We take a look at where the Atlanta Braves rank in the National League after one of the biggest trades of the offseason sends a former Cy Young winner to the Padres.
The Atlanta Braves certainly have a realistic chance of winning the National League pennant in 2021 and reaching the World Series.
But the road in the NL just got a lot more difficult over the Christmas weekend as the Washington Nationals bolstered their lineup with Josh Bell and the Padres added a Blake Snell to their rotation.
On Christmas Eve the Nationals traded two of their top six prospects for first baseman Josh Bell to help bolster their lineup.
The switch-hitting Bell has really struggled at the plate since the middle of the 2019 season and the National are hoping he returns to his previous All-Star level.
I’m not sure this moves the needle a ton for the Nationals as a threat to the Braves, but it certainly shows they still believe they can win again with this core group they have of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin, Juan Soto, and Trea Turner.
But maybe the bigger, and more immediate threat, to the Braves in the National League (besides the Dodgers) is now the Padres after they picked up Snell.
They’ve found a replacement number one starter for the 2021 season with Mike Clevinger set to miss the entire year following Tommy John surgery.
I still think it will be 2022 before we see the Padres make a ton of noise in the NL, but they’ll be a legitimate threat in 2021 as well.
Obviously, there is still a lot of moves left to be made this offseason — we haven’t even seen the big free agents move yet — but here is who I think are the best teams in the NL on paper at this moment.
1. Dodgers
2. Braves
3. Padres
4. Cubs
5. Nationals
6. Mets
7. Phillies
Honestly, there is a pretty big gap after the top three and you could rank 4-7 in any way you want.
On paper, I still think the Nationals are a really good team — but they need another bat or two in addition to Bell.
The NL Central is a mess with the Brewers declining and the Reds selling everything. If the Cubs don’t win that division it would be embarrassing for our old friend David Ross.
I don’t trust anyone in the NL West besides LA and San Diego.
Unfortunately for the Braves, the NL East figures to once again have four legitimate playoff contenders along with a pesky Miami Marlins team that is getting better.
But the Dodgers, Braves, and Padres are still the clear top three for me in the National League. How do you rank them right now?