PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JULY 9: Zack Wheeler #45 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch in the top of the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park on July 9, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Pitching wins championships, and these 10 teams have the best pitching staffs heading into 2025:
10. Baltimore Orioles
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – JULY 20: Felix Bautista #74 and Adley Rutschman #35 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrate after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 at Tropicana Field on July 20, 2023 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
They have some solid starters, but their bullpen is fantastic and getting Felix Bautista back and healthy is going to play a major role in that.
9. Atlanta Braves
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – OCTOBER 14: Spencer Strider #65 of the Atlanta Braves throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning in game three of the National League Division Series at Citizens Bank Park on October 14, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Spencer Strider is an elite pitcher, and when he returns to the mound, he gives the Braves an anchor to the rest of their staff. The Braves also have a lock down closer in Raisel Iglesias.
8. Houston Astros
HOUSTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 26: Framber Valdez #59 of the Houston Astros delivers the pitch against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning in Game One of the World Series at Minute Maid Park on October 26, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Led by Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown, the Astros have a strong top part of their rotation. They also have one of the best closers in MLB, Josh Hader.
7. Cleveland Guardians
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 29: Emmanuel Clase #48 of the Cleveland Guardians reacts after the Guardians beat the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Coliseum on March 29, 2024 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The Guardians SP leaves a little bit to be desired, but they had the best bullpen in MLB last year and easily could again in 2025.
6. New York Yankees
TAMPA, FL – MARCH 3: Max Fried #54 of the New York Yankees pitches during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field on March 3, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images)
Despite losing Gerrit Cole for the season and Luis Gil for at least 3 months, the Yankees still have two good starters in Fried and Rodon. They also have lockdown closer in Devin Williams and a deep bullpen in front of him.
5. Detroit Tigers
DETROIT, MI – AUGUST 13: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Detroit Tigers pitches against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at Comerica Park on August 13, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
The Tigers rotation and bullpen are pretty good, but what makes them elite is the reigning Cy Young award winner, Tarik Skubal. He is the best SP in the American League if not all of MLB.
4. San Diego Padres
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 01: Michael King #34 of the San Diego Padres throws a pitch against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning in Game One of the Wild Card Series at Petco Park on October 01, 2024 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
As long as the Padres don’t trade them, Michael King and Dylan Cease are an excellent 1-2 punch. They also have the veteran Yu Darvish and a deep bullpen.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 21: Starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow #31 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after striking out the Tyrone Taylor #15 of the New York Mets for the last out of the eight inning ending a scoring threat with bases loaded at Dodger Stadium on April 21, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
The Dodgers rotation does have some injury concerns, but they also feature an all-star rotation with Glasnow, Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Sasaki.
2. Seattle Mariners
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – MARCH 30: Logan Gilbert #36 of the Seattle Mariners throws a pitch during the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at T-Mobile Park on March 30, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
Even with the George Kirby injury, the Mariners have the best rotation in the American League. Gilbert, Castillo, Miller, and Woo are all fantastic. They also have a great closer in Andres Munoz.
1. Philadelphia Phillies
DENVER, COLORADO – MAY 25: Aaron Nola #27 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches during the first inning of the game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on May 25, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Alysa Rubin/Clarkson Creative/Getty Images)
The Phillies have the deepest five man rotation in the big leagues. Wheeler, Nola, Suarez, Sanchez, and Luzardo. They also have a top prospect in Andrew Painter. Their bullpen doesn’t feature a sure fire closer, but they have at least four candidates who could take the job and run with it.
