The National League East could be the most exciting division in all of baseball with the New York Mets adding slugger Juan Soto and the Philadelphia Phillies panoply of stars, including Bryce Harper. The Atlanta Braves will be pretty good also, though they will be smarting from the departure of a great starting pitcher. The Washington Nationals have a great deal of young talent, but because that talent is young, they will not compete in the National League East.
It will be a long summer for the Miami Marlins, who will continue to be a farm system for the more competitive teams. Soto is must-see television and so the Mets will be featured on ESPN. Do you think Soto is enough to win the World Series?
National League East Winners: New York Mets
The New York Mets should win the National League East division and finish 93-69. The New York Mets pulled off the surprise signing of Soto. Plus, they have enough of their stars coming back to win the National League East. Soto will team with Francisco Lindor to form a dynamic duo in the batting order. The key question for the New York Mets will be if they can pitch well enough to win the division. The New York Mets will try to make failed Yankees Closer Clay Holmes a starting pitcher.
Philadelphia Phillies: A National League Wild Card
The Philadelphia Phillies are skilled enough to push the New York Mets all season and also make the playoffs. The Phillies will be 90-72 and be a wild card team. It is reasonable to wonder if Harper, J.T. Realmuto, and especially Bryson Stott will produce in the batting order. With Aaron Nola leading the pitching staff, the Philadelphia Phillies will compete with the Mets in the division.
Atlanta Braves: Close, but Losses and Injuries Hurt
The Atlanta Braves will be good, but lingering injuries and a key loss will hurt them. The Atlanta Braves will finish 86-76, and that record will not be good enough to make the National League Playoffs. The Braves will be short one excellent starting pitcher, as Max Fried signed a big free agent deal with the New York Yankees.
Then there is the dynamic Ronald Acuña, who suffered a torn Anterior Curate Ligament (ACL) in late May. He did previously return from a torn ACL in under 300 days. However, the results were not good as he posted a .764 OPS in 2022. The Atlanta Braves opener is 301 days after Acuña’s surgery, so we will see. That said, Matt Olson should have another big season in 2025.
Washington Nationals: Kids Not Enough
The Washington Nationals have a bright future with a roster full of young players, but that youth will mean Washington will finish with a record of 76-86, which should place them fourth in the National League East. Washington non-tendered Closer Kyle Finnegan, so who is going to finish games for the Washington Nationals?
Hapless Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins will struggle to a 63-99 record. Look for them to be sellers again at the trade deadline. It is questionable what the management is doing down there. Although the Miami Marlins do have some attractive prospects, they should add to that number. They have potential and always will.
Conclusion
We predict the New York Mets will win the National League East with a 93-69 record. Signing Soto will be enough to win the National League East, but not good enough to come out of the National League. Philadelphia should finish 90-72, and they should be one of the wild card teams coming out of the National League. The Washington Nationals will be too young to compete in this division and will finish 76-86. The Miami Marlins will be the third-worst team in Major League Baseball finishing with an awful record of 63-99.
