As the Winter Meetings are set to begin in less than a week, Atlanta Braves fans generally know where the team stands so far this offseason. They have purged their roster and payroll a good bit and have made a fair number of what most would consider to be minor depth additions to the roster. Unlike previous offseasons, the Braves did not strike early which has been an odd change of pace.
That sets the stage for a potentially exciting week or two ahead as the free agent and trade markets begin to thaw. The Braves seem like they have a little money to spend and a couple areas on the roster they would like to upgrade, but exactly what they will do remains to be seen. As for how their NL East rivals are doing, that is a bit messier to explain.
Here is how the Braves' rivals in the NL East have done so far this offseason
As of the morning of December 12th, no high profile free agent or trade names have been added to NL East this offseason. Of course, that could easily change and, depending on how the offseason goes, there is likely to be some significant departures from the division as well. Here is a look at where things stand elsewhere in the division and how it could impact the Braves.
Phillies
Outgoing Players (Tentative)
- Carlos Estevez, RP
- Jeff Hoffman, RP
- Spencer Turnbull, RP
- Austin Hays, OF
Additions
- None (so far)
We'll start with the Phillies as they are the team that is of the most consequence for Atlanta. It does feel like the Philadelphia's two biggest needs at the moment is finding back end of the bullpen help and adding an outfielder. Their biggest loss from their 2024 roster is probably reliever Carlos Estevez and they have been routinely connected to top available bullpen arms this offseason as a result.
Where Philly could really make things interesting is if they make a strong push for Juan Soto to fill their outfield needs. Dave Dombrowski loves making big plays for stars and Soto is about as big a play as one can make. So far, it seems like Philly is a fringe player for Soto, however, with the New York teams (more on that in a second) and Boston being more likely destinations.
Mets
Outgoing Players (Tentative)
- Pete Alonso, 1B
- Harrison Bader, OF
- Shintaro Fujinami, RP
- Jose Iglesias, INF
- Sean Manaea, SP
- JD Martinez, DH
- Phil Maton, RP
- Adam Ottavino, RP
- Jose Quintana, SP
- Brooks Raley, RP
- Luis Severino, SP
- Drew Smith, RP
- Ryne Stanek, RP
- Jesse Winker, OF
- Alex Ramirez, RP
- Grant Hartwig, RP
- Alex Young, RP
Additions
- Jose Siri, OF
- Dylan Covey, RP
- Justin Hagenman, SP/RP
- Frankie Montas, SP
Once you list all of the turnover the Mets are experiencing this offseason, it is pretty wild to think how much money they still have committed to their roster. The biggest single name that the Mets have hitting the free agent market is clearly Pete Alonso, but most still seem to think that he will return to New York when the dust settles this offseason. However, their rotation is losing a lot of arms including Luis Severino as well as potential Braves target Sean Manaea and their bullpen depth is taking a bit hit as well as things stand.
The Mets did just sign Frankie Montas over the weekend which gives them another rotation arm. However, that is a speculative move at best and with the Mets seemingly all-in on pursuing Juan Soto, one wonders if that is the right play consider the sheer amount of roster holes they currently have.
Nationals
Outgoing Players (Tentative)
- Jacob Barnes. RP
- Kyle Finnegan, RP
- Patrick Corbin, SP
- Joey Gallo, 1B/OF
- Trevor Williams, SP
- Tanner Rainey, RP
Additions
- None (so far)
The Nationals non-tendering Kyle Finnegan remains a wild decision that surprised many around the league and probably reflects how far apart the two sides were in arbitration negotiations. With Dylan Crews and James Wood in addition to a pretty good, young pitching staff, you would think they would like to keep their best bullpen arm around as it isn't crazy to think Washington could push for a wild card spot in 2025.
That said, this is a team that still has some rebuilding and spending to do before they are going to be strong contenders again. They finally have Patrick Corbin's contract off their books which helps, but they need at least one front-end rotation arm, bullpen help, and their infield is a mess especially if CJ Abrams can't get his off-the-field issues sorted out.
Marlins
Outgoing Players (Tentative)
- None (kinda)
Additions
- None (so far)
The Marlins cleared house at the 2024 trade deadline including moving Tanner Scott to the Padres which means that they didn't have any offseason departures. However, a look at their current roster doesn't inspire the most confidence. They will win games they aren't supposed to given their pitching especially once Sandy Alcantara returns, but boy does their offense look rough.
Recent trade acquisitions Connor Norby and Kyle Stowers are at least a starting point, but Miami could use upgrades for most of their lineup at this point and with little to no impact bats imminently coming from the minor leagues. That means the Marlins would need to look at external options to upgrade and based on their track record, any help they acquire in the offseason is likely to come in the form of bargain bin signings or trades.