The NL East is another of the divisions which we struggled to decide how it will finish up. We wouldn't be shocked if either the Braves, Phillies or Mets top the division. In the end though, this is how we think the NL East will look at the end of the year.
Atlanta Braves
Philadelphia Phillies
New York Mets
Miami Marlins
Washington Nationals
The Atlanta Braves are the reigning World Series champions. They lost fan favourite Freddie Freeman but brought in Georgia native Matt Olson who should provide similar production to Freeman. But perhaps their biggest 'addition' will be the return of Ronald Acuna Jr who will join an impressive core of Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley, Dansby Swanson and Eddie Rosario.
Mike Soroka also looks set to return from injury soon and will strengthen an already very good rotation. Arguably their biggest strength last season was their bullpen, which by adding Kenley Jansen, looks even stronger in 2022.
The Braves are World Series champions and they look an even better team in 2022, so we aren't about to pick them to finish anywhere other than first in the NL East.
Philadelphia made some excellent additions to their already strong line-up when they added Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber this off-season. They join MVP Bryce Harper, Rhys Hoskins and JT Realmuto to form an impressive offense. 2nd in Cy Young voting - Zack Wheeler - and Aaron Nola make an excellent 1-2 combination at the top of their rotation too.
But in 2021 the bullpen was their biggest weakness and they look much improved in that area thanks to the arrival of Jeurys Familia and Corey Knebel. Brad Hand looked much better once he arrived in New York last season after an awful 11 games in Toronto and the Phillies will be hoping they signed the Mets' rather than the Blue Jay's version of Hand.
The New York Mets will be looking to rebound after an under-whelming to say the least 2021 campaign. When healthy, they have one of the best rotations in baseball thanks to the signing of Max Scherzer who returns to the NL East, Chris Bassitt who recieved Cy Young votes each of the last two seasons and Jacob DeGrom.
The only reason that we have them finishing 3rd is because of injury worries. DeGrom will start the season on the IL and he will be missed. They have a strong line-up with Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor and Starling Marte headlining and Edwin Diaz looks set to continue being a dominant, reliable late inning option for them.
If they can keep everyone healthy, then they could - and should - be pushing to win the division. We just aren't sure that they can.
Possibly our favourite player and Team GB alum - Jazz Chisholm - looks set to lead off for the Miami Marlins this season and despite some under-rated additions to their team, we've got them finishing 4th again this year. World Series MVP Jorge Soler adds a much needed power bat in their outfield and Jesus Sanchez looks to be a very good player.
But the rotation is where their real strength lies. Trevor Rogers, Sandy Alcantara and Pablo Lopez each put up outstanding numbers in 2022 and we think they will all finish 2022 with ERAs below 3.50. The Marlins bullpen and bottom half of their batting line-up give us some concerns though. And while we think that they will be improved this season, and will be a very entertaining team to watch, they don't quite have enough to challenge Atlanta, Philadelphia and New York this year.
Lastly, the Washington Nationals and it's crazy to think that they were World Series champions just 3 seasons ago. Aside from Juan Soto who is one of the stars of the game, it's difficult to see where else the production will come from.
The age-defying Nelson Cruz will help offensively, Kiebert Ruiz and Carter Kieboom should benefit from regular playing time too. But this is likely to be another difficult season for Washington. But Juan Soto is an MVP candidate and still makes them essential viewing.
What do you think of our NL East predictions? Who do you think will finish top of the division? Let us know in the comments or on twitter.
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