Sports
USL suspension of Jermaine Jones reveals fractures within team and even wider discord
When Jermaine Jones joined Central Valley Fuego FC as its coach last November, the pairing carried clear upside for the former U.S. men’s national team midfielder and the club. He had longed, sometimes publicly, for a chance to be a head coach, and Fuego needed a splash to gain fans and to reasonably compete in the third-division USL League One.
Yet nearly a year later, fractures between Jones and the club’s players have led to discipline for the coach that before now has not been publicized, and an investigation that revealed clear mistrust within the league’s ranks.
According to documentation reviewed by The Athletic, Jones was suspended through the end of the 2024 season following an independent investigation. The summary of that investigation said it had “substantiated” repeated instances of harassment, retaliation and hostility from Jones toward members of the team.
The United Soccer League Players Association (USLPA), which spurred the league to commission the investigation, also filed a separate labor complaint against the club in April, accusing the team of interrogating players about union activities and threatening to retaliate against them if they supported the union. The complaint with the National Labor Relations Board is being investigated, Kayla Blado, a spokeswoman for the agency, said Thursday.
Jones has not coached the team in a match since Aug. 30. Despite his absence, neither the club nor the league announced Jones’ suspension publicly. Given that the USL is not a single-entity league, its standard is for clubs to determine themselves whether to announce suspensions or fines.
The USL suspended Jones on Sept. 27, and notified him, the club and other involved parties. The investigation is closed and its findings and the punishment are final, the league said.
But in separate statements on Wednesday, the club and a lawyer for Jones sought to cast doubt on the findings. They said they were seeking for the coach to be reinstated, based on an audit of the investigation that was commissioned by the club.
Soroosh Abdi, Jones’ lawyer, said the audit found “both substantial and procedural shortcomings” that negated the investigation’s findings. “Jermaine Jones was subject to bias and unfair treatment by the USLPA,” Abdi said.
“We are hopeful he will rejoin the team before the season ends,” the club said.
The players union, like the league, said it considers the cycle “fully complete.” And it dismissed Abdi’s assertion that Jones was treated unfairly.
“The USLPA has not seen any findings by any process to substantiate this claim. The USLPA acted as we always do when individuals bring serious claims of misconduct to the organization: We take those concerns to the USL per the league’s safeguarding policies,” the organization’s executive director, Connor Tobin, said in a statement. “And then to the extent individuals request that we participate in an observational manner during investigative interviews to help safeguard against retaliation, we do so.”
The league, which has its headquarters in Tampa, Fla., declined comment as its employees braced for Hurricane Milton.
The audit concluded Monday. The club, the league and Jones’ agent all declined to provide its results to The Athletic. The union said it has not seen anything yielded from the audit.
“We have complete confidence in the integrity of this process,” the league said in a statement. “When matters are resolved, we focus on promoting accountability and personal growth, ensuring that all individuals involved have the opportunity to learn and improve.”
The Central Valley Fuego FC starting 11 before a US Open Cup match on April 2. (Maciek Gudrymowicz / ISI Photos / USSF / Getty Images)
Three active players and an employee of Fuego FC, speaking with The Athletic on condition of anonymity to protect their jobs, painted a stark picture of the club under Jones’ leadership. They described experiences of tension, fear and mental anguish since he joined the club, consistent with the summary findings of the league’s investigation, which were reviewed by The Athletic.
“It’s been nothing short of a complete catastrophe, and it’s so toxic,” the club employee said. “It doesn’t need to be like that.”
The league investigation was carried out by an outside law firm, Foley & Lardner, LLP. It determined that Jones had broken the league’s policies to safeguard players in six different ways. The breaches were described in the summary document in broad categories: national origin harassment, emotional misconduct, power imbalance, harassment, hostile environment and retaliation.
The investigation found repeat instances of each of the breaches, but the summary did not detail each allegation and did not include comments from anyone involved, including Jones. The investigation produced a deeper document separate from the findings summary, which includes testimony from the players who came forward with allegations. However, the club, the league, the players union and Jones’ agent declined to provide that document to The Athletic when asked for it.
Jones was suspended through the end of 2024, with Fuego’s final game scheduled for Oct. 26, and put on probation for the 2025 season.
In a statement, the players union said it feared the suspension was not severe enough.
“The violations by Jermaine Jones which have been substantiated by the third-party investigation show an extremely troubling pattern of behavior,” the union said. “We are concerned that the USL’s imposed discipline may not be effective in protecting players moving forward. It is our belief that the sheer number and severity of violations found by the investigators should be disqualifying and that players should not face the very real possibility of having to endure similar circumstances next season with Jones as head coach. The priority moving forward must be protecting player welfare and upholding dignity in the workplace.”
Jermaine Jones playing in a legends game at Daytona Soccer Fest on July 03, 2022. (Sam Greenwood / Getty Images)
When a recently retired player wants to enter professional coaching, the lower leagues are a natural launching point. Coaching in a lower division isn’t a walk in the park — any coach will tell you that their job is never so simple — but it provides nascent coaches a chance to organically grow a culture and refine their tactical identities further from the public eye than at the game’s higher levels.
There are obvious benefits for the clubs, too. Experience as a player can bring an instant credibility that makes a first-time coach look like less of a gamble. Some ex-players bring a celebrity status that can feel outsized at a lower level. Heading into 2024, Central Valley Fuego hoped that hiring Jones could provide it with a major boost.
Throughout his career, Jones played with a point to prove. After his boyhood club Eintracht Frankfurt repeatedly signed veterans instead of giving him a chance as a starter, Jones moved to Schalke 04 to prove his ability. When years of youth call-ups from Germany failed to build into an extended senior international career, he pivoted to playing for the United States, earning 69 caps for the USMNT from 2010-2017 under Bob Bradley and Jurgen Klinsmann.
By the time his career ended following stints with three MLS clubs, Jones had built a singular reputation: a determined midfielder who played with steely fixation.
“If you look at me as a player, you will look at the games and say, man, this guy is a savage, he hates losing,” Jones told Forty-One Magazine in 2023. “He would do everything to win a game.”
He added: “For me, it was important as a player. Now, going into coaching, it’s not about me.”
(Maciek Gudrymowicz / ISI Photos /USSF / Getty Images)
Central Valley Fuego FC was founded in August 2020 in Fresno, Calif., filling a void left by a previous team. Less than a year earlier, the locally beloved Fresno FC had left town after just two seasons in the second-division USL Championship. Fresno FC was competitive, but relocated about 150 miles west to Monterey, Calif., when it had issues securing land and garnering public financial support for a stadium.
The USL launched Fuego in Fresno as a third-division club. It was named in homage to a longtime local non-professional team, with local businesspersons Juan and Alicia Ruelas as the owners. Their son, Juan Jr., is also involved as managing partner.
Unfortunately, Fuego FC has struggled at the box office. League match reports put its average attendance at 674 fans per regular season game in 2024, with a limiting 1,000-person capacity at the Fresno State Soccer Stadium. For scale, every other team in the league averages at least 1,300 fans per contest.
The team’s performance hasn’t helped; it finished eighth out of 10 teams in its first season in 2022 and dead last out of 12 teams in 2023. With only a few games remaining this year, Fuego is again at the bottom of the League One standings.
Despite this, players have stuck with the club for a few key reasons. First, the checks always cleared, with the interviewed players saying they have never seen their pay delayed. Second, this level of the U.S. pyramid is notorious for roster churn, and finding stable footing at any club is a luxury. Third, some players expressed strong connections with the ownership group.
“We know it’s not always perfect,” one player said of club operations at the third-division level. “We used to always let it go, let it go. Jermaine took it to the next level.”
Only a few players headed into the long offseason after 2023 with a guarantee for this season, which is reasonably normal in the lower leagues. The players were surprised, however, when the club asked them to return for a scrimmage to impress the team’s newly appointed coach. The memo did not name the coach, and Jones was later introduced – he had clinched his first head coaching role.
But players pushed back on being called back to action early. Under the league’s collective bargaining agreement, players can’t be called back early unless their contracts are already guaranteed for the next season or unless they have revenue-generating game obligations. The scrimmage did not meet that bar and was canceled.
Before leading his new team in its first game under his guidance, Jones used a media engagement to question the loyalty of returning players.
In a February episode of the podcast “Kickin’ It,” Jones spoke with host Kate Scott and three of his former USMNT teammates: Clint Dempsey, Maurice Edu and Charlie Davies. Edu asked Jones if it’s possible, as a coach, to build unique and meaningful relationships with an entire team of players. Jones said it was possible, before quickly pivoting and saying he had cut “the whole team” besides four players when he started as coach at Fuego FC.
“Let’s make a plan. Get rid of all the guys, we don’t need them,” he said.
“I cut the whole team”
Jermaine Jones was not messing around when he joined Central Valley Fuego FC 😮
Kickin’ It is streaming NOW on Paramount Plus! pic.twitter.com/sMIYS7DMpA
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) February 28, 2024
Jones also said that he suspected the returning players “had the other coach fired, so they would get me fired, too. I don’t need that.”
The host and Jones’ ex-teammates laughed at the candidness of his reply.
The joking tone belied the seriousness of the career implications for the athletes.
When asked why he kept any players at all, his answer was simple: “They were under contract.”
(Maciek Gudrymowicz / ISI Photos / USSF / Getty Images)
Players arrived for the preseason following the podcast’s release. Some entered with excitement about playing for an esteemed ex-player. They soon felt uncomfortable by the culture established by a famously competitive figure.
The Athletic’s interviews with Fuego personnel echoed some of the themes of the league’s investigation, including the substantiated categories of emotional misconduct, power imbalance, harassment, and a hostile environment.
The conversations made clear that players feared retribution for speaking too candidly about their experiences.
All three players interviewed claimed that, early in the season, Jones told players not to interact with the USLPA. Jones told them any issues should be handled with the team directly, they said. The interactions formed the basis of the labor complaint.
“He said we can’t talk to the players’ union, but that is our right,” said one player. “He can do just about whatever he wants to do to you. He can pretty much bully you, harass you — you will say nothing to nobody. You have to be quiet and take the harassment. If you do the right things as a club, you don’t care about getting involved with the players’ union.”
Players also said Jones repeatedly used his status as a notable ex-player to persuade players to side with him.
“He comes in here, saying he played for the U.S. national team, he’s powerful. He has friends in the federation and all over the place. He tells us that if he wants to destroy someone, he can destroy their careers,” one of the players said.
Jones also appeared to weaponize League One’s standing to assert superiority over his players.
“You know the funny thing? He said this is a s—– league,” one player said. “That’s what makes me mad. He said this is a s—– league, that we’re at the bottom of the pyramid. He said that he doesn’t even want to be here.”
Another player independently echoed that line. “This really hit me: he said if you’re 28 and still playing League One, basically you ain’t s—. You’re done. Coming from a man who’d never coached anywhere in his life.”
In the summer, Jones asked a player on the team to retire and to instead coach to open up an international slot for a prospective signee, according to the three players as well as the employee. When the player declined the coaching contract, he was frozen out of the first team, they said. That moment, along with others throughout the season, left many players struggling.
“They don’t even care about mental health,” one player said, adding: “Thank God there’s just one month left (of the season). It’s just too much.”
“Guys are afraid (to speak up), because this season is still on,” another player said. “People want a job. This man has threatened them that coaches have a union, they call each other. If any coach calls him about you, ‘imma tell them straight up you ain’t s—.’ To be honest, the experience has been horrible and traumatic.”
The situation seemed to take a turn as September came around, with Jones removed from the sideline once the USL commissioned the independent investigation and the law firm began conducting interviews.
However, Jones does not appear to have been entirely hands off as the investigation was conducted.
The players said Jones made decisions about the team even after he went on leave, as the investigation was happening. “In the first game after his leave, against Spokane (on Sept. 7), he was on the phone with one of the assistants,” one of the players said. “They took one player out, and the coaches confirmed it was Jermaine’s decision. So yeah, he’s still involved.”
The club and the league did not respond to a specific question about that assertion, which appeared to go against the outlines of Jones’ leave during the investigation.
After serving his suspension, Jones will be able to continue as the team’s coach for the 2025 season, pending a conversation with the league’s director of player welfare and safeguarding.
That said, Jones appears to be alerting other clubs to his availability, telling German outlet Sport1 in late September that he would be “a good addition” to Schalke’s coaching staff and offering his services.
No matter how Jones’ situation plays out, it’s an open question how many players from this season’s squad will be back.
“I don’t know how things are going to be, but I’m not happy here,” one of the players said, adding that he did not want to stick around in bad circumstances just to play. “I don’t know what next year is gonna be, and I don’t want to repeat the same mistake. It’s better to have a different environment than to try staying here.”
(Illustration: Meech Robinson / The Athletic. Photo: Leon Bennett / GA / The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)
Sports
Georgia Board of Regents wants NCAA to place ban on transgender athletes playing women's collegiate sports
The University System of Georgia Board of Regents, the governing body of the state’s public universities and colleges, is asking a pair of prominent college athletic federations to institute bans on transgender women who seek to participate in women’s sports.
Earlier this week, the regents unanimously voted to send requests to the NCAA and the National Junior College Athletic Association. The board is asking those two federations to comply with National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) policies.
In April, the NAIA voted to all but ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports at its 241 mostly smaller academic institutions.
In 2022, the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) voted in favor of requiring students to compete in high school sports based on their gender at birth.
The board that oversees Georgia’s public universities and colleges submitted a request to the NCAA and the National Junior College Athletic Association to ban transgender women from competing in women’s sports. (Fox News)
Of the 25 schools governed by the regents that have sports programs, four are members of the National Junior College Athletic Association, five are members of the NAIA and the remaining 16 are NCAA members. The University of Georgia and Georgia Tech are NCAA members.
All athletes are allowed to participate in NAIA-sponsored male sports. But the only athletes allowed to participate in women’s sports are those whose biological sex assigned at birth is female and who have not begun hormone therapy.
NEW HAMPSHIRE PARENT BANNED FOR WEARING ARMBANDS IN SUPPORT OF WOMEN’S SPORTS TO DAUGHTER’S SOCCER GAME
The state of Georgia was at the center of controversy two years ago during the NCAA swimming and diving championships at Georgia Tech.
Lia Thomas, who was a member of the University of Pennsylvania swimming team at the time, won the women’s 500-meter freestyle. Thomas previously competed with the men’s team but later switched to the women’s team while transitioning to female through hormone replacement therapy.
Lia Thomas looks on from the podium after finishing fifth in the 200-yard freestyle during the 2022 NCAA Division I women’s swimming and diving championships at the McAuley Aquatic Center on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology March 18, 2022, in Atlanta. (Mike Comer/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
Several former collegiate women swimmers, including Riley Gaines, who participated in those events, gave testimony to a Georgia Senate committee in August. Those athletes argued they were put in a disadvantageous situation when they competed against Thomas.
The former college swimmers also spoke out about their personal experiences when they shared a locker room with Thomas.
The NCAA logo outside NCAA headquarters Feb. 28, 2023, in Indianapolis. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
“Biologically female student-athletes could be put at a competitive disadvantage when student-athletes who are biologically male or who have undergone masculinizing hormone therapy compete in female athletic competitions,” a portion of the resolution the Board of Regents adopted Tuesday stated.
The Georgia General Assembly previously weighed a bill to restrict transgender athletes from being a part of school sports teams that align with their gender identity. The legislation would have mandated that athletes participate in school sports teams that align with their gender at birth.
Georgia lawmakers stopped short of a complete ban and left the decision in the hands of the GHSA’s executive committee. The committee ultimately moved forward with the ban two years ago.
A view of the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta (Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Georgia Democratic lawmakers, along with transgender students and their parents, said placing a ban on transgender girls would be another form of discrimination for young people who they argued already faced prejudice. The group also cited the suicide rates among transgender teenagers.
However, Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who oversees the state’s Senate, wants to revisit the issue of transgender women’s participation in sports. Jones has committed to introducing a bill during next year’s legislative session that would effectively ban transgender women from competing in sports at any of the state’s public colleges.
“I want to thank the Board of Regents for taking action on an issue I have stressed as a priority and the Senate has led on in Georgia — protecting women’s sports,” Jones said on Tuesday. “The work female athletes put into competing should be protected at all cost, no matter the age. This action brings us one step closer toward achieving that ultimate goal.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Sports
Hurricane Milton rips off Rays' Tropicana Field roof. It was built to withstand 115-mph winds
Tropicana Field lost most of its roof Wednesday night as Hurricane Milton came and brought winds up to 120 mph to parts of Florida.
The St. Petersburg, Fla., stadium is the home of the Tampa Bay Rays. Its dome roof — which was constructed of large, triangular panels made of fiberglass and coated with Teflon — was largely shredded, with some sections missing entirely, exposing the inside of the only Major League Baseball stadium with a roof that is not retractable.
It was not immediately clear if there was significant damage inside the building.
The Rays said only essential personnel were inside the ballpark, and all of them were safe.
Earlier this week, the Florida Division of Emergency Management said the stadium would be used as “a 10,000-person base camp at Tropicana Field to support ongoing debris operations and post-landfall responders.” Rows of cots had been set up inside the ballpark, but all workers and equipment were removed after it was learned the roof might not stay intact under the force of Milton’s winds.
“As it became clear that there was going to be something of that magnitude that was going to be within the distance, they redeployed them out of Tropicana,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters Thursday. “There were no state assets that were in Tropicana Field.”
According to the Rays’ 2024 media guide, the stadium’s roof was designed to withstand winds up to 115 mph.
The Rays finished the 2024 season last month with an 80-82 record. The team announced plans last year to build a new $1.3-billion stadium adjacent to the 34-year-old Tropicana Field, with hopes of moving there by the 2028 season.
Video out of Tampa on Wednesday night showed flooding on the field at the open-roof Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the NCAA football program the University of South Florida Bulls. The Buccaneers left Tuesday for their game in New Orleans on Sunday.
Earlier this week, South Florida postponed its scheduled home game against Memphis from Friday night to Saturday afternoon.
“We will assess the conditions & overall situation after the storm has passed to determine if any further adjustments are necessary,” USF football said Tuesday on X.
There are 18 teams that didn’t make the MLB postseason, so while we all enjoy October baseball, I thought I’d power-rank the non-playoff teams based on who is best-positioned to contend in 2025.
I did the same thing a year ago, listing the Padres, Mets and Yankees as three of the top five non-playoff teams most likely to make the postseason this year — and they all did. I also had the Mariners and Reds in that top five, but both underachieved this season, leading to the dismissals of their respective managers.
With trades, free agency, injuries and other developments, a lot will change between now and next spring. But here’s where these clubs stand and how quickly I think they can turn things around and put themselves in position to make the playoffs next year.
1. Seattle Mariners
The Mariners had the best rotation in baseball this year based on scouts’ evaluations, analytics and ERA (3.38). Their overall pitching staff finished first in the American League in ERA and yet they still somehow missed the playoffs. How did that happen? Their offense didn’t produce enough runs and struck out way too much. They finished 21st in runs scored and 30th in strikeouts. The Mariners fired manager Scott Servais and replaced him with Dan Wilson, changed hitting coaches three times before convincing Edgar Martinez to take the job and made key midseason trades to acquire Randy Arozarena and Justin Turner. But by the time they made those moves, it was too late to salvage the season. With arguably the game’s best rotation heading into 2025, they just have to put together an average offense — but reduce the strikeouts significantly — and they’ll be a serious playoff threat for the AL West title and/or a wild-card berth.
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
After struggling to start the year, Corbin Carroll had a .919 OPS in the second half. (Owen Ziliak / The Arizona Republic / USA Today)
The Diamondbacks were not able to defend their 2023 National League championship as they collapsed down the stretch in September, losing five of their final seven games. However, Arizona will be well-positioned to rebound in 2025 thanks to a strong rotation led by Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez, who all dealt with injuries and underperformance this season. Brandon Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson took significant steps forward, setting themselves up nicely for next year. Jordan Montgomery, their last-minute free agent signing, finished with a 6.23 ERA and was demoted to the bullpen. He has a player option for 2025 but Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick has said publicly he hopes Montgomery turns it down. Corbin Carroll, the 2023 NL Rookie of the Year, had an inconsistent sophomore season but was much better in the second half than the first. Ketel Marte will finish in the top five, at least, in the NL MVP voting, after a career year. The Diamondbacks also have some key impending free agents, highlighted by first baseman Christian Walker.
3. Texas Rangers
The Rangers’ offense didn’t live up to expectations as Corey Seager was limited to 123 games due to injuries (yet still managed to hit 30 homers) and Adolis García slashed .224/.284/.400 with a 94 OPS+. The biggest disappointments offensively were rookie outfielders Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford who didn’t live up to lofty expectations. Carter was limited to 45 games because of injuries and hit .188 in 144 at-bats. Langford didn’t get going until the second half but showed flashes of his future as he hit 16 homers, drove in 74 runs and stole 19 bases. Nathan Eovaldi was their best starter and the only one with double-digit wins, going 12-8 with a 3.80 ERA. He’s eligible for free agency but would like to return and the feeling is mutual. Jacob deGrom made three starts at the end of the season and looked like he’ll be a comeback player of the year candidate in 2025 if he can stay healthy. Rookie Kumar Rocker made a strong impression in his three September starts and could be the AL’s top rookie pitcher next season if the stars align. The Rangers have some work to do in the offseason to improve their pitching staff and lineup, but the core is there to make a playoff push in 2025.
4. Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox finished the season 81-81 under the leadership of manager Alex Cora, who did what he always does — overachieve. However, his greatest accomplishment this year was the development of Boston’s younger players including outfielders Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu, middle infielder/center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela and first baseman Triston Casas. The Red Sox have a plethora of top prospects who will be ready to make their major-league debuts in 2025 including second baseman Kristian Campbell, shortstop Marcelo Mayer, right fielder Roman Anthony and catcher Kyle Teel, all of whom profile as future All-Stars. However, the key to next season will be the pitching staff. To make the playoffs, Boston needs to land two top-of-the-rotation-type starters this winter. This free-agent class will likely include Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell and Max Fried, and if the Red Sox can land at least one of them and then trade for another front-line starter, they’ll be primed for the playoffs a year from now.
5. Cincinnati Reds
The Reds underachieved the most of any team last season, finishing with a 77-85 record despite an expected win-loss record of 82-80. Manager David Bell was axed near the end of the season and replaced by future Hall of Famer Terry Francona, who has won three pennants, two World Series and 1,950 games in his career. It reminded me of the Cubs hiring Joe Maddon and the Rangers hiring Bruce Bochy, two moves that led to World Series titles. The Reds have a strong young rotation led by Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Andrew Abbott and Rhett Lowder. They have young position players with incredible upside, including some who should return from injury-plagued (Matt McLain, Christian Encarnacion-Strand) or suspension-marred (Noelvi Marte) seasons. The Reds will be led by All-Star shortstop Elly De La Cruz, who hit 25 home runs and stole 67 bases, and Spencer Steer, who hit 20 home runs with a team-high 92 RBIs. They need to add another outfield slugger, but it’s clear they have the talent to be next year’s version of the Royals or Tigers.
6. Minnesota Twins
Joe Ryan had a 3.60 ERA in 23 starts before a season-ending injury in August. (Jesse Johnson / USA Today)
I often say this, but it’s true. The Twins just need to find a way to keep their stars healthy, and if they do, they’ll be back in the playoffs next year. However, it’s disheartening to watch their three best position players — shortstop Carlos Correa, center fielder Byron Buxton and third baseman Royce Lewis — frequent trips to the injured list. (Buxton, at least, topped 100 games for the first time since 2017 and the second time ever in his career.) If Joe Ryan can bounce back from his shoulder injury and Pablo López returns to his 2023 form, the Twins’ rotation should be much better next year. Bailey Ober and Simeon Woods Richardson were two other bright spots in the rotation and the Twins have young starters with potential, but the team needs to acquire another middle-of-the-rotation starter this winter; if they do that and stay healthy, they could make it back to the playoffs.
7. Chicago Cubs
Last offseason, the Cubs front office thought if they hired Craig Counsell away from the Brewers and basically kept the same team together, they could win the NL Central this year. They were wrong. The Cubs did finish the year well, tied for second place with the Cardinals (83-79) and 10 games behind the Brewers. (They were six games out of the last wild-card spot.) Counsell acknowledged at the end of the season that his team “has a long way to go” to match the Brewers. Despite the 10-game margin, I’m not sure I agree that they’re “a long way” behind Milwaukee, but I do believe they’ll need to be active this winter to catch them and fend off the improving Reds, Cardinals and Pirates. The Cubs have a strong rotation that includes Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon and Javier Assad. They need to bolster their bullpen and have work to do in the middle of their lineup to catch up to the Brewers, but a smart offseason could get them much closer than Counsell’s remarks suggest.
8. Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays had their first losing record since 2017, when they also finished 80-82. However, they rebounded to win 90 games in 2018, and I won’t be surprised if history repeats itself in 2025. The key will be getting the rotation healthy and those starters living up to their potential. It is expected to be led by Shane McClanahan followed by Taj Bradley, Shane Baz, Ryan Pepiot, Jeffrey Springs and Zack Littell. It’s a rotation with huge upside. Offensively, they’ll need a group of their young hitters to have breakout seasons including third baseman Junior Caminero, shortstop Carson Williams and outfielder Josh Lowe. The Rays have one of the best front offices in the sport, led by president of baseball operations Erik Neander, and should never be taken lightly.
9. Toronto Blue Jays
As of now, the Blue Jays have one more season with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. What will they do? (Cary Edmondson / USA Today)
The Blue Jays have a formidable rotation led by Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, Chris Bassitt and the emerging Bowden Francis. They also have two stars in their primes in first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and shortstop Bo Bichette. However, they have more questions than answers. They need to retool their bullpen with power arms and depth and must add at least two legitimate bats around Bichette and Guerrero if they want to contend in 2025. They don’t have a strong or deep farm system and will have to be active in both trades and free agency this offseason to be contenders next year. They also need to extend or trade Guerrero and Bichette as both are eligible for free agency after 2025. This is the most important offseason in the career of general manager Ross Atkins and it will be interesting to see what he does this offseason. Will he make short-term moves to win now or punt with a total rebuild? They are on the clock.
10. Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates are building a strong young starting rotation with soon-to-be NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes, Jared Jones, Mitch Keller and Bubba Chandler. In terms of position players, they have a solid group to build around in center fielder Oneil Cruz, left fielder Bryan Reynolds, shortstop Nick Gonzales and third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes. They’ll be getting back another key top position player prospect in Endy Rodríguez, who missed all of this year after having elbow surgery last offseason. Some of their young position players will need to make significant improvements next year for the Pirates to make a playoff push, but they have potential.
11. Washington Nationals
Rookie James Wood had a 122 OPS+ and 14 steals in 79 games this season. (Geoff Burke / Imagn Images)
The Nationals promoted outfielders James Wood and Dylan Crews this year and next year they will probably promote a few more key prospects, such as third baseman Brady House, outfielder Robert Hassell III and right-hander Cade Cavalli after he finishes his rehab from Tommy John surgery. The Nationals are expected to re-engage in free agency this offseason and will target middle-of-the-order bats. Some executives believe they could make another run at Juan Soto in free agency or target the Orioles’ Anthony Santander. Their rotation is starting to come together with the recent development of MacKenzie Gore, Jake Irvin and Mitchell Parker. The Nationals are making progress and could make some noise earlier than most are expecting.
12. San Francisco Giants
The Giants shook up their front office at the end of the season, firing Farhan Zaidi and hiring three-time World Series champion Buster Posey as president of baseball operations; he plans to hire a GM who will report to him. The Giants will try to retain soon-to-be free agent Blake Snell, which will not be easy considering he’ll be looking for a long-term deal after not getting one last offseason. They have a core of solid starters led by veterans Logan Webb and Robbie Ray to go along with lefty Kyle Harrison and righties Hayden Birdsong and Keaton Winn. They were able to extend third baseman Matt Chapman, which was an important move, but they have a lot of work to do to build the middle of their lineup around him if they want to contend next year.
13. St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals announced president of baseball operations John Mozeliak will step down after the 2025 season and be replaced by Chaim Bloom, who will oversee their player development department in the meantime. They won’t re-sign Paul Goldschmidt this offseason and are expected to listen to offers on Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras and other veterans on the roster. The Cardinals are ready to build around a core of young players that includes shortstop Masyn Winn, DH/outfielder Alec Burleson, second baseman Nolan Gorman, center fielder Victor Scott II and corner infielder/outfielder Jordan Walker. They might have to take a step backward in 2025 as they prepare and build for 2026 and beyond.
14. Miami Marlins
After making the playoffs in 2023, the Marlins endured a rough year as practically their entire rotation dealt with season-ending injuries including 2022 Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara and future Cy Young winner Eury Pérez (Tommy John surgeries), Jesús Luzardo (lumbar stress reaction) and Braxton Garrett (forearm flexor strain), not to mention other injuries to their pitchers. The Marlins traded their best position players — Jazz Chisholm Jr. (Yankees) and Luis Arraez (Padres) in separate midseason deals to fortify their farm system. Ultimately, they were among the most active teams at the trade deadline and took advantage of a strong sellers’ market to add loads of young talent. Manager Skip Schumaker left the club after the season and the Marlins have made sweeping changes throughout the organization, including moving on from their entire coaching staff and firing most of their front office. President of baseball operations Peter Bendix is committed to revamping the organization from top to bottom in line with the Tampa Bay Rays model he’s familiar with from working under Erik Neander. The Marlins have a long way to go but appear to be headed in the right direction for the long term.
15. The Athletics
It’s impossible to think about the Athletics’ present and future without the context of their move to Sacramento. It will be weird to not see “Oakland” in their name, as the team will just be known as “The Athletics” for the next several years until its planned first season in Las Vegas in 2028 or 2029. On the field, the A’s made progress in their rebuild this year, with solid seasons from right fielder Lawrence Butler (22 home runs, 18 steals), catcher Shea Langeliers (29 homers and above-average defense) and center fielder JJ Bleday (20 homers, 120 OPS+). Brent Rooker set career-highs with 39 homers and a 165 OPS+ despite dealing with a right forearm injury that required surgery after the season, and the slugger remains under team control for three more years. Rookie Mason Miller developed into one of the game’s best closers and starting pitchers JP Sears (4.38 ERA, 180 2/3 innings) and Osvaldo Bido (3.41 ERA) both logged solid seasons. The A’s also have more future stars in their pipeline including shortstop Jacob Wilson, first baseman Nick Kurtz and right-handed pitcher Luis Morales.
16. Colorado Rockies
Ezequiel Tovar led the National League with 45 doubles. (John Leyba / USA Today)
The Rockies might have finished last in the NL West again, but several of their young players established themselves this season including shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, who hit 26 homers and played great defense, and center fielder Brenton Doyle, who hit 23 homers and stole 30 bases. They’re hoping outfielder Nolan Jones, who had a disappointing, injury-plagued year, will bounce back and be the player he was in 2023 (.931 OPS, 20 homers, 20 steals). Charlie Blackmon’s retirement will create an opportunity for several of the Rockies’ outfield prospects including Yanquiel Fernandez, Zac Veen and Jordan Beck. They also are excited about second-base prospect Adael Amador and their future right fielder Charlie Condon, the No. 3 pick in this year’s draft, who is a couple of years away. The Rockies’ future looks promising, but to be more competitive next year, the key will be the development of right-handed pitchers Chase Dollander and Gabriel Hughes.
17. Los Angeles Angels
The Angels are optimistic about their young core of position players — which is led by shortstop Zach Neto, catcher Logan O’Hoppe and first baseman Nolan Schanuel — and hope to get a healthy season next year out of Mike Trout, who was limited to 29 games in 2024. They are high on second baseman Christian Moore, whom they took with the eighth overall pick in this year’s draft; there’s a strong possibility he makes it to the big leagues sometime next year. On the pitching side, they got a solid season from lefty Tyler Anderson (3.81 ERA, 179 1/3 innings), but he was the only consistent starter on their staff due to underperformance and injuries. They are also high on rookie starter Caden Dana, who could be key for them next season.
18. Chicago White Sox
The 2024 White Sox were the most embarrassing major-league team I’ve ever seen. They lost a record 121 games. They finished last in the majors in runs scored, with 97 fewer than the 29th-ranked team (Tampa Bay). Their pitching staff finished last in the AL with a 4.67 ERA. Speaking during a game broadcast on NBC Sports Chicago in September, GM Chris Getz indicated the White Sox won’t be heavily involved in free agency. “We’ve got guys out on the field right now who need to improve their game — a lot of these guys are young players and need to make the adjustments to be more productive,” Getz said. If that’s really their game plan, then another 100- to 120-loss season awaits. They don’t have a deep farm system to trade from and will pick 10th in the first round despite their historically bad record because of the new MLB Draft rules in the latest Collective Bargaining Agreement. If they’re not going to be active in free agency and don’t trade their best player assets, outfielder Luis Robert Jr. and left-hander Garrett Crochet, I don’t see much of a path to improve in 2025.
(Top image: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic. Photos: Elly De La Cruz: Michael Reaves / Getty Images; Logan Gilbert: Alika Jenner / Getty Images; Jarren Duran: Cole Burston / Getty Images)
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