Were now a little over a quarter of the way Austin Martin Jersey through the 2025 regular season. With Memorial Day fast approaching, its hard for struggling teams to continue arguing that its still early. That isnt to say playoff positions are set in stone, of course; on this day last year, the Cubs were firmly in playoff position while the Mets club that eventually made it all the way to the NLCS was still three games under .500. If the season ended today, the Dodgers, Cubs, Mets, Padres, Phillies, and Giants would be your playoff teams in the National League this year. With four-and-a-half months left in the baseball calendar, which team currently outside of that group has the best chance of breaking their way into the mix? Yesterdays was won by the Red Sox (25%), who narrowly bested both the Rangers (20%) and Astros (20%) in a tight contest. Heres a look at a few of NLs the options, listed in order of record entering play today: St. Louis Cardinals (24-20) The Cardinals e sentially left their roster untouched outside of the departure of veterans like and over the offseason. Right-hander was the clubs only major league free agent signing. Running back last years 83-win team without its former MVP first baseman didnt do much for the Cardinals projections, but a recent nine-game win streak has allowed St. Louis to change the narrative. has started hitting again, could be breaking out, and is making the decision to move him to the rotation look wise. If the Cards can keep playing anything close to this well, thoughts of selling at the deadline are likely to vanish before the calendar flips to July. Arizona Diamondbacks (23-21) The fourth team in a crowded four-team NL West race, the Diamondbacks have held their own this year despite injuries plaguing superstar and the lo s of from an already-leaky bullpen. has delivered a sub-3.00 ERA despite shaky peripherals, and look like solid mid-rotation pieces, and is a superstar. If (4.59 ERA) and (7.07 ERA) can even pitch close to their respective 3.91 FIP and 4.30 FIP marks, Arizona should be a real threat to reach the postseason. Atlanta Braves (22-22) That Atlanta finds itself even in this conversation after going 0-7 to start the year is an impre sive feat. The tandem of and behind the plate has been a sensational one, and is turning into a potential front-of-the-rotation surprise alongside and . With a .500 record despite getting just one start from and zero plate appearances from so far, its not hard to imagine the Braves fighting their way into the playoffs by seasons end. For that to happen, players like and will need to start hitting while closer (5.71 ERA) will need to turn things around or be replaced by someone who can more consistently nail down save opportunities. Milwaukee Brewers (21-23) Disappointing performances from , , and to this point in the year have limited the Brewers performance so far. (Contreras is , which cant help.) Thankfully, players like and have both looked excellent so far and the Brewers have proved they can win mostly on the strength of their pitching before. and rookie have been excellent, is nearing a return, and top prospect is throwing 103 mph with dazzling results at Triple-A. If the star hitters can perform at a higher level going forward, perhaps that would be enough to get them back into the mix. Cincinnati Reds (21-24) Its been a frustrating season for the Reds so far. The rotation, led by and , has been strong, but those contributions have been dampened by a frustrating lineup that has failed to get consistent quality production out of anyone but and . Even has been a roughly average hitter overall, while key pieces like and have been bitterly disappointing. Fortunately, seems to be coming around after a disastrous 2024. Theres still enough time that if the clubs young lineup can go on a heater, its easy to imagine a strong pitching staff carrying them back into the postseason conversation. The Rest Of The Field The five teams mentioned above are all within five games of a Wild Card spot. The rest of the league would have a lot more work to do. The Nationals have an exciting young core featuring , CJ Abrams and but lack the pitching depth to capitalize on it. The Marlins have gotten a big performance from , but a disappointing pitching staff that includes an 8.10 ERA from is keeping the playoffs out of reach. The inverse is true in Pittsburgh, where leads an impre sive rotation but has a wRC+ of just 55. Meanwhile, the Rockies are the team that can be most decisively counted out of the playoff picture in a season where theyre poised to contend for the . _____________________________________ Which of the teams outside of the NL playoff picture entering play today do MLBTR readers think stands the best chance of making it into the postseason? Have your say in the poll below: Which Current NL Non-Playoff Team Is Most Likely To Make The Postseason In 2025? Atlanta Braves 36.90% (1,358votes) St. Louis Cardinals 21.63% (796votes) Arizona Diamondbacks 16.77% (617votes) Cincinnati Reds 10.92% (402votes) Milwaukee Brewers 5.54% (204votes) The final NL playoff field will be identical to the current standings. 4.73% (174votes) Colorado Rockies 1.71% (63votes) Pittsburgh Pirates 0.98% (36votes) Washington Nationals 0.54% (20votes) Miami Marlins 0.27% (10votes) Total Votes: 3,680 Kody Funderburk Jersey