The calendar has flipped to June, and by this point in the season, we have a clearer understanding of who teams really are -- and how they've changed since last year.
For a number of clubs, the answer is simple: they're better, or at least their records say they are.
Of course, "better" has a different meaning for every team. We also have a long season ahead of us, and sustaining success over the next four months is no guarantee.
With that in mind, let’s evaluate the seven teams that have made the largest gains in winning percentage since last year, looking at the biggest improvement each has made and the questions they still face as the season unfolds.
1. Detroit Tigers: +.125
2024 record: 86-76 (.531)
2025 record: 40-21 (.656)
Biggest improvement: After helping the club make a shocking late-season run to the postseason in 2024, the Tigers’ pitching has continued to excel in ’25. But there’s perhaps an even bigger reason why Detroit owns the AL’s best record -- and is on pace for a franchise-record 106 wins. That would be its offense, which has made a sizable leap despite having much of the same personnel as it did in 2024. After scoring the 11th-fewest runs in the Majors a year ago, the Tigers have MLB’s fifth-highest scoring average (5.07 runs per game) in 2025.
Biggest question: Can their surprising bats keep this up? One of the reasons the Tigers’ lineup has exceeded expectations is because Detroit has gotten strong production from a number of returning players who gave the team very little in 2024. That includes Spencer Torkelson, Javier Báez and Zach McKinstry, who put up a collective 72 wRC+ with 20 home runs in 995 plate appearances last year. This season, the trio has recorded a combined 124 wRC+ and 23 homers over 631 PAs. If that continues, it's going to be tough for anyone to catch the Tigers in the AL Central.
2. Chicago Cubs: +.115
2024 record: 83-79 (.512)
2025 record: 37-22 (.627)
Biggest improvement: Coming off back-to-back 83-79 finishes, the Cubs are on track to win more than 100 games in 2025, and it’s not hard to see why. Chicago’s offense has gone from solid but unspectacular to an absolute juggernaut, posting MLB’s highest scoring average at 5.78 runs per game. Offseason addition Kyle Tucker (154 wRC+) and burgeoning superstar Pete Crow-Armstrong (141 wRC+) have been at the center of that surge, but they’re far from alone. In fact, the Cubs have five hitters with at least 100 PAs and a wRC+ of 140 or higher this season, with Carson Kelly (166 wRC+), Seiya Suzuki (146 wRC+) and Michael Busch (141 wRC+) joining Tucker and Crow-Armstrong in that group. Tucker, Crow-Armstrong, Suzuki and Dansby Swanson have all hit at least 11 homers as well, making the Cubs the only NL team in 2025 to have four players reach double figures in dingers.
Biggest question: Is their starting pitching good enough? The Cubs’ rotation has been solid enough this year, especially considering the club lost Justin Steele (left elbow surgery) for the season and has been without Shota Imanaga (left hamstring strain) for the past month. However, there are some lingering concerns about Chicago’s pitching depth. Journeyman Colin Rea has given the team more than it could have reasonably expected as a fill-in starter, and the Cubs also have already had to play their top prospect card by calling up Cade Horton. Things could get dicey if any more pieces fall out of place.
3. New York Mets: +.084
2024 record: 89-73 (.549)
2025 record: 38-22 (.633)
Biggest improvement: No one should be surprised that the Mets are a contender. After all, they made an appearance in the 2024 NL Championship Series and followed it up with a banner offseason that was headlined by the addition of superstar outfielder Juan Soto. It’s how they’ve arrived at this point that’s been unexpected. While the Mets’ high-priced lineup has been fine, it’s their unheralded pitching staff that’s led the club to the top of the NL East standings. Despite losing Frankie Montas (right lat strain) and Sean Manaea (right oblique strain) to preseason injuries, the Mets’ rotation has the second-lowest ERA (2.86) in MLB. It’s been a true collective effort, too: all five starters have posted a 3.52 ERA or lower -- led by Kodai Senga’s NL-best 1.60 ERA. Add in a superb performance by the bullpen and the Mets have allowed just 3.27 runs per game, the lowest mark of any team.
Biggest question: How will their starters hold up over the course of the season? Even with reinforcements on the way as Montas and Manaea near their returns from the IL, the Mets’ rotation is facing real questions about how some of its pitchers will hold up over the long haul. Injuries limited Senga to just four appearances (postseason included) last season, and reliever-turned-starter Clay Holmes is already nearing his career high in innings (70). Meanwhile, Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning both showed signs of slippage in May.
4. Los Angeles Angels: +.069
2024 record: 63-99 (.389)
2025 record: 27-32 (.458)
Biggest improvement: The Halos are five games below .500, they've been outscored by 56 runs and they have one of the worst pitching staffs (4.84 ERA) in the AL, so they aren’t anyone’s idea of a true playoff contender. But they’re certainly more formidable than they were in 2024, and that’s mainly because their lineup is bringing the thunder. The Angels are the lone AL club with four double-digit home run hitters and rank third among all MLB teams with 87 dingers. That’s a stark contrast from 2024, when they hit just 165 home runs (tied for 22nd) in the wake of Shohei Ohtani’s departure as a free agent and with Mike Trout missing most of the season.
Biggest question: Can they start reaching base enough to make those homers count? Despite all of the home runs, the Angels have remained a below-average offensive team, scoring just 4.1 runs per game. Their struggles stem from a lack of baserunners; they are hitting just .225 with a .286 on-base percentage, mitigating the impact of their power. More than 70% of their homers this season have been solo shots.
5. Toronto Blue Jays: +.068
2024 record: 74-88 (.457)
2025 record: 31-28 (.525)
Biggest improvement: The Blue Jays have won five straight games to push their record to 31-28, marking a significant turnaround after last year’s 74-88 finish. The biggest difference for Toronto compared to last season? Its success rate protecting late leads and its performance in close games -- both closely tied to a much-improved bullpen. In 2024, the Blue Jays had 15 losses in games they were leading at the end of the fifth inning, as well as a .455 winning percentage in games decided by two runs or fewer. This year, it’s three and .548, respectively.
Biggest question: Are they really that much better than 2024? Although they've played well lately, it's unclear if this is built to last. Despite their recent success, the Blue Jays have actually been outscored by five runs this year, tying for 16th in runs scored and ranking 17th in runs allowed.
6. San Francisco Giants: +.056
2024 record: 80-82 (.494)
2025 record: 33-27 (.550)
Biggest improvement: After finishing at or below .500 in each of the past three years, the Giants have exceeded expectations so far in 2025, managing to keep pace with the star-studded Dodgers and Padres in the NL West. Surprisingly, that success hasn’t come from a revitalized offense. With offseason addition Willy Adames struggling, the lineup as a whole has performed much like it did last season, ranking below league average in scoring with 4.13 runs per game. Instead, the Giants have been able to lean on one of the stingiest pitching staffs in the game. Coming into 2025, San Francisco’s rotation looked like a question mark behind ace Logan Webb. But with Robbie Ray regaining his form in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery and Landen Roupp holding his own in his first year as a full-time starter, the Giants’ starting staff has been better than expected. Meanwhile, the bullpen has been outstanding, leading MLB with a 2.39 ERA.
Biggest question: Are their recent offensive woes a sign of things to come? After a hot start to the season, the Giants’ offense has wilted over the past month, scoring an NL-worst 2.96 runs per game with a .648 OPS since May 7. If San Francisco’s lineup doesn’t turn things around, it’s going to put even more pressure on a rotation that has already had to dip into its depth after Justin Verlander went on the IL and Jordan Hicks was moved to the bullpen.
7. St. Louis Cardinals: +.047
2024 record: 83-79 (.512)
2025 record: 33-26 (.559)
Biggest improvement: This was supposed to be a transitional year for the Cardinals, who made no major offseason additions beyond reliever Phil Maton and spent much of the winter openly shopping third baseman Nolan Arenado without ever finalizing a deal. So when St. Louis started out 14-19, it wasn’t much of a surprise. However, the club has somehow surged back into the race with an MLB-best 19-7 record since May 4. The Cards’ rotation has been one of the keys to their recent success, recording a 3.22 ERA over 151 innings in the aforementioned span.
Biggest question: Is this all smoke and mirrors? There are multiple reasons to believe the Cardinals are playing above their true talent level. For starters, their rotation leans heavily on pitch-to-contact arms, with Sonny Gray standing as the lone member who consistently misses bats. That dynamic puts extra pressure on the defense -- which, to be fair, has been excellent -- and makes the pitching staff unusually reliant on factors that are difficult to sustain over the course of a full season, like batted-ball luck and flawless execution behind them. The same pattern extends to the offense, which ranks eighth in runs per game despite being tied for the fifth fewest home runs.