Ranking the NL Central Starting Rotations for the 2025 MLB Season
Grant White
Host · Writer
1. Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates must be pleased with their starting pitching heading into the upcoming campaign. Through the MLB Draft and development, the Pirates have built one of the best rotations in baseball.
Phenom Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, and Jared Jones headline Pittsburgh's starting five. We saw everything Skenes had to offer in his rookie campaign, overshadowing solid efforts from Keller and Jones. The Pirates' starting pitching will flourish if the latter two can sort out consistency issues.
Johan Oviedo's return following Tommy John surgery is the only question mark impacting Pittsburgh's rotation. But if he can pick up where he left off, this young rotation could transform the Pirates into a contender.
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5. St. Louis Cardinals
The glory days of the St. Louis Cardinals are a distant memory. Unfortunately, the outlook heading into the 2025 campaign isn't any more promising.
Last season, the Cards acquired Erick Fedde with the hope that he would solidify their rotation. Instead, the righty gave up more baserunners with fewer strikeouts en route to a 2-5 record in St. Louis. Fedde slots in as a top-of-the-rotation arm behind Sonny Gray, foreshadowing what to expect from the Cardinals this season.
While St. Louis' staff collected 52 wins last season, finishing the year one game above .500, they had the worst ERA in the division. With the anticipated departure of Nolan Arenado, some of those wins will start to disappear.
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4. Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers continue to do the most with the least, but that doesn't guarantee success in 2025. Several indicators point toward inevitable regression, negatively impacting the Brew Crew's probability of success during the upcoming campaign.
Four of the Brewers' five starting pitchers pitched above their FIP last season. Most prominently, Freddy Peralta compiled a respectable 3.68 ERA, a half-run better than his 4.16 FIP. More concerning, that benchmark has risen over the past few seasons. Moreover, Milwaukee's starting pitchers ranked in the bottom third of the MLB in WHIP and opponents' batting average.
Nestor Cortes could offer some relief atop the rotation, but his services alone don't improve the Brewers' chances. Immaculate defending is again required if Milwaukee wants to outperform expectations.
3. Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds could outperform their third-place spot in our preseason power rankings.
Cincinnati's starting rotation was one of the stingiest groups in the majors last year. Collectively, they ranked fourth in opponents' batting average while sitting just outside the top 10 with a 1.23 WHIP. Despite that success, the Reds' staff compiled a 4.09 ERA (16th) with 50 wins (13th).
The long ball was an issue, but we could see this team thrive if they could rein in some of those contact issues. Brady Singer is the Reds' prized offseason acquisition, upgrading the staff and taking some pressure off the other starters.
2. Chicago Cubs
Shota Imanaga's arrival transformed the Chicago Cubs. With Matthew Boyd and Colin Rea joining the staff this offseason, we should see the Cubs flex their pitching muscles all season long.
Imanaga was everything the Cubs wanted him to be. In his first season in the bigs, the Japanese National went a near-perfect 15-3, with 2.91 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 9.0 K/9. Not surprisingly, that helped Imanaga finish fourth in Rookie of the Year voting and fifth in the NL Cy Young race.
The Cubs parted ways with Kyle Hendricks this offseason, leaving four above-average starters in their rotation. Combined with Boyd and Rea, this team has the depth and flexibility to excel again in 2025.
1. Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates must be pleased with their starting pitching heading into the upcoming campaign. Through the MLB Draft and development, the Pirates have built one of the best rotations in baseball.
Phenom Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, and Jared Jones headline Pittsburgh's starting five. We saw everything Skenes had to offer in his rookie campaign, overshadowing solid efforts from Keller and Jones. The Pirates' starting pitching will flourish if the latter two can sort out consistency issues.
Johan Oviedo's return following Tommy John surgery is the only question mark impacting Pittsburgh's rotation. But if he can pick up where he left off, this young rotation could transform the Pirates into a contender.
Stay ahead of the game and elevate your sports betting experience with SportsGrid.
5. St. Louis Cardinals
The glory days of the St. Louis Cardinals are a distant memory. Unfortunately, the outlook heading into the 2025 campaign isn't any more promising.
Last season, the Cards acquired Erick Fedde with the hope that he would solidify their rotation. Instead, the righty gave up more baserunners with fewer strikeouts en route to a 2-5 record in St. Louis. Fedde slots in as a top-of-the-rotation arm behind Sonny Gray, foreshadowing what to expect from the Cardinals this season.
While St. Louis' staff collected 52 wins last season, finishing the year one game above .500, they had the worst ERA in the division. With the anticipated departure of Nolan Arenado, some of those wins will start to disappear.
Swing for the Fences with SportsGrid’s free daily MLB Game Picks and MLB Prop Picks.
