'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Arizona Diamondbacks went to the World Series after sneaking into the playoffs in 2023 with 84 wins. They got better in 2024 but missed the playoffs entirely. 2025 should be better in that regard, though, so here are five predictions for what the upcoming season has for them.
Bold predictions for the 2025 Diamondbacks
5) 99 wins
A 10-win improvement is difficult for any team to do. Even the Los Angeles Dodgers, who've had a brilliant offseason after a 98-win season, will be hard-pressed to do that. The Diamondbacks won 89 last year, but they're really improving every year.
Trending
This is a good team with a strong core of young players who continue to get better. An improvement is all but guaranteed, but it's bold to predict 10 more wins in the vaunted NL West.
4) Zac Gallen will be a Cy Young finalist
Zac Gallen is a great pitcher, even if he had a slightly down year in 2024. The National League, though, is filled with great pitching. Chris Sale, Zack Wheeler, Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, and Logan Webb could all compete for the Cy Young.
The bold prediction is that Gallen outperforms most of those pitchers and earns himself the first Cy Young nomination of his career. Whether or not he wins is another thing, but he'll be good enough to get consideration.
3) Corbin Carroll will be an MVP finalist
The National League is filled with MVP-worthy talent: Fernando Tatis Jr., Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor, Elly De La Cruz, and many others. It's probably Ohtani's award to lose, but there's clearly a lot of competition.
However, Corbin Carroll should be and will be in the conversation at year's end. He had a bit of a sophomore slump in the first half, but his rookie season and second half last year were pretty great: 5.4 fWAR in year one and 4.0 in year two despite the bad start indicate that he's close to truly breaking out.
He'll do so this year and be an MVP finalist. Will he win? Maybe not, but he'll be one of the NL's best.
2) Ketel Marte will hit 50 home runs
Ketel Marte continues to be one of the most underappreciated hitters in baseball. His 151 wRC+ was among the best hitters in the entire MLB last year, and he had the highest fWAR of any Diamondbacks player.
He's coming off a career-high 36 home runs, and a 14-homer jump is difficult to envision. However, with a strong lineup around him and his continued growth, an improvement wouldn't be a surprise. Look for him to put it all together and carry the Diamondbacks offensively.
1) World Series Berth
From missing the playoffs back to the World Series, the Diamondbacks will have an impressive turnaround in 2025. They only missed out due to a tiebreaker with the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves, but still.
Plus, the National League is incredibly stacked. The Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets are all true contenders. There's not much room for the Diamondbacks, but they have the experience to survive a gauntlet (as they did in 2023) and make it back.
