MLB rotation rankings 2025: 10 best MLB rotations entering Opening Day

Who has the best rotation in baseball? The 2025 Major League Baseball season has arrived with the 162-game road to the playoffs underway. Pitching is as important as ever and it should come as no surprise that the best MLB rotations in 2025 belong to contenders. Our MLB rotation rankings will evaluate the 10 best rotations in baseball entering Opening Day. We’ll revisit this list when the playoffs begin.

Let’s dive into our MLB rotation rankings before Opening Day following a myriad of injuries in spring training.

MLB rotation rankings: Best MLB rotations right now

10. Pittsburgh Pirates

MLB rotation rankings 2025, best MLB rotations — Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Pittsburgh Pirates rotation: Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Andrew Heaney, Bailey Falter, Carmen Mlodzinski

Both teams in the mix for this spot – Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres (Yu Darvish) – suffered injury blows ahead of Opening Day. Losing No. 2 starter Jared Jones (elbow) indefinitely is a significant blow for the Pirates rotation, because he was a bright spot in 2024 with a 26.2% K-rate and a .230 batting average allowed. In his place, Carmen Mlodzinski takes over. As for the front of the Pirates rotation, Paul Skenes is an obvious favorite to win the NL Cy Young Award and Mitch Keller can be an effective No. 3 starter. Skenes is really doing the heavy lifting for Pittsburgh even to make it in our MLB rotation rankings as they are a borderline top-10 staff now that Jones is on the injured list.

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9. Texas Rangers

Texas Rangers rotation: Nathan Eovaldi, Tyler Mahle, Jack Leiter, Kumar Rocker, Jacob deGrom

There are injury risks throughout the Texas Rangers rotation in 2025 and that’s even after spring training. Cody Bradford (elbow) was shut down in mid-March and Jon Gray landed on the 60-day IL with a right wrist fracture. Those injuries secured rotation spots for Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker. Both Rocker and Leiter had issues with command in spring training, highlighting their volatility as starters.

Texas is also banking on Tyler Mahle to stay healthy, hoping he recaptures the form that resulted in a 3.72 ERA in 227.2 innings from 2020-’21 with the Cincinnati Reds. Nathan Eovaldi is a fine front-line starter – 3.72 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in the last two seasons with Texas – but the big question is Jacob deGrom. He’s one of the best pitchers of his era when healthy, but this is a hard-throwing southpaw who turns 37 in June and has combined for 105.1 innings pitched over the last three seasons.

8. Kansas City Royals

Kansas City Royals rotation: Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Michael Lorenzen, Kyle Bubic

A year ago, no one thought much of the Kansas City Royals rotation. Look how quickly things can change after one season. Seth Lugo (3.00 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 181-48 K-BB ratio) earned his first All-Star selection and finished second in AL Cy Young voting. Teammate Cole Ragans (3.14 ERA and 1.14 WHIP) placed fourth in the Cy Young race. Even Michael Wacha (3.35 ERA and 1.19 WHIP) thrived in the Royals rotation. If Michael Lorenzen or Kris Bubic (2.67 ERA in 30.1 innings) become the next success story, Kansas City could have one of the five best MLB rotations in 2025.

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7. Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox rotation: Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, Walker Buehler, Brayan Bello, Richard Fitts

The Boston Red Sox finally made the big move, acquiring All-Star starting pitcher Garrett Crochet to fortify the starting rotation. With Crochet, Boston has an ace capable of striking out more than 30 percent of batters faced with a sub-3.2 ERA. Behind the top starter, Tanner Houck is looking to prove last season’s success (3.12 ERA and 1.14 WHIP) was no fluke. Even with some regression expected from Houck, Walker Buehler offers upside as the No. 3 starter. Boston will also have Brayan Bello back early in the regular season with Kutter Crawford and Lucas Giolito also options for this Red Sox rotation once they come off the IL.

6. Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers rotation: Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty Reese Olson, Casey Mize, Jackson Jobe

Tarik Skubal was the best pitcher in baseball last season, ranking second in K-BB rate (25.6 percent) with the sixth-lowest batting average allowed (.200) and the second-best WHIP (0.92). Behind the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, the Detroit Tigers have Jack Flaherty (2.95 ERA and 0.96 WHIP with the team in 2024). The intrigue comes after them. Reese Olson shined in 2024 – 3.52 ERA in 112.1 innings – and there’s hope Casey Mize is headed for a breakout season after a strong spring. The real intrigue is with rookie Jackson Jobe, arguably the top pitching prospect in MLB. Jobe will face acclimation and adjustment periods, but his stuff could help Detroit finish the season with one of the five best MLB rotations in 2025.

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5. Arizona Diamondbacks

Arizona Diamondbacks rotation: Corbin Burnes, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Brandon Pfaadt, Eduardo Rodriguez

The Arizona Diamondbacks rotation was a letdown in 2024 – (4.79 ERA, 27th in MLB – but there’s a lot of hope for this year’s staff. Corbin Burnes will strike out 180-plus batters with a sub-3.4 ERA and Zac Gallen (3.29 career ERA) gives Arizona co-aces. Behind the duo, Merrill Kelly (3.45 ERA from 2022-’24) is an excellent No. 3 starter and Brandon Pfaadt has shown great promise. If Eduardo Rodriguez’s spring training (2.70 ERA) is any indicator of his potential rebound in 2025, the Diamondbacks rotation boasts five quality or better starters who can help this team make the playoffs.

4. Atlanta Braves

Atlanta Braves rotation: Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo Lopez, Spencer Schwellenbach, Grant Holmes

Chris Sale rebounded in 2024 after being traded to the Atlanta Braves, winning the NL Cy Young Award and the pitcher’s triple crown. Even with slight regression projected for the 36-year-old ace, Atlanta is getting Spencer Strider back before May. Strider might not be in top form, but he is more than capable of being an excellent No. 2 and Atlanta has the pitching depth to limit his workload. There are also obviously high hopes for Spencer Schwellenbach to become an All-Star-caliber pitcher this season. We are a bit more suspect of Grant Holmes holding up in the rotation, but Atlanta has AJ Smith-Shawver behind him.

3. Seattle Mariners

Seattle Mariners rotation: Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo, Bryce Miller, Bryan Woo, Emerson Hancock

The Seattle Mariners need to have one of the best MLB rotations this season to contend. What makes Seattle unique is that even after the George Kirby injury (shoulder), they still place third in our MLB rotation rankings. Logan Gilbert (3.23 ERA and .194 batting average allowed) is a Cy Young candidate and Luis Castillo is a playoff-caliber ace in his own right. Expectations are also high for Bryce Miller after his breakthrough 204 campaign (2.94 ERA with 0.98 WHIP) and even No. 4 starter Bryan Woo is capable of posting a sub-3.6 ERA with a WHIP below 1.1. When Kirby is back, the Mariners probably have the second-best rotation in baseball.

2. Philadelphia Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies rotation: Zack Wheeler, Jesús Luzardo, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sanchez, Taijuan Walker, Ranger Suarez (IL)

As with several teams, the Philadelphia Phillies rotation took a hit in spring training with the Ranger Suarez back injury. It pushes Taijuan Walker into the No. 5 spot. That’s far from ideal, given his 5.27 ERA over the last two years, but it could be a lot worse. At the front of the Phillies rotation, Zack Wheeler is a strong NL Cy Young candidate pick and a healthy Jesus Lúzardo (3.48 ERA in 279 innings from 2022-’23) can challenge for an All-Star selection. The Lazardo acquisition also pushed Aaron Nola (3.57 ERA and 1.2 WHIP in 199.1 innings) and Cristopher Sánchez (3.32 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 181.2 innings) into rotation spots where Philadelphia will almost always have the pitching edge over its opponent. In any other year, this would be the rest rotation in baseball when Suarez is healthy, but the Los Angeles Dodgers exist.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers rotation: Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, Dustin May

MLB teams were pursuing Roki Sasaki this winter with the hopes of him becoming the face of their rotation. He’ll be a No. 4 starter in the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation. Los Angeles is led by two starters with some of the highest NL Cy Young Award odds out there – Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell – with All-Star pitcher Tyler Glasnow (3.49 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in 2024) behind them. Quite frankly, there’s a compelling case to be made that the Dodgers rotation might have four No. 1 starters. Behind that dominant four-man staff, Los Angeles can alternate throughout the regular season between Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, Clayton Kershaw, Landon Knack, Justin Wrobleski and eventually Shohei Ohtani. Los Angeles truly could divide up its staff and still have two of the best MLB rotations this season.