The path to compete in the NL is only getting tougher for the SF Giants

For the SF Giants to be a playoff team in 2025, it will likely need to be through the Wild Card. However, the path to compete in the NL is only getting tougher after Juan Soto joined the New York Mets and Kyle Tucker was traded to the Chicago Cubs.

The path to compete in the NL is only getting tougher for the SF Giants

It felt like a down year for the AL as soon as the playoffs began. Three AL Central teams reached the playoffs in a division that has been among the weakest in recent years. 86 wins was the magic number in the AL to reach the playoffs.

On the other hand, seven teams had at least 89 wins in the NL. The Arizona Diamondbacks were one of those teams but narrowly missed the playoffs due to a tiebreaker.

The Yankees had a relatively clear path to the World Series. The Cleveland Guardians posed a commendable threat as a team where the whole was probably greater than the sum of its parts. When the Yankees reached the World Series, they stood no chance against the Los Angeles Dodgers as they dropped the series in five games.

In fairness, no team really stands a chance to the Dodgers at the moment. The playoffs in baseball are often labeled as a crapshoot and one of the only hopes is that a team like the Dodgers hits a cold streak against the opponent.

For the Giants, they will not be competing against the Dodgers in 2025. After signing Willy Adames to a seven-year, $182 million pact, they still do have playoff aspirations. Teams would not make that type of commitment without having some level of belief.

With the two latest non-Giants moves, the balance of power continues to shift toward the NL, making it even harder for bubble organizations to be considered playoff-caliber teams. Soto joins a Mets team that won 89 games in 2024 while proving to be a good matchup against the Dodgers in the NLCS. The Mets lost to the Dodgers in six games but they put up a good fight.

The Mets sat behind the 95-win Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East. The Phillies looked like a legitimate World Series contender during the 2024 season. They have not made a big move yet but Dave Dombrowksi is always working the phones. The Mets look poised to make another big move with owner Steve Cohen's absurdly deep pockets. It helps that David Stearns is running New York's front office, so it is not just an organization that wants to spend but it is a smart one, too.

The Atlanta Braves can never be counted out, especially if Ronald Acuña Jr. stays healthy. The NL East will once again be a very good division.

Perhaps, the most open division in the NL is the NL Central division. The Cubs better positioned themselves by trading for Kyle Tucker. They had one of the better starting rotations in baseball and will return many of the same faces. On the surface, that should be a relatively easy team to improve with the lineup needing an upgrade. They checked off one box so far.

The Milwaukee Brewers are one of the those teams that seems to exceed expectations every year despite a limited budget and resources. They are just smarter than most teams with how they operate and know how to get the most out of their players.

Of course, the NL West is no walk in the park either. The Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Arizona Diamondbacks are all looking to compete next season. At least two teams will reach the playoffs from this division. Maybe more.

The Giants have made a nice first move by adding Willy Adames. A few other NL teams have also made some moves of their own. The NL was a strong league last season but looks even stronger as we head into 2025. This looks like it will be a tough league next season.