Photo: Cliff Welch (left) and Larry Radloff (right)/Icon Sportswire 

Over on our website, we spent two weeks looking at the defensive strengths and weaknesses of all 30 MLB teams heading into 2025. That makes our look at the top defensive storyline for each team heading into the season easier to do. 

We did the American League last week and now this week, we’ll touch on the National League. Click the links to read the article for each team (some things may be slightly outdated).

Braves – The Braves are pretty good to very good at the corner infield spots and center field. The questions will be at the corner outfield spots where Jurickson Profar (-19 Runs Saved in left the last two seasons) and Ronald Acuña Jr. (-11 Runs Saved in right field the last three seasons) are going to be challenged.

Brewers – This should be one of the best defensive teams in the NL. They can put three standout outfielders on the field at any time. Joey Ortiz, a good defender, moves from third base to shortstop to replace Willy Adames, who ranked last in the majors in Runs Saved at the position last season.

Cardinals – A couple of concerns: Willson Contreras moves to first base, where he’s played 11 MLB games in his career and hasn’t played since 2019. The full-time catcher, Ivan Herrera, threw out 2-of-57 would be basestealers last season.

Cubs – You could make a case for the Cubs having MLB’s best defense this season. One intriguing thing could be how Kyle Tucker handles the wind playing right field at Wrigley Field. Tucker’s Runs Saved the last few seasons have been boosted by home run robberies at Minute Maid Park. He won’t be able to do that at Wrigley.

Diamondbacks – The Diamondbacks are good up the middle but weaker at the corners. Josh Naylor replacing Christian Walker at first base represents a 13-run defensive downgrade (Walker had 7 Runs Saved in 2024, Naylor had -6). Third baseman Eugenio Suárez, though never terrible at third base, has not finished a season with positive Runs Saved in the last seven years.

Dodgers – The biggest question would be how much this team’s defense gets bitten by the aging curve. Their projected starting lineup on FanGraphs features six position players 30 or older and another starter who’s about to be (Tommy Edman). Plus everyone on the bench is over 30 too. We’ll see how the team’s positioning masterminds handle potentially declining skills.

Giants – How does shortstop Willy Adames handle the pressure of a big contract and recover from a 2024 season in which he ranked last among shortstops in Defensive Runs Saved? That and Jung-Hoo Lee in center field are the two big things to watch.

Marlins – This is a hard team to get a full read on because they don’t have a projected starting position player with even three years of MLB service time. The Marlins finished 27th in Runs Saved in 2024, so we don’t have much optimism. If you’re looking for one guy to watch, it’s second baseman Otto Lopez who has 9 Runs Saved in 103 career games there.

Mets – The Mets paid a ton for right fielder Juan Soto’s bat but they also get his glove, which has not rated impressively the last few seasons. Soto’s range with the Yankees left something to be desired (-6 Range Runs Saved in 2024) though his arm made up for some of that.

Nationals – Washington has a pair of young and exciting corner outfielders in James Wood and Dylan Crews. Wood had trouble in left field during his time in MLB last season (-7 Runs Saved) but Crews fared alright in right field, and on The SIS Baseball Podcast, Washington Post national baseball writer Chelsea Janes said he looked good in spring training too. He looks like he could be a complete major league player.

Padres – Can Fernando Tatis Jr. bounce back from the stress fracture that cost him considerable time last season? Tatis had 29 Runs Saved in right field in 2023 but dropped to 0 in 2024.

Phillies – The Phillies have a decent defensive team, with a solid right side of the infield in Bryce Harper and Bryson Stott. How J.T. Realmuto holds up behind the plate as he ages could be a story after a knee injury limited him last year. The team already has two notable weaknesses in the field (Nick Castellanos and Trea Turner) and the defense would be hindered if Realmuto’s performance dips.

Pirates – Oneil Cruz got his feet wet with 23 games in center field last season. He had -3 Runs Saved, but more notably 9 Misplays & Errors (a high total for a small span of games). Cruz replaces Michael A. Taylor, one of the better defensive center fielders in the game.

Reds – Jose Trevino was added this offseason to improve the Reds backup catcher spot and now he’s the regular starter with Tyler Stephenson injured. Trevino’s 45 Runs Saved over the last 4 seasons lead all catchers and he’s an excellent pitch framer, so what he doesn’t have in his bat, he should make up for some with his glove.

Rockies – The Rockies have three Gold Glove/Fielding Bible Award-caliber defenders in shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, third baseman Ryan McMahon, and center fielder Brenton Doyle. But how many games can the Rockies win with defense to make up for their deficiencies elsewhere?