Maybe 4 playoff teams, including 2 railroad tycoon owners, a persistent juggernaut, and a young upstart will wage war in what should be one of the best divisions in all of baseball in 2025
Miami Marlins
Strengths—Sandy Alcantara is nasty and hopefully back from injury. The Marlins’ maybe only bright spot will make every fifth day a challenge no matter who they are playing unless he is traded sometime soon.
Weaknesses—Everything not named Sandy Alcantara. This team is bad with a front office/ownership group that has zero interest in being good and rarely does. This is the same group that fired Kim Ng as GM because she wanted to win, and they wouldn’t have allowed it a year ago.
Outcome—Last place, easily. This squad may lose 100 games again this year. One of the more feckless franchises in the sport, especially in this division.
Washington Nationals
Strengths—They are young and feisty. Young studs like Dylan Crews, CJ Abrams, and James Wood are going to be names the people of Philadelphia will learn to be annoyed with for years to come. Combine that with a competent pitching staff and you have a group that will be able to keep itself in every game.
Weakness—This team suffers from a severe lack of depth at the moment and a front office who was seemingly unwilling to make any moves at all this offseason despite them saying they want to win now. They are specifically lacking in home run power. They just don’t have the firepower needed.
Outcome—Competent, but 4th place, potentially flirt with the final wildcard. This team could have a .500 record this season. If their young players progress as hoped, they definitely can do that. The front office did not do enough for this squad to actually be anywhere significant, but this team will be annoying and will have a chance in every game they play. If you don’t take them seriously, they will beat you.
New York Mets
Strengths—The stars are certainly shining in The Big Apple (Queens). Francisco Lindor, Kodai Senga, Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz, and young sensation Mark Vientos are quite the combination of stars sprinkled throughout this roster. Oh, by the way, they signed Juan Soto this offseason. This roster has some pretty intense firepower and they rode that to an NLCS appearance last year.
Weaknesses—The back half of the roster is noticeably weak. The high end talent is great, but it remains to be seen if the depth behind the stars can be productive over 162. Even relying on Vientos could be problematic as the league adjusts to the young guy. The rotation, as well, while it was great down the stretch last year, is still a huge question mark behind an injury-prone Senga. Sean Manaea (oblique) and Frankie Montas (lat) have injuries that will hold them back for the first month or so of the season and could nag them after that, and there isn’t a ton behind that. The back halfof the lineup could just be an automatic out too.
Outcome—3rd place and a playoff appearance feels realistic. While they have the potential to run the table, this roster, despite the amount of money spent by Steve Cohen, is noticeably weak, especially in the pitching department. It is hard to envision less than 86 or so wins, but the Mets can pull a Mets.
Philadelphia Phillies
Strengths—The starting pitching group here is unbelievable. It is the best in the league with all 5 starters being aces on at least half of all MLB teams and the top 3 (Wheeler, Nola, Sanchez) being top 10 pitchers in the NL. Add into this that in July the Phillies are going to get the best pitching prospect they’ve ever had, Andrew Painter, going with the team. This group has the makings of a super rotation. Even the bullpen is solid on this squad, so be it Josė Alvarado and Jordan Romano bounce back with the established support of Orion Kerkering, Josė Ruiz, and Matt Strahm.
Weaknesses—The lineup. More specifically, the streaky and undisciplined nature of this group. It has been what has sunk them each of the last three seasons and will once again be their biggest concern heading into 2025. With a well-established group of vets, it may be really difficult to institute real change, either so this could continue to limit their potential.
Outcome—Back to 2nd place. The reigning NL East champs, I think, take a little hit, but are geared for October baseball more than anything else. The rotation will prevent any extended losing streaks and should easily get this team in the 92-95 win range. They are a certified championship caliber roster ready for what might be one of their last true runs at the title. In the NL East, this group has the best odds to go all the way.
Atlanta Braves
Strengths—This organization is just a juggernaut. Even in a season where they lost Spencer Strider, Ronald Acuńa, and countless others, they still managed to win 89 games and make the playoffs. They should have their group back and largely healthy by Memorial Day and look for the Braves to tear the cover off the ball and pitch just good enough to tear apart the regular season.
Weaknesses—This group, as it ages, could finally be in a spot to offensively take a step back. However, the biggest weakness is the pitching staff. The bullpen is not great and the rotation is noticeably weak. They lost Charlie Morton and Max Fried this offseason and really did not replace them at all. It is also unclear how available Spencer Strider will be as the season progresses. They also are leaning heavily on Chris Sale, who to his credit was remarkable last year, however, at 36 to start the year and 2024 being the only healthy season he has had since 2019, it could be a risky proposition. Even last year he was too hurt to pitch at the end of the year when it mattered most.
Outcome—First place in the NL East. It is fair to expect this group to return to form, but their pitching staff will probably prevent a substantial run come October.
How do you think the NL East will shake out? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, BlueSky, or TikTok. Email us at [email protected] and we’ll share the story on the show. Join our Discord for further discussion with the GENY community!