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NL East offseason rankings: How have the division’s teams improved (or not) so far this winter?

JamesMcGheeBy No Comments8 Mins Read
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There are two ways to see the NL East this winter.

Technically, no division spent more money in free agency. In that light, the NL East is a monster, a juggernaut, a financial force of nature.

However, much of that spending went to one man: Juan Soto. Take Soto out of the equation and the division’s spending of $972.75 million shrinks to $207.75 million, a lower figure than the AL East, AL West and NL West.

This points to a bigger story. Besides Soto, this division, which has sent three teams to the playoffs in 2024, has been relatively inactive so far this offseason.

Let’s go team by team and break down how the Phillies, Mets, Braves, Nationals and Marlins have approached the offseason so far.

  • Acquisition of SP Jesús Luzardo via trade with the Miami Marlins

  • Signing RP Jordan Romano to a one-year contract

  • Signed OF Max Kepler to a one-year contract

  • Signing SP/RP Joe Ross to a one-year contract

The reigning NL East champions entered the offseason much earlier than they would have liked, abruptly exiting the playoffs in a discouraging NLDS loss to the Mets on October 9. Subsequently, all reports indicated that President of Baseball Operations, Dave Dombrowski, would oversee the roster refresh in the winter. For the second consecutive October, the Phillies’ vaunted offense had imploded on the big stage under an avalanche of strikeouts. Shaking things up seemed logical, prudent. Veteran mainstays such as Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner would not be dealt, but All-Star third baseman Alec Bohm – whose late-season struggles resulted in a surprise benching from the NLDS – would have been available via an exchange.

But no deal ever came to fruition, not for Bohm or anyone else on the Phillies roster. Instead, Dombrowski doubled down on his starting pitching, bolstering what was already a strength of his club. Acquiring Jesús Luzardo as the team’s No. 5 starter could prove to be a real game-changing trade. Just two years ago, the left-hander started Game 1 of the 2023 wild-card series for the Marlins against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Injuries have limited him in 2024, but Luzardo is one season away from being one of the most effective starters in the game.

On offense, the signing of Max Kepler to a one-year contract to become the everyday left fielder represents Philadelphia’s only significant addition. Kepler, like Luzardo, has been stymied by injuries in ’24 after having an excellent ’23 season. If he can stay healthy, he will certainly help the Phillies in their quest to repeat as division winners. In the bullpen, the loss of Jeff Hoffman (and likely fellow forward Carlos Estevez) drops Philly’s relief corps, although Jordan Romano can bounce back from an injury-plagued 2024.

Are the Phillies better today than they were on October 9? Maybe? Maybe not. Regardless, the difference from year to year is, again, relatively negligible. The success of the 2025 Phillies, as with the 2023 and 2024 versions, will depend on the ability of the club’s best hitters to rise to the occasion come playoff time. The rest is, most likely, just window dressing.

  • Signing Juan Soto to a 15-year contract

  • Re-signed SP Sean Manaea to a 3-year contract

  • Signing SP Clay Holmes to a 3-year contract

  • Signing SP Frankie Montas to a 2-year contract

  • SP Griffin Canning signs one-year contract

  • Acquired from Jose Sirí via trade with the Tampa Bay Rays

Juan Soto is a Met nowthe importance of which cannot be overstated. His hop across town for a mountain of moola represents a new era in New York baseball and makes the Mets contenders for the foreseeable future. Owner Steve Cohen – who also had a good year without the diamond – is a man who can afford the luxury of a $765 million baseball player. The price is breathtaking. It doesn’t really matter either.

But as absurd as it sounds, there is more to life and roster building than Soto.

The Mets entered the winter in desperate need of refurbishing and strengthening their starting pitching. Three of the team’s four playoff starters have hit the open market, and the only returning player, Kodai Senga, has started just one regular season game in 2024.

New York responded accordingly, signing a quartet of starting pitchers. This included the re-signing of Manaeawho has become a frontline contributor for the Mets in 2024. Holmes and Montas are both interesting, if very different, acquisitions for a pitching development group with an impressive track record. This group will attempt to turn Holmes, who was a mainstay in the back of the Yankees bullpen, into a starting pitcher while hoping to unlock another level from Montas, who was a below-average pitcher last season.

Surprisingly, the Mets have yet to sort out their bullpen, which was overloaded and depleted at the end of the NLCS. Edwin Díaz needs help. Fortunately, there is still a plethora of anti-impact products on the marketincluding Estevez, Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates and Kenley Jansen.

Then there is the question of Pete Alonso. The Polar Bear, who spent his entire six-year MLB career in Queens, remains a free agent. The Mets are the most obvious and likely landing spot for him, but it’s far from a given. A short-term deal providing for a higher average annual figure, with opt-outs, could pave the way for a reunion. Retaining Alonso would make the Mets’ already formidable roster a real strength and could turn their offseason from an A- to an A.

Six teams have yet to guarantee a single dollar in major league free agency: the Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Miami Marlins, San Diego Padres and Chicago Braves. ‘Atlanta.

For Atlanta, whose squad has been plagued by a cavalcade of injuries in 2025, this fact could be seen through rose-colored glasses as good news. This could indicate that Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr. – two game-changing forces who missed most of 2024 – are expected to return sooner than expected. But through a glass-half-empty lens, the Braves’ inactivity could be seen as depriving a talented roster of much-needed complementary pieces.

And there are certainly places open. Starting pitcher Max Fried, starting pitcher Charlie Morton, catcher Travis d’Arnaud, outfielder Ramon Laureano, outfielder Adam Duvall, infielder Whit Merrifield, reliever Jesse Chavez and infielder Gio Urshela are all contributing members of the 2024 team who reached free agency. Outfielder Jorge Soler was also dealt to the Angels.

For now, it appears Atlanta is content to fill those roles with internal options and returns from injury. Mark Bowman of MLB.com reported that the Braves had reached an offer with Jeff Hoffman before concerns about the pitcher’s medical condition led to a scuttling of the deal. But for the most part, president of baseball operations Alex Anthopolous has been uncharacteristically passive. How Anthopoulos strengthens his bench and bullpen over the next six weeks could have huge importance for a Braves team that remains one of the most talented groups in the game.

  • Signing SP Trevor Williams to a 2-year contract

  • Signing SP Mike Soroka to a one-year contract

  • Acquisition of 1B Nate Lowe via trade with the Texas Rangers

  • Signing RP Jorge Lopez to a one-year contract

  • Signed 1B Josh Bell to a one-year deal

In an alternate timeline, there was an offseason that would have propelled the Nationals into a true wild-card competition. Washington, buoyed by Patrick Corbin’s massive contract, could have been active at the top of the free agent market. But while Alex Bregman and Pete Alonso are still availablethe Nationals appear likely to enter spring training without a truly significant addition.

This is an unfortunate path for the Nats, given the multitude of promising young players on their roster. The moves they made aren’t bad in and of themselves — retaining Williams strengthens the rotation pitch, while Lowe immediately becomes the club’s best hitter — but it feels like a missed opportunity. If all goes well, the Nats could still be a pesky character in 2025. The likelihood of that happening, however, could have been higher.

  • Jake Burger 3B/1B traded to Texas

  • Traded SP Jesús Luzardo to Philadelphia

  • Acquisition of 1B Matt Mervis via trade with the Chicago Cubs

The Marlins are one of two MLB teams, alongside the White Sox, that are actively trying to lose.

It is, once again, rebuilding time in Miami. So the Fish, under new president of baseball operations Peter Bendix, trade any veteran player worth his salt. First baseman Jake Burger and starting pitcher Jesús Luzardo were both shipped out this winter in deals for prospects. Acquiring 1B Matt Mervis from the Cubs is a nice addition at a low price, but for the most part, Miami’s moves aim to be good in about four years.

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