well for the Brewers, so it’s difficult to call anything a failure. Even the bullpen has been excellent over the course of the season. But a series of season-ending injuries has made things a little more
