2025 National League midseason grades: Dodgers, Cubs, surprise Giants get ‘A,’ Paul Skenes can’t save Pirates

We’ve reached the halfway point of the 2025 Major League Baseball season, and that means it’s time to hand out some team grades based on what’s unfolded in the first half of the current campaign. 

This is in no way predictive and the grades assigned aren’t meant to suggest that a given team will continue playing as they have thus far. Broadly speaking, these grades reflect performance to date in the context of preseason expectations. Exceed expectations, and you’ll get high marks. Fall well short of them, and you’ll get branded with a D or F. You know how this works.

In this installment, we’ll be handing out midpoint grades for the National League. Assume the position, senior-circuit squadrons … 

Expectations were high for the Snakes coming into 2025, what with a strong returning core plus the splash free-agent addition of Corbin Burnes. Burnes, however, will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Outside of that, Arizona has underperformed elsewhere and find themselves in fourth place in the NL West and behind four teams in the queue for the third and final NL wild-card spot. The D-backs are hardly buried, but 2025 is a disappointment so far. 

Every time it seems the Braves are going to fully erase the effects of their 0-7 start to the season, they backslide — often, it seems, against a team they should beat. The offense has been broadly disappointing, but the most pressing issue is the health of the rotation. Ace and reigning NL Cy Young winner Chris Sale is on the IL with a rib fracture, AJ Smith-Shawver is out for the remainder of 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and Reynaldo López is still recovering from April shoulder surgery. As well, Spencer Strider, one of most dominant starting pitchers in baseball when healthy, hasn’t quite looked like himself in his first season back from an internal-brace procedure performed on his UCL. Right now, they seem like playoff longshots and thus one of the most disappointing teams of 2025. 

The North Siders are in the mix for best record in baseball at this critical juncture, and they’ve overcome some critical rotation injuries on the way to those lofty heights. The offense has been a revelation, as the Cubs right now rank second in the NL in runs scored and third in OPS. Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong both seem destined for top-10 or even top-five finishes in the NL MVP vote. 

The Reds are above .500, have a comfortably positive run differential, and are still in the mix for a postseason spot. They’ve achieved relevance despite getting just 11 starts from ace Hunter Greene and despite Matt McLain‘s comeback season not going as hoped so far. In order to make a serious move in the division, the Reds need to find their way to better production from bat-first positions like DH, first base, and right field. 

No one thought the Rockies would matter in 2025, but (almost?) no one thought they’d be in line to be the worst team in the long history of such things. The halfway mark finds Colorado on pace for 126 losses, which would break the all-time record for losses in a season just set by the 2024 White Sox. As well, the Rockies have already been outscored by more than 200 runs in 2025, which puts them on target to crush the all-time record for worst run differential. It’s a feat of sorts to play half your games at a mile above sea level and somehow manage to rank 27th in runs scored.

The rotation injuries keep coming, and the Dodgers keep winning. This critical juncture finds them with a hold on first place in the tough NL West and the NL’s best record. They’re slow-playing Shohei Ohtani‘s return to the mound, but once he gets stretched out he’ll be a major boon to that battered rotation. Also impressive is the Dodgers have played one of the NL’s toughest schedules so far. Doing the heavy lifting in L.A. so far has been the best offense in baseball. 

Not much to say. The Marlins were figured to be bad, and, hey, they are bad. They’ve got a reasonable shot at a fourth-place finish in the NL East, which would be an achievement of sorts. It’s a bit pathetic to say so, but much hinges on whether Sandy Alcantara can re-establish some value before he’s (very likely) moved leading up to the July 31 trade deadline. His overall numbers remain grim, but he’s been trending in the right direction more recently. 

The NL’s little engine that could keeps on defying expectations and thriving despite annual roster turnover. The halfway mark finds the Brewers in playoff position and within hailing distance of the first-place Cubs. As such, Milwaukee has a strong shot at making the postseason for the seventh time in the last eight years. The recent arrival of Jacob Misiorowski has potentially given the Brewers a true frontline presence in the rotation. They remain a doggedly smart and resourceful organization. 

Some of the shine has come off the Mets in recent days, even as Juan Soto looks more and more like his usual self at the plate. The rotation, which drove the teams success through May, has somewhat predictably regressed a bit. Still, the Mets remain one of the best teams in baseball, and it’s possible the trade deadline will be an active one for Steve Cohen’s club. 

They’re presently atop the standings in the NL East, and that’s good enough for an A. The rotation remains a pronounced strength even with Aaron Nola‘s poor performance and injury troubles. It’s a very top-heavy lineup, as production outside of Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, and Kyle Schwarber has been lacking. The Phillies could really use another impact bat in order to distinguish themselves in what’s a challenging division. So far, though, they’ve gotten the job done. 

On the positive side, Paul Skenes is predictably a Cy Young contender, and franchise legend Andrew McCutchen is enjoying a productive age-38 campaign. In the end, though, this is a last-place team that’s on pace for XX losses. As such, the Buccos are at risk of clocking their third 100-loss season in the last five years. Bob Nutting, who refuses to invest in the team at adequate levels, remains the leading culprit for what’s become of the organization. 

Will the Padres make the postseason in consecutive years for the first time in franchise history? They’re not presently in playoff position, but such an outcome is very much in play. They’re solidly above .500 but losing ground to the Dodgers in the NL West. The rotation is the big concern right now. Michael King is out with shoulder inflammation with no clear timetable, Yu Darvish (elbow inflammation) has yet to pitch, and Joe Musgrove will miss the entire season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. As well, Dylan Cease hasn’t been in top form. Despite all that, the Padres remain in contention.  

The Giants are within range of the Dodgers and presently occupying the second wild-card slot in the NL. That’s a good outcome for a team that came into the season looking like they were bound for fourth place. The addition of Rafael Devers via blockbuster trade with the Red Sox improves the Giants’ odds moving forward and gives them a sorely needed middle-of-the-order bat for years to come. Elsewhere, Heliot Ramos is looking like an All-Star, and Logan Webb is looking like a Cy Young candidate. 

It’s a reset/transition year in St. Louis as longtime lead operator John Mozeliak prepares to step down at season’s end. Even so, the Cardinals are well above .500 and in contention for a playoff spot. That certainly wasn’t expected. Brendan Donovan might be an All-Star for the first time in his career. The loss of Iván Herrera to a hamstring injury will hurt in the weeks to come, as he’s been far and away their most productive hitter when healthy. The emphasis on the long-term in light of their relevance in the standings will make for an interesting trade deadline in St. Louis.

The Nats this season have gotten excellent contributions from three of the key players involved in the Juan Soto trade: James Wood, CJ Abrams, and MacKenzie Gore. However, the vast remainder of the roster has largely failed to perform. That’s in large measure a reflection of ownership’s lack of commitment to building around that young core. D.C. is flirting with last place despite having played one of the weakest schedules in all of MLB to date.