The 2025 Major League Baseball postseason features 12 teams, each assembled through a unique combination of player development, trades, and free-agent signings. The construction strategies of these clubs reflect varying philosophies and approaches to building a competitive roster.
Among this year’s playoff contenders, the Cleveland Guardians stand out for having the most homegrown talent with 17 players signed and developed internally. This is five more than any other team in the postseason. In contrast, the San Diego Padres have only three homegrown players on their roster.
Several teams have relied heavily on trades to strengthen their lineups. Both the Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners acquired 14 players via trade, leading all playoff teams in this category. Seven clubs have at least ten trade pickups on their postseason rosters.
Free agency also played a significant role for some organizations. The Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Dodgers each have 11 free agent acquisitions—the highest among playoff teams. These signings include high-profile names such as Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber (Phillies), Dansby Swanson, Seiya Suzuki (Cubs), Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Freddie Freeman (Dodgers).
The Phillies lead all playoff teams with a combined 52.4 Wins Above Replacement (WAR). Their roster includes seven homegrown players (9.0 WAR), eight acquired by trade (27.6 WAR), and eleven free agents (15.8 WAR). President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski’s preference for trades is evident; Cristopher Sánchez has been particularly valuable with an 8.0 WAR this season—second among all postseason players behind Aaron Judge.
For the Dodgers, free agents contributed more than half of their total team WAR (22.6 out of 41.9). The team’s investment in top-tier talent is reflected in its payroll commitments: Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Freeman signed contracts worth nearly $1.2 billion collectively.
On the American League side, the Toronto Blue Jays secured their first AL East title since 2015 with a balanced approach: notable contributions from both homegrown stars like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, and international signee Alejandro Kirk were complemented by key free-agent additions such as George Springer and Kevin Gausman.
Other notable trends include:
– The Detroit Tigers’ drafted players accumulated a collective 21.2 WAR—the highest among all postseason teams.
– The Yankees’ draft class produced significant value thanks to Aaron Judge but had less impact from international signings compared to other clubs.
– The Red Sox compensated for injuries by making effective trades and waiver claims while benefiting from standout Rule 5 pick Garrett Whitlock.
– Teams like the Cubs returned to the playoffs largely due to successful trading strategies and impactful free agent signings.
– The Reds led National League clubs in homegrown production with strong performances from draftees Andrew Abbott, Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, and international signee Elly De La Cruz.
This analysis demonstrates that there are multiple paths to constructing a successful postseason roster—whether prioritizing internal development or seeking external reinforcements through trades or free agency.
