The Rest Of The MLB Season Is Going To Be Absolute Chaos

Parity across Major League Baseball is here

After a winter consumed by fears of "superteams," runaway spending or endless dynasties, the 2025 Major League Baseball season has been defined by extreme parity. And it's setting up to create a must-see, chaotic second half.

Outside of the American League Central, dominated by the surprising Detroit Tigers, every single division is within a few days worth of games. Even divisions that seemed already decided within the first month of the season have now become much more competitive thanks to some midseason struggles. 

Remember when the New York Mets seemed poised to run away with the National League East? Juan Soto would be the missing piece to propel the New York offense to new heights. Their pitching staff, once considered a potential weakness, seemed to be thriving. And early struggles from the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies built up a significant division lead.

Except the Mets have now lost nine of their last 10, the Braves are hot, and suddenly the Phillies have a 1.5 game lead in the NL East. It's not just New York struggling after a hot start; the Chicago Cubs stormed out to a 37-22 record in the NL Central and a commanding lead over the St. Louis Cardinals. The Brewers seemed buried, and the Cincinnati Reds entered June under .500. 

Not so much anymore.

MLB Parity Set To Dominate Second Half Of The Season

The Brewers and Reds have gotten hot, winning seven of their last 10 and eight of their last 10 respectively. The Cubs, who early on looked to be the best offense in baseball, have cooled off. To the point where they've scored the fourth-fewest runs in the National League this month, ahead of just the Pirates, Marlins and Nationals. 

Now the NL Central has four teams separated by just 4.5 games with half the season remaining. 

Even the Dodgers, despite all their talent and spending, have "just" a 4.5 game lead over the second-place San Francisco Giants. And those Giants just added Rafael Devers, one of the best hitters in baseball. Injuries and some poor pitching luck have turned what seemed to be a runaway season into a close division race. 

Same with the Yankees, who looked to be running away with the AL East at the start of the month. A few weeks later? They have the worst record in their division since June 1st, and the Tampa Bay Rays have cut the lead to just one game.

The 2024 season finished without a single team winning 100 games. And as of June 25th, there's just one team on pace to win 100 or more this year: the Detroit Tigers. Despite the superteam narrative, we're witnessing the era of maximum parity. 

How's this happening? Partly due to the advancements of analytics and pitching development. Almost every team, outside maybe the Colorado Rockies, has modernized and updated their front offices and minor league programs. Using data to optimize the pitch mix and design of their prospects and young big league talent. It's democratized pitching and made hitting harder than ever. 

Elite pitching will frequently dominate elite hitting, and elite pitching is more common than it's been in decades. 

It's resulted in a season where 12 teams in the American League and 11 in the National League remain in serious playoff contention heading into the second half. That's a recipe for chaos, and for neutral fans, fun, for the rest of the year.

Written by

Ian Miller is the author of two books, a USC alumnus and avid Los Angeles Dodgers fan. He spends most of his time golfing, traveling, reading about World War I history, and eating cereal. Email him at ian.miller@outkick.com