After a 2024 season marred by injuries, the Atlanta Braves are poised for a strong comeback in 2025. They are widely regarded as the team most likely to challenge the Los Angeles Dodgers for the World Series Championship, a sentiment echoed in an ESPN survey of baseball insiders.
When asked which team posed the greatest threat to the Dodgers, one AL executive stated, “A healthy Braves team can go toe-to-toe with the Dodgers. The slower return of [Spencer] Strider and [Ronald] Acuna could work to their favor later on. If they’re peaking come October, watch out for the Braves.” The Boston Red Sox received a single vote, attributed to their promising group of young prospects expected to make an impact at the MLB level.
Atlanta Braves Named Los Angeles Dodgers’ Biggest Threat
“If the Red Sox prospects/young guys like Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer are all part of the lineup come October, I’m going with the Red Sox,” one insider said. However, the prevailing opinion is that a healthy Braves team can compete with any opponent.
The Braves’ 2025 season began with a 7-4 loss to the San Diego Padres on Opening Day, where their bullpen faltered in the seventh inning. “It was a tough inning in all respects, really,” manager Brian Snitker said of the four-run seventh, which included a home run given up by reliever Hector Neris. Chris Sale, the 2024 Cy Young winner, expressed confidence in the bullpen’s ability to rebound.
“I think it’s just the first game of the season, man, honestly,” Sale said. “Anything can happen. This is a long season. I’ve said it a lot that I don’t put too much weight in guys’ major-league debuts or first games of the season, because there’s just kind of a lot going on. You know, check the book, Neris has been a bad man for a long time. So I’ll take him in any situation, any inning, any game.”
The Braves’ success in 2025 hinges significantly on the performance of their bullpen. If they can achieve consistency and reliability, the team will be well-positioned to contend for the championship.