Baseball 2025 (NL East)

Three teams from the NL East made the playoffs last season.  The third-place team reached the NLCS...then went out and gave Juan Soto the biggest free agent contract in history!  And they still might only be the third-best team in the division!  Which, ultimately, might not matter come October.  Because the order of finish for this top three really doesn't make a difference.  As long as they all get back to the playoffs, it's realistic to see any of them winning the pennant.

As for which of the three should nominally be considered the division favorite, you really could just pick out of a hat.  Things will be THAT competitive between the Phillies, Mets and Braves this season.  With the injuries to the Mets' rotation (which isn't that good to begin with), I think they're the safest bet to say will be a wild card.  The Braves and Phillies are so close, though, that it really could be either order.  I'm going with Atlanta simply because I think they're a little deeper, but it really is ever so slight.

And you really can't help but feel for the Marlins and Nationals sometimes.  They both figure to be bad and neither one is trying to be competitive, but that's not even the point.  The point is that they're gonna be stuck in the same situation for a while.  Even when they go back to trying to be good, the other three aren't exactly going anywhere...and they're gonna have to finish ahead of at least one of them to make the playoffs!

So, yes, I do anticipate the NL East having three playoff teams again.  I also expect all three of them to win 90 games.  And, frankly, they're probably the second-, third- and fourth-best teams in the National League behind the Dodgers.  Come October, they've all got a chance of knocking off the Dodgers in a short series, too. 

1. Atlanta Braves: Last season ended about as poorly as it possibly could for the Braves.  They were sitting pretty, then they had to play that makeup doubleheader with the Mets before immediately flying cross country to play the Padres in the Wild Card Series.  And they were all must-win games, so their rotation was decimated.  Of course, they were only in that position because they put themselves in it.  But, the point is, it gives them motivation heading into this season.  The Braves will want to make sure that doesn't happen again.  And, frankly, there's no reason why it should.

After getting stuck in the abyss during his years in Boston, Chris Sale returned to his Cy Young form last season.  And, the Braves have taken a page out of the Dodgers' book by carrying about nine starting pitchers.  That's why I've gotta tab them as the division favorites.  They've kept a remarkably consistent lineup, too.  This year they added Jurickson Profar to it.  Can he repeat his All*Star form from San Diego?  Not having Ronald Acuna at the start of the season is a blow.  But they've been without him before, so it's not like it's something they aren't used to.  And there's so much talent on the Braves that putting Acuna back in the lineup at some point will only make them that much better.
Projected Lineup: Ozzie Albies-2B, Jurickson Profar-LF, Matt Olson-1B, Austin Riley-3B, Marcell Ozuna-DH, Sean Murphy-C, Jarred Kelenic-RF, Orlando Arcia-SS, Michael Harris-CF
Projected Rotation: Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, Spencer Schwellenbach, Ian Anderson, Spencer Strider
Closer: Raisel Iglesias
Projected Record: 94-68


2. Philadelphia Phillies: What's not to like about the Philadelphia Phillies?  Entering the playoffs last season, I had them pegged as the only team capable of beating the Dodgers.  That may have been true.  I just didn't account for the Phillies losing to the Mets!  But, their excellent regular season followed by playoff disappointment at the hands of a division rival in 2024, will serve to motivate the 2025 Phillies.  Who don't really look all that different.

Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola form one of the best rotation 1-2's in the game.  I really like the Phillies' bullpen, too.  And they finally figured out that Kyle Schwarber isn't a leadoff hitter!  The only major difference between last season and this season was the addition of free agent Max Kepler to play left field.  He's a perfect fit in the Phillies lineup, especially when you consider he'll probably bat lower in the order.  I mean, Rob Thomson can really set up his lineup any way he wants and will find success.  This team is that good offensively!  Throw in great starting pitching and a solid bullpen, and the Phillies will once again be among the top teams in not just the National League, but all of Baseball, this season.
Projected Lineup: Trea Turner-SS, Alec Bohm-3B, Bryce Harper-1B, Nick Castellanos-RF, Kyle Schwarber-DH, J.T. Realmuto-C, Max Kepler-LF, Bryson Stott-2B, Brandon Marsh-CF
Projected Rotation: Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Jesus Luzardo, Cristopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez
Closer: Jordan Romano
Projected Record: 93-69

3. New York Mets: Steve Cohen said he wasn't going to be outbid for Juan Soto, and he wasn't.  The Mets gave Soto the biggest free agent contract in history, then sat around waiting for Pete Alonso to decide if he wanted to come back or not.  Alonso eventually did re-sign, which was an absolute necessity to give Soto lineup protection.  And, let's not forget, this is a team that was good enough to make the NLCS last season and just got a whole lot better.  Lineup-wise, at least.  The pitching staff is still a work in progress.

It's because of their starting pitching (which isn't anywhere near as good as Atlanta's or Philadelphia's) that I can't, in good conscience, pick the Mets to finish any higher than third.  I guess part of the thought process behind signing Clay Holmes as a starter is that he can't blow saves in the first inning?  They're relying on a bunch of third and fourth starters to be healthy and productive against two rotations that are better.  For all the money the Mets overpaid Soto (and, yes, they overpaid him), they probably should've invested more in the pitching staff.  Because that will be their Achilles' heel.  The Mets will need to win a lot of games 8-6.  Because they won't be winning too many 2-1 games.
Projected Lineup: Francisco Lindor-SS, Juan Soto-RF, Pete Alonso-1B, Mark Vientos-3B, Jesse Winker-DH, Brandon Nimmo-LF, Francisco Alvarez-C, Tyrone Taylor-CF, Jeff McNeil-2B
Projected Rotation: Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes, Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, Griffin Canning
Closer: Edwin Diaz
Projected Record: 91-71

4. Washington Nationals: If they were in the NL Central instead of the NL East, the Nationals would be like the Reds.  A team that has the potential to contend in a weak division if everything goes right.  Unfortunately, however, that's not the case.  Washington has the chance to play spoiler and could very well have a say in who wins the NL East, but it won't be them.  The Nationals have some quality young talent.  Just not enough of it when they're competing against three behemoths.

Still, though, I'd much rather be Washington than Miami.  The Nationals have a good core to build around in CJ Abrams and Keibert Ruiz, and they've actually brought in some veterans in the likes of Paul DeJong (free agent), Josh Bell (free agent) and Nathaniel Lowe (trade from Rangers).  MacKenzie Gore has developed into a solid No. 1 starter, too.  Even if everything goes right, their chances of competing in the NL East this season aren't that high.  The upside is definitely there, though.  They're only 2-3 years away from legitimately challenging the Big Three.
Projected Lineup: Luis Garcia Jr.-2B, CJ Abrams-SS, Josh Bell-DH, Nathaniel Lowe-1B, Dylan Crews-RF, Jacob Young-CF, Keibert Ruiz-C, Paul DeJong-3B, James Wood-LF
Projected Rotation: MacKenzie Gore, Jake Irvin, Michael Soroka, Mitchell Parker, Trevor Williams
Closer: Kyle Finnegan
Projected Record: 70-92

5. Miami Marlins: Sandy Alcantara is back after missing all of last season due to Tommy John surgery.  So, there's that.  Whether he'll still be on the Marlins at the end of the season is a much different question.  Because he'll be one of the most coveted starting pitchers on the market, and you know plenty of contenders will hope to make use of Alcantara's services.  It would actually be shocking if they don't trade him at the Deadline (or much sooner).  Because, outside of him, this is essentially a Minor League team.

Name another player on the Miami Marlins besides Sandy Alcantara.  Can't do it, can you?  Fortunately, teams like the White Sox, Angels and Rockies are still around.  Otherwise, we'd be talking about the Marlins as the worst team in Baseball.  They've got a lot of young guys who'll see regular playing time, so that'll bring the typical growing pains.  That would be bad enough if they weren't in the same division as three of the best teams in baseball.  Put the two together and you've got the recipe for another long season in Miami.
Projected Lineup: Otto Lopez-2B, Xavier Edwards-SS, Kyle Stowers-LF, Jonah Bride-DH, Matt Mervis-1B, Derek Hill-CF, Connor Norby-3B, Griffin Conine-RF, Nick Fortes-C
Projected Rotation: Sandy Alcantara, Cal Quantrill, Max Meyer, Connor Gillespie, Ryan Weathers
Closer: Calvin Faucher
Projected Record: 65-97