Spring is almost here and so is baseball. The season begins March 18 as the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs square off in Tokyo. The Dodgers spent the most money a year ago and they walked away with a World Series crown. Much of the same happened this past offseason, but baseball is a funny sport. Having the best team in baseball doesn’t mean you are guaranteed to win the title. That’s more important than ever to remember as we enter a new year with exciting new rosters and a bounty of young talent rising to the top. Here is our 2025 NL East preview.
What Happened in 2024:
Hello, Philadelphia. The Phillies were the best team in baseball for a long stretch in 2024. The issue is that they got to the NLDS and completely laid down to their rivals, the Mets. New York took a big step forward, getting all the way to the NLCS last season and putting up a good fight against the Dodgers. The Braves ended up acquiring Cy Young winner Chris Sale who had a resurgent season, but Atlanta had far too many injuries that burned them down the stretch and made it impossible to stay competitive. The Nationals and Marlins were both 20+ games below .500 and didn’t give their fans much to cheer for last season.
Best Players to Watch:
Braves – Spencer Strider – I predicted that he was going to win the Cy Young award last season and he only made one start before needing Tommy John surgery. I am running back my prediction this time around and think he wins a Cy Young on a bounce back year.
Mets – Juan Soto – They added one of the top three players in baseball in Soto this offseason and have re-tooled for a major playoff run.
Phillies – Bryce Harper – Harper and the Phillies were one of the best offenses in baseball last season, I think he hops back into MVP talks this season as he hunts down an elusive World Series trophy.
Marlins -Sandy Alcantra – The former Cy young winner missed all of 2024 with Tommy John surgery. The Marlins likely won’t be that competitive this season, but he is a lone bright spot.
Nationals – James Wood – Wood played only 79 games last season and yet led the Nationals offensive players in WAR. He has a good chance to become a young star in Washington.
Biggest Addition and Subtraction:
Addition: Soto is the biggest and best addition in all of baseball and that was backed up with the monster contract that the Mets handed to him. Soto has a lot of pressure to live up to the hype after Steve Cohen emptied his wallet.
Subtraction: Max Fried left the Braves and headed to the Yankees in free agency. He has been an above-average starter for many years in Atlanta and the Braves will miss him on the mound in a division that has some massive bats.
Division Winner:
New York Mets, 98-64: The Mets added the best bat in free agency, they brought back Pete Alonso, and we saw that Francisco Lindor is still one of the best shortstops in baseball a year ago.