Last year, the National League playoff bracket saw both wild cards (Philadelphia and the Mets) come from the Eastern Division. The Braves won the division with a 101-61 record, while the Mets finished with an identical record but lost on head-to-head matchups after dropping five of their last ten to end up in that tie. The Phillies only went 87-75, finishing 14 games out of first, but they had the last laugh, winning the National League pennant before losing to Houston in the World Series. The Miami Marlins (69-93) and the Washington Nationals (55-107) had much more dismal seasons, surprising in the Nats’ case after winning a World Series just three years earlier. How will the division sort out this year? Don’t forget to read our preview as you plan your MLB betting for the season.
MLB News: 2023 National League East Predictions
Atlanta Braves (101-61, NL East Champions, lost to Philadelphia in the NLDS 2022)
The Braves largely stood pat with their roster, but if you look at who they have, that made sense. Mike Soroka should return to the starting rotation, and Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuna Jr are looking forward to full and healthy campaigns. Raisel Iglesias emerged as the closer and should grow as he throws a full season. Some key additions include catcher Sean Murphy, who will keep things cleaner around the plate than William Contreras did. Giving Vaughn Grissom the starting job and shortstop means saving money they would have paid Dansby Swanson.
N.Y. Mets (101-61, Wild Card, lost to San Diego in the wild card round 2022)
The Mets will pay Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer a combined $86.6 million in 2023. Nine other teams are spending less on their entire payrolls. Jose Quintana and Kodai Senga also join the starting rotation, and Brooks Raley and David Robertson will strengthen the bullpen. They extended Adam Ottavino, Edwin Diaz and Brandon Nimmo, and their big-league roster is talented enough to make it likely that blue-chip prospects Brett Baty and Francisco Alvarez will start the year down on the farm.
Philadelphia Phillies (87-75, Wild Card, lost to Houston in the World Series 2022)
The Phillies followed up that surprise World Series appearance with the addition of Trea Turner on an 11-year, $300 million contract. They also added Taijuan Walker to strengthen the starting rotation, and Matt Strahm, Craig Kimbrel, and Gregory Soto will improve the bullpen. Bryce Harper will start the season on the shelf after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but the roster is still terrific. Prospect Andrew Painter could also join the starting rotation, based on his swift rise through the minors.
Miami Marlins (69-93 in 2022)
Derek Jeter has severed ties with the Marlins after it became clear that the rest of ownership did not share his vision for future success on South Beach. The top of the lineup has been improved with the addition of Luis Arraez and Jean Segura, but the Marlins still lack real punch at the 3-4-5-6 part of the batting order. Garrett Cooper, Jazz Chisholm Jr, Jorge Soler, and Avisail Garcia are slated to take three of those spots, but Chisholm is the only one who will come to the plate and strike real fear in the hearts of opposing pitchers. The starting rotation wasn’t bad last year, especially when you look at the work of Edward Cabrera and Jesus Luzardo, and the pitching should be a strength again, but the offense ranked 28th in runs scored (586) and 27th in team OPS (.657), and the team did not make enough additions to the batting order to make those numbers climb much.
Washington Nationals (55-107 in 2022)
Did you know that Patrick Corbin is slated to be the Opening Day starter for the Nats? Yes, he was a hero during that 2019 World Series run. However, in 2022, he posted a 6-19 record and a 6.31 ERA over 152.2 innings. Such heroes from that team as Max Scherzer, Jayson Werth, and Juan Soto, are long gone, and now the Nats are mired in a rebuild. They do have some exciting prospects, such as C.J. Abrams, Keibert Ruiz, Cade Cavalli, and MacKenzie Gore. However, while the future is bright, another 100-loss season is definitely a possibility.
2023 Predictions:
- N.Y. Mets: NL East Champions
- Atlanta Braves: Wild Card
- Philadelphia Phillies: Wild Card
- Miami Marlins: Improve to 75 wins
- Washington Nationals: Improve to 65 wins
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