Commish Preview: National League East

National League East

2023 Standings:

Atlanta 98-64

New York 80-82

Washington 74-88

Miami 71-91

Philadelphia 57-105

Offseason Review:

The Braves ran away with the East in 2023 en route to their third straight NLCS appearance. They added Austin Meadows and Brent Honeywell Jr. in a blockbuster trade with the Tampa Bay Rays as well as outfielder Seiya Suzuki from the Rangers. Matthew Boyd comes to Atlanta on a one year deal to help solidify the back end of the rotation and Mike Moustakas, Nick Ahmed and Kyle Lewis were added to solidify the Atlanta bench. It was a quiet offseason in New York, with small additions such as Luke Voit and Corey Dickerson were made to round out a lineup that is centered around Ronny Mauricio and Pete Alonso. Jordan Walker looks to be taking over the hot corner full time this year at just 21 years old. Expect struggles throughout the year, but Walker possesses serious power and could run into his share in the bottom half of that New York lineup. The Nationals were the most active team in the division this offseason as they feature a plethora of new names on their roster. 3/5ths of their rotation is new, headlined by the free agent signing of Xiao-Peng Da out of Taiwan and lefty Eduardo Rodriguez. Sixto Sanchez was acquired in a December trade that saw Stephen Strasburg sent to the Marlins. Harrison Bader and Brad Hand were the other two key free agent signings, with Bader filling a severe need in that Washington outfield. The Marlins have been up and coming for years now. The big move for the Marlins was the aforementioned Stephen Strasburg trade. Strasburg is out for the season, but the Marlins acquired some very good prospect talent in Wilderd Patino and Ryan Vilade while also shedding some salary of their own. Lastly, the Phillies offseason started with some disappointment when Manny Machado decided to not opt out of the remainder of his contract. They signed Carlos Martinez to a noteworthy deal, but otherwise had a quiet offseason.

2024 Thoughts:

It's World Series or bust in Atlanta. The Braves are all in and I see no reason why the division title shouldn't reside in Atlanta for the fourth consecutive season. The Nationals, after a hot start in 2023, slid once the month of June hit. I'm expecting an improved season out of DC with Juan Soto once again putting up MVP numbers. Much of the Mets success in 2024 will hinge on which Michael Conforto shows up. If it's the 2022 Conforto, the Mets could compete for a wildcard spot. If it's the 2023 Conforto, the Mets are likely finishing near the bottom of the division. Jacob deGrom's time is ticking and, even if Conforto returns to form, I'm not sure the pitching staff is going to be able to hold up over the course of 162 games. I'm ready to see this Miami Marlins team take that step forward, and there's nobody better to help take that step than former #2 overall pick Willie Weiss. The right hander should help form a solid 1-2 punch atop the Miami rotation with Trevor Rogers. After missing the past 17 months with a torn ACL, Spencer Torkelson has finally fully rehabbed and is poised to see action at the Major League level this year. I think the Phillies know their time isn't here yet, but there are multiple young players to pay attention to on the Philadelphia roster. Orelvis Martinez, Antonio Gomez and Jordan Balazovic should give the people of Philadelphia something to at least monitor in what should be another bottom of the division finish in 2024.

Final Prediction:

1. Atlanta Braves 96-66

2. Washington Nationals 81-81

3. Miami Marlins 73-89

4. New York Mets 70-92

5. Philadelphia Phillies 60-102

*All thoughts and predictions are for entertainment purposes only. Please do not take things personally and I would love to be proven wrong by each GM.