2026 Baseball Preview (NL East)

Three NL East teams ended last season really pissed off.  The Phillies had a team that was a legitimate World Series contender, only to get smacked by the Dodgers in the Division Series.  The Mets went from having the best record in Baseball in June to missing the playoffs.  And the Braves were never able to get going after a terrible start, resulting in a season that they'd just as soon forget. 

You can bet all three will be looking for redemption in 2026.  Which should make the NL East race this season awfully fun!  And it's a race that could legitimately yield three playoff teams.  Still, though, you've got to consider the Phillies the division favorites.  The Braves and Mets aren't far behind, and they'll both be in the thick of the wild card mix, with at least one joining Philadelphia in the postseason.

Miami could factor into the NL East race, too.  Not because the Marlins figure to contend for the division title, but because they're bound to play well against one of the other three, which could be the deciding factor at the top.  Especially since they'll have Sandy Alcantara pitching every fifth day.  Which is more than I can say about Washington.  The Nationals even traded away their best pitcher, Mackenzie Gore, during the offseason.

So, it should really come down to those top three again.  The Phillies are simply too good.  They may be the second-best team in Baseball behind the Dodgers.  I've got both Atlanta and the Mets joining them in the playoffs as wild card teams.  I see them both bouncing back after missing the postseason last year.

1. Philadelphia Phillies: The most important move the Phillies made this offseason was re-signing Kyle Schwarber.  As great as Bryce Harper and Trea Turner are, it's Schwarber who's the anchor of that lineup.  As he goes, so go the Phillies.  They couldn't afford to lose him, and they didn't.  A person they could afford to lose is somebody they couldn't get rid of fast enough--Nick Castellanos.  They replaced him with Adolis Garcia, who's a perfect fit in the Phillies lineup.  Especially since he'll be a complementary piece instead of having to be the man like he was in Texas.

Zack Wheeler will be out to start the season, but that doesn't impact their rotation too much.  Cristopher Sanchez had an incredible 2025 campaign and has emerged as their No. 1.  And, if what he did pitching for Italy in the WBC is any indication, Aaron Nola is very much back.  The combination of the lineup and the rotation is what makes this team so good.  And that's to say nothing of an excellent bullpen, with Brad Keller and Jose Alvarado setting up for Jhoan Duran, who was great after coming over from Minnesota at the deadline last season.
Projected Lineup: Kyle Schwarber-DH, Trea Turner-SS, Bryce Harper-1B, Alec Bohm-3B, Adolis Garcia-RF, J.T. Realmuto-C, Brandon Marsh-LF, Bryson Stott-2B, Justin Crawford-CF
Projected Rotation: Cristopher Sanchez, Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola, Taijuan Walker, Andrew Painter
Closer: Jhoan Duran
Projected Record: 96-66

2. Atlanta Braves: Walt Weiss takes over for Brian Snitker in Atlanta, and the Braves seem destined to improve upon their disastrous 2025.  How could they not?  Everything that could go wrong last season did.  And there's simply too much talent there for them to not get back on track.  That's especially true when you consider Ronald Acuna Jr. is a rare talent who can do special things when he's healthy, which he really hasn't been for a full season since his MVP year.  And they improved their only real weak area by signing Mike Yastrzemski to play left field (where Jurickson Profar is out for the year with a PED suspension).

Their pitching staff took a hit when they found out Spencer Strider will start the season on the IL, with Spencer Schwellenbach already out.  Pitching injuries have been their Achilles heel, but their pitching depth, especially in the rotation, is enviable.  Still, though, that pitching depth will be tested and is the biggest key to their success.  In the bullpen, they already had a top-notch closer in Raisel Iglesias, but that didn't stop them from signing former Padres closer Robert Suarez to be his setup guy.
Projected Lineup: Ronald Acuna Jr.-RF, Ozzie Albies-2B, Matt Olson-1B, Austin Riley-3B, Drake Baldwin-C, Mike Yastrzemski-LF, Dominic Smith-DH, Mauricio Dubon-SS, Michael Harris II-CF
Projected Rotation: Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, Grant Holmes, Bryce Elder, Jose Suarez
Closer: Raisel Iglesias
Projected Record: 91-71

3. New York Mets: Steve Cohen and David Stearns didn't handle not making the playoffs well.  In their first season after signing Juan Soto to the largest contract in MLB history, he was great, finishing third in MVP voting.  Yet the Mets completely collapsed down the stretch and missed out on the postseason.  So, they blew it up and completely rebuilt the team.  Pete Alonso is gone.  So are Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil.  In their place, the Mets traded for Marcus Semien and Luis Robert Jr. and signed Bo Bichette and Jorge Polanco.

It isn't the offense that was the problem last season, though, and it won't be the problem this year, either.  It's the pitching that will ultimately determine the Mets' success.  Their pitching wasn't good last year and it cost them.  So, they added Freddy Peralta to front a rotation that also includes the electric Nolan McLean, who impressed in a handful of September starts last year.  They also brought in Devin Williams to anchor the bullpen, with the hopes that he returns to the form that he showed in Milwaukee and not the struggles he had last season across town.  If the Mets can get the pitching to match their powerful offense, they're a playoff team.  If not, they could be watching October baseball on TV again.
Projected Lineup: Francisco Lindor-SS, Marcus Semien-2B, Juan Soto-LF, Bo Bichette-3B, Jorge Polanco-1B, Brett Baty-DH, Luis Robert Jr.-CF, Carson Benge-RF, Francisco Alvarez-C
Projected Rotation: Freddy Peralta, Nolan McLean, Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Kodai Segna
Closer: Devin Williams
Projected Record: 88-74

4. Miami Marlins: No one expects the Marlins to be a playoff team.  Not this year at least.  But they've got a lot of young talent and could be very entertaining to watch.  We've already seen some of that talent on display.  Kyle Stowers was sensational last season, and Owen Caissie, who came over in a trade from the Cubs, has a chance to be a breakout star now that he'll be getting regular at-bats.  Caissie also gained valuable experience playing for Canada in the WBC.  So did teammate (and fellow Canadian) Otto Lopez.  And center fielder Jakob Marsee was a revelation on that Italian squad that made the semifinals.

Let's not forget, too, that they have one of the elite starting pitchers in the game in Sandy Alcantara.  He's now a full year removed from the Tommy John surgery that cost him the 2024 season.  Alcantara was only a .500 pitcher last season, but as he gets stronger, he'll get back in form and go back to being his dominant self.  They also have a solid No. 2 starter in Eury Perez, and Miami has also brought in a veteran closer, as Pete Fairbanks comes over from Tampa Bay.  So, there's a real chance they could surprise.  At the very least, they'll cause some headaches for good teams.
Projected Lineup: Otto Lopez-SS, Xavier Edwards-2B, Kyle Stowers-LF, Christopher Morel-1B, Jakob Marsee-CF, Owen Caissie-RF, Griffin Conine-DH, Agustin Ramirez-C, Connor Norby-3B
Projected Rotation: Sandy Alcantara, Eury Perez, Max Meyer, Chris Paddack, Janson Junk
Closer: Pete Fairbanks
Projected Record: 65-97

5. Washington Nationals: Washington is more likely to challenge the Rockies and Angels for the worst record in Baseball than the Phillies, Braves and Mets in the NL East.  So is the rebuild, which continues for another year and enters a new phase.  The Nationals traded their No. 1 pitcher, Mackenzie Gore, so expect that rotation to take some licks in 2026.  It's not like the bullpen is much better, either.  They're gonna give up a lot of runs and need to outhit people, which they don't have enough talent to do.

James Wood and CJ Abrams are quality players, and they've certainly gotten the most out of catcher Keibert Ruiz since he was the key piece in the Max Scherzer trade with the Dodgers a few years ago.  But that's about it.  The rest of the lineup is incredibly young and, as such, will go through its share of growing pains.  If they don't lose 100 games, it'll be a miracle.  Things aren't as bad as they were when they first moved to DC and had the No. 1 pick back-to-back years (and got Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper out of it), but it's close.  Teddy Roosevelt might win the President's race more than the Nationals win games.
Projected Lineup: CJ Abrams-SS, Luis Garcia Jr.-1B, James Wood-RF, Jacob Young-CF, Brady House-3B, Andres Chapparo-DH, Keibert Ruiz-C, Daylen Lile-LF, Nasim Nunez-2B
Projected Rotation: Cade Cavalli, Zack Littell, Jake Irvin, Foster Griffin, Miles Mikolas
Closer: Cole Henry
Projected Record: 61-101