Spring is still technically a few days away, but with MLB’s Tokyo Series kicking off the 2025 season and the release of MLB The Show 25, things are heating up around the diamond.
In what has become something of an unofficial start-of-season tradition, Yahoo Sports simulated the entire 2025 MLB year in Sony Interactive Entertainment’s annual baseball video game — one of the biggest and most prestigious sports gaming releases on the calendar.
The parameters for the simulated season were fairly simple: In The Show’s in-depth franchise mode, we used current (live) rosters, kept default settings intact and turned off any user input for game management, roster management or the other bells and whistles behind the scenes (sponsorships, budget, etc.). Computer trading was left on — spoiler alert: this was equal parts bizarre and exciting — and in-season events such as the MLB Draft and All-Star week were automatically handled.
So … checks pitch clock … let’s jump right in to the inaugural MLB The Show x Yahoo Sports simulation, curveballs and all.
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2025 MLB season]
Trades, trades, trades
I’m not going to bury the lede here — there were some bonafide blockbusters between computer-controlled teams. One of the nice things about MLB The Show is that it will interrupt your simulation to show you these major, league-altering deals. When the first one popped up — Seiya Suzuki going from the Cubs to the Astros for Isaac Paredes and Brice Matthews — I figured, “OK, that’s conceivable.”
Then things went off the rails. The Dodgers, no strangers to wild transactions, managed to acquire two former AL All-Stars in Brent Rooker and Jordan Westburg. The Rooker deal was far more believable, considering Los Angeles coughed up a trio of young players/prospects in Bobby Miller, Josue De Paula and Yeiner Fernandez. This is your relatively standard A’s fire-sale type of deal.
Los Angeles also happened to trade with the Orioles for Westburg. For him, the Dodgers gave up Landon Knack, Blake Treinen and none other than reigning World Series MVP Freddie Freeman. File that under “unlikely to happen, now or ever.”
This wasn’t the last we heard from the A’s and Orioles during the simulation, as the American League squads made a deal of their own later in the season that was almost equally surprising. The A’s sent rising star Lawrence Butler to Baltimore for Jackson Holliday, Alex Pham and Jordyn Adams. Even if you ignore the fact that Butler just signed a $65.5 million extension with the A’s, the presence of Jacob Wilson in West Sacramento makes acquiring Holliday more than a little outlandish.
But wait, there’s more! The A’s also decided to send their star closer, Mason Miller, in the division to Seattle for Cole Young, Lazaro Montes and Troy Taylor. Of the three deals involving the A’s, this was probably the most realistic.
Elsewhere around the league, the only major standout trades came from the Yankees, who sent offseason acquisitions Cody Bellinger and Devin Williams to the Mets and Pirates, respectively. In return, the Bronx Bombers reunited with Clay Holmes from the Mets and added Jeff McNeil, Adam Frazier, David Bednar and Dennis Santana (another reunion) from Pittsburgh.
Year Juan at Citi Field
After he signed a record-setting, $765M contract and switched New York City boroughs this offseason, it’s safe to say there will be a spotlight on Juan Soto this year.
When it came to MLB The Show 25, Soto had a bit of a down year by his lofty standards.
Not only did the Mets miss the postseason, but Soto also saw declines nearly across the board in offensive statistics, finishing with 94 runs scored, 37 home runs, 92 RBI and a .279 batting average. Soto’s famed plate discipline was also impacted as he finished with 99 walks and 109 strikeouts, marking his first season since 2019 in which he had more Ks than BBs.
Elite company
Meanwhile, back in the Bronx, it was business as usual for Aaron Judge. In our simulation, the Yankees’ captain finished with 113 runs, 118 RBI, a .315 batting average and an MLB-best 46 home runs en route to his second consecutive — and third overall — AL MVP award.
If this were to come to pass, Judge would join Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Joe DiMaggio as the only Yankees to win the award three times while playing for New York. Overall, he’d be the 13th player in MLB history to accomplish the feat.
Let’s put a pin(stripe) in the Yankees’ season for now.
The Sho’ must go on
Depending on who you ask, Judge vs. Shohei Ohtani is one of MLB’s great generational sports debates. Ohtani — a three-time MVP winner himself — did not manage to capture NL honors in the simulation, finishing second for the second time in his career. Ohtani’s hitting numbers were there, as he finished with 37 home runs, 117 RBI, 32 steals and a .279 batting average, but it was his return to the mound that seemed to hurt his chances.
Ohtani started 33 games for Los Angeles in the simulation, racking up an MLB-best 228 strikeouts. Other than that, however, the Japanese superstar looked human on the bump, pitching to an 11-12 record with a 4.24 ERA in 180 1/3 innings. The losses and ERA both represent career worsts in full seasons for Ohtani.
That said, the Dodgers did manage to finish with 101 wins and another NL West crown due in part to …
Roki for ROY
Prized rookie Roki Sasaki!
Sasaki managed to capture the NL Rookie of the Year award in the simulation, beating the Marlins pair of Griffin Conine and Agustin Ramirez.
In his debut season, Sasaki finished with a solid 11-6 record, a 3.86 ERA and 175 strikeouts. As impressive as those numbers seem for the 23-year-old, they’re also relatively unlikely, as he has never pitched more than 129 1/3 innings in a season thus far.
Other awards and leaders
We touched on the AL MVP and NL ROY already. Here’s who else took home individual hardware at season’s end.
NL MVP: Ketel Marte, ARI — Marte finished with an MLB-best 132 RBI to go with 39 HRs and a .308 batting average, helping the Diamondbacks clinch an NL wild-card berth.
AL Cy Young: Tarik Skubal, DET — The Tigers’ ace went back-to-back, leading the AL in ERA (2.54) and strikeouts (198).
NL Cy Young: Aaron Nola, PHI — The Phillies won an MLB-best 102 games, with Nola compiling a 21-7 record along the way. Nola also had a strong ERA (2.61) and decent enough strikeouts (166) to win the award.
AL Rookie of the Year: Coby Mayo, BAL — Mayo edged Cleveland’s Travis Bazzana and Chicago’s Kyle Teel to become the second Orioles player to win the award in the past three years (Gunnar Henderson, 2023).
Hank Aaron Award (AL): Corey Seager, TEX — Seager finished just behind Judge with 45 HRs and 115 RBI. His .330 batting average was second in the AL to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who hit .340.
Hank Aaron Award (NL): Bryce Harper, PHI — Harper topped 100 RBI for the first time since 2019 and tied his career-best with a .330 batting average, which won him the NL batting title.
Mariano Rivera Award: Mason Miller, A’s/SEA — Miller had a career-high 40 saves to go with a 1.08 ERA.
Trevor Hoffman Award: Matt Strahm, PHI — Strahm’s ERA was an absurd 0.34 to go with 54 saves.
Division winners and wild cards
Here’s what the simulated playoff picture looked like heading into October:
AL East: Yankees (99-63)
AL Central: Twins (90-72)
AL West: Rangers (92-70)
AL wild cards: Mariners (89-73), Tigers (85-77), Astros (85-77)
NL East: Phillies (102-60)
NL Central: Brewers (90-72)
NL West: Dodgers (101-61)
NL wild card: Diamondbacks (87-75), Pirates (84-78), Giants (81-81)
World Series matchup and winner
On both the AL and NL sides, two teams steamrollered their way into the Fall Classic, as the Yankees and Brewers each won their first nine contests of the playoffs. For Milwaukee, that meant sweeping the Giants, Dodgers and Phillies — the latter two both won 100-plus games — to make the World Series for just the second time in franchise history.
The 99-win Yankees had the benefit of not having to play the wild-card round in the AL, instead sweeping the Mariners and Twins (even in a video game, the Twins can’t catch a break vs. New York), and going up 2-0 on Milwaukee in the World Series.
The Yankees and Brewers then traded Games 3 and 4 before Milwaukee rattled off three straight wins to rally from down 3-1 and win the franchise’s first Commissioner’s Trophy. Joey Ortiz took home World Series MVP honors, hitting .423 with a home run and six RBI.
Retirements and Hall of Fame calls
There were scores of retirements once the season ended, but the biggest one by far was Justin Verlander. Verlander, who is entering his age-42 season, had a relatively solid first — and only — season with the Giants. He finished 8-6 with a 3.98 ERA in just 13 starts, which appeared to move him into a bullpen role. Regardless of when he decides to call it quits in real life, Verlander will get the call to Cooperstown.
Speaking of which, MLB The Show seems to think we’re going to have a quiet summer in 2026, as it predicted there would be no Hall of Famers elected next year. Despite a relatively pedestrian class of first-timers going on the ballot, Carlos Beltran (70.3%) and Andruw Jones (66.2%) were within striking distance in 2025, and so both could hear their names called.