*Photo from Bleacher Report*
With the AL done, it's time to do the team previews of the NL East.
*Photo from FOX Sports*
Atlanta Braves
2019 record: 97-65
The Braves had a busy offseason, bringing in Will Smith for the bullpen, Cole Hamels for the rotation, Travis D'Arnaud behind the plate, and re-signed Chris Martin for the bullpen as well. They lost Josh Donaldson to the Twins, but top prospect Austin Riley should take the mantle at 3rd base. The Braves are still formidable all around, with the corps still mashing and the pitchers still dominating. The Braves will make noise this season, count on it.
*Photo from the Wall Street Journal*
Washington Nationals
2019 record: 93-69
The defending champions still look dangerous. They lost star 3B Anthony Rendon to the Angels, but they were able to bring back Stephen Strasburg, local hero Ryan Zimmerman, and Daniel Hudson. They also brought in Will Harris, Eric Thames, Starlin Castro, and Asdrubal Cabrera, plus top prospect Carter Kieboom is poised to take over the Rendon hole at 3rd base. They have one of the best outfields in the game, with Adam Eaton, Victor Robles, and Juan Soto as regulars. The bullpen is a 3 headed monster of Harris, Hudson, and Sean Doolittle, and the starting pitching is still a force with Strasburg, Max Scherzer, and Patrick Corbin leading the charge. The Nats will be back in 2020, and they want the chance to repeat.
*Photo from the New York Post*
New York Mets
2019 record: 86-76
The Mets just missed out on a playoff spot in 2019 after a ridiculous surge, and they didn't do much of anything this winter, except hire and then fire Carlos Beltran as a result of the whole Astros thing. This Mets team is talented. Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil lead the way in the hitting department, with JD Davis smacking baseballs as well. The pitching staff is led by Noah Syndergaard, Jacob Degrom, and Marcus Stroman. The bullpen is a little sketchy, but if Jeurys Familia and Edwin Diaz can regain their all star forms, the Mets will be a strong contender this season. That is, if the Mets don't get in their own way yet again.
*Photo from Sports Illustrated*
Philadelphia Phillies
2019 record: 81-81
It was yet another disappointing season in Philadelphia, in which the Phillies only got one win better than 2018 despite bringing in Bryce Harper, JT Realmuto, David Robertson, and Andrew McCutchen. The Phillies had another spending spree this winter, bringing in Didi Gregorius from the Yankees and Zack Wheeler from the Mets. The biggest problem last year was the pitching, and Wheeler was the only guy they brought in to fix it. The bullpen still looks bad, as Hector Neris, who isn't that good of a reliever, is projected to be their best reliever. If they don't rebound in the pitching department, it will be another disappointment for the Phillies.
*Photo from The Athletic*
Miami Marlins
2019 record: 57-105
The Marlins are still in rebuild mode, and took a few low risk fliers this offseason like Jonathan Villar and Corey Dickerson. Regardless, the farm system is loaded up and some top prospects will make their major league debuts this season, which should start to spark a turnaround in Miami. The Marlins should still be bad for a few more years, but there is light at the end of the tunnel in Miami. They'll be back in a few years time, count on it.
Division Assessment:
The NL East is probably the best division in baseball. I'd say the Marlins are the only team out of playoff contention. Everything else is wide open, you can make a case for any of the other 4 teams to represent the NL in the World Series. This division is loaded, and you should watch it whenever you can.
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