As multiple teams continue to surpass the reigning league champion New York Yankees in early season standings, oddsmakers are left dumbfounded by which franchise to place heavy faith in.
Following what was seen as a significant step toward once again becoming a perennial World Series contender, the New York Yankees have failed to resemble the same unit which reached the ultimate stage of the MLB world in 2024. While the eventual series with the Los Angeles Dodgers would result in a quick five-game set, the Yankees had still found a formula to compete with the best of the very best across all of baseball. In the offseason, however, plans changed somewhat when outfielder Juan Soto chose to leave the Bronx for Queens, New York, and sign with the New York Mets for 15 years, $765m, leading the Yankees to scour the market for whatever talent necessary to replace the production of Soto’s bat.
New York had seemingly found replacements through pitching instead, signing Max Fried to a $200m-plus contract, a positive transaction figuring Fried currently sports a 1.05 earned run average (ERA) as well as a perfect record of 6-0. What was thought to be a dominant one-two punch with Fried and Gerrit Cole quickly saw the former Atlanta Braves pitcher left to battle alone when it was discovered Cole would need Tommy John surgery, which includes a recovery time of over 12 months. In the lineup, New York went about replacing Soto by bringing in veterans such as Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger to help add depth to a top-heavy set of batters, along with placing trust in its younger talent to step up with additional playing time.
While Goldschmidt and young first baseman Ben Rice have certainly made their presence known in the early going, none of Bellinger, Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells or Jasson Dominguez have really taken off through April and the start of May. Especially in Bellinger’s case, many Yankees fans were hoping the “short porch” in right field of Yankee Stadium would lead to an enlarged home run total for the 29-year-old outfielder, but instead Bellinger has hit for an average of just .215, although the power has flared at times with five home runs as well. As an impending free agent if he so chooses, the former Dodger and Chicago Cubs star will need to turn around his 2025 season quickly if he is to headline a slightly depressing 2025-2026 free agency class, otherwise it should be assumed he will opt-in to his player option for 2026 with New York.
Despite the challenges faced by New York in the early going, the franchise has still managed to generate a record of 21-16, good for first place in the American League (AL) East division and holding +310 odds from FanDuel to win the AL once again this season. Behind the Yankees sit the Detroit Tigers at +650, a team which holds the best record in the AL at 25-13 and has been backed by elite pitching from Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, Reese Olson and Casey Mize. While many fail to see AL Central teams as a threat come postseason play, having multiple arms to utilize in October has always been a clear advantage for Playoff rosters, and the Tigers have four pitching to their best ability, along with the developing Jackson Jobe at the end of the rotation.
The lineup has been up-and-down to begin the year, but has also seen great production from the likes of Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson and Kerry Carpenter, along with a laundry list of names who have produced bright spots throughout 2025. With an early 2.5-game lead on the rest of the AL Central, Detroit’s hot start could propel the franchise to competing for a league crown once again, after dominating much of the late 2000s and early 2010s. At +650 on FanDuel, the operator clearly still sees the Tigers and the remaining AL hopefuls as a step below the Yankees, even if New York’s record is currently good for fifth across the entire league.
Among the rest of the AL, the Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox are seen as threats to New York’s World Series hopes in 2025, having odds of +700 and +750, respectively, to reach the ultimate stage itself this season. Seattle is constantly backed by strong starting pitching, but has instead been carried by a devastating lineup to begin the year, featuring incredible early production from Cal Raleigh, Jorge Polanco and Julio Rodriguez. While hopeful starting pitching aces such as Bryce Miller and Luis Castillo have not been up to par to begin the year, Seattle will witness the returns of Logan Gilbert and George Kirby from the injured list in short order, while Bryan Woo has been fantastic to kick off his 2025.
Boston, much like Seattle, has used strong starts from its lineup to build a 20-19 record this season, but no name has stood out greater than free agent signing Alex Bregman, who has hit to an average of .318 while adding nine home runs and 30 runs batted in (RBIs) to begin his Red Sox tenure. With fellow stars such as Jarren Duran and Rafael Devers rounding into form, Boston could certainly begin challenging New York to an even greater extent, which could make for fantastic rivalry games later in 2025. As one of the most storied rivalries in all of sports, competitive Yankees and Red Sox games are some of the best content any spectator can enjoy, so the MLB world will definitely be hoping both franchises keep pace throughout 2025.
