Ranking MLB's top 10 projected rotations heading into opening day

Major League Baseball's 2025 campaign is set to get underway with the Los Angeles Dodgers looking to defend their World Series championship.

The Dodgers should be even better this season, going big in the winter to sign two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell and Japanese pitching phenom Rōki Sasaki. MLB's greatest hitter Shohei Ohtani is also expected to make his pitching debut for Los Angeles, introducing three new ace-level starters to the Dodgers staff.

Some of baseball's other top groups include the Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks.

With the Dodgers array of arms earning the No. 1 ranking, here's a look at baseball's top 10 rotations entering 2025:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

Blake Snell signed with the Dodgers as a free agent.

Blake Snell
Tyler Glasnow
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Rōki Sasaki
Dustin May

The World Series champions added Snell and Sasaki in the offseason and should welcome Shohei Ohtani back to the mound at some point. Clayton Kershaw is also on the mend and while just about everybody has injury or workload concerns, this is the most talented group in baseball.

2. Seattle Mariners

Logan Gilbert
Luis Castillo
George Kirby
Bryce Miller
Brian Woo

Seattle's starting pitchers led the majors with a 3.38 ERA last season but Kirby looks set to start 2025 on the injured list. This is something of a unicorn pitching staff that was let down by offensive ineptitude, also posting baseball's best WHIP (1.03) and average against (.222).

3. Philadelphia Phillies

Zack Wheeler
Aaron Nola
Cristopher Sanchez
Ranger Suarez
Jesús Luzardo

Wheeler is an ace's ace, tossing 200 innings to finish runner-up in Cy Young voting last year. The trade for Luzardo could prove to be huge, buying low on the 27-year-old lefty who racked up 208 strikeouts for the Marlins in 2023. Nola has averaged 32 starts over the past four years and received Cy Young votes for the fourth time in his career ln 2024.

4. Arizona Diamondbacks

Corbin Burnes
Zac Gallen
Merrill Kelly
Eduardo Rodriguez
Brandon Pfaadt

Burnes' arrival on a $210 million pact pushes Gallen to a "co-ace" role and the Diamondbacks should get more from Rodriguez after an injury-shortened first season in Arizona. The continued development of Brandon Pfaadt is something to keep an eye on and lefty Jordan Montgomery should see some starts as well if he isn't traded.

5. Atlanta Braves

Chris Sale
Spencer Strider (expected to return in May)
Reynaldo Lopez
Spencer Schwellenbach
Grant Holmes

Certainly dinged here with Strider coming off Tommy John surgery, the Braves boast the NL Cy Young winner in Sale and one of the game's top young pitchers in Schwellenbach. The 24-year-old had a 3.35 ERA in 21 starts as a rookie last season and Atlanta hopes he takes another leap forward.

6. Kansas City Royals

Cole Ragans
Seth Lugo
Michael Wacha
Michael Lorenzen
Kris Bubic

Getting back to the postseason for the first time in nine years Royals starters had baseball's second-best ERA in 2025. In his first year with Kansas City, the veteran Lugo finished runner-up in Cy Young voting while Ragans had 223 strikeouts in 32 starts to place fourth. Wacha has become one of baseball's most consistent starters over the past three years.

7. Detroit Tigers

Tarik Skubal
Jack Flaherty
Reese Olson
Casey Mize
Kenta Maeda

The Tigers brought back Flaherty after trading him to the Dodgers last summer, and he slots back in behind the Cy Young winner in Skubal. Mize is one to watch as a post-hype sleeper, the former No. 1 overall pick who returned in 2024 after missing nearly two full seasons.

8. Pittsburgh Pirates

Paul Skenes
Mitch Keller
Andrew Heaney
Jared Jones
Bailey Falter

Skenes is obviously the star attraction and may be the most dominant pitcher in baseball right now, but don't sleep on Keller, an All-Star in 2023 who has averaged 31 starts over the past two seasons. Jones enjoyed a fine rookie campaign at the age of 22 with a 4.14 ERA in 22 starts while averaging more than a strikeout per inning.

9. San Diego Padres

Dylan Cease
Michael King
Yu Darvish
Nick Pivetta
Kyle Hart

Cease is primed for a big contract year, while King looks to build on a stellar first year with the organization after coming over from the Yankees in the Juan Soto trade. Darvish is 38 now and something of a question mark, but he could be one of the better No. 3 starters in baseball.

10. Cincinnati Reds

Hunter Greene
Brady Singer
Nick Martinez
Nick Lodolo
Andrew Abbott

Greene's 6.3 WAR led all NL pitchers last season and Cincinnati acquired Singer from the Royals in the offseason, giving the staff another veteran presence in addition to Martinez. Abbott had a 3.72 ERA in 25 starts last season, his second full year in the majors.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB's 10 best projected starting rotations for opening day 2025

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