It is becoming abundantly apparent that the Atlanta Braves are going to be playing in one of the toughest divisions (if not THE toughest) in baseball for the foreseeable future. The National League East has three teams that are actively trying to win a World Series now in the Braves, Mets, and Phillies in addition to having the upstart Nationals who have a good amount of young talent to make things interesting.
For that very reason, the NL East has been watched very closely for any movement that could alter the picture in the division. There has been one very notable move (more on that in a minute) and a number of free agent departures so far, but things have otherwise been weirdly quiet this offseason in what should be one of the most hard-fought divisions heading into 2025.
National League East Power Rankings: Braves hold slight edge even after rivals' offseason push
Before anyone gets too excited or mad (yes, we know that won't stop you anyways), this is far from a final ranking. There is a lot of offseason left and the facts could change in dramatic ways in the coming months. The top 3 teams in particular are very close and with a significant move or misstep by any of them this offseason, the order could easily change at the top of the division. Again, we are talking about probably the deepest division in baseball at the moment and some very small margins here.
Okay, now you can start getting mad again. Here is a lot at our NL East power rankings as the holiday season approaches this offseason.
5. Marlins
Miami is just embarrassing at this point. The organization looked like they were starting to stockpile some young talent and could make things interesting in the coming years despite their financial limitations. Instead, they ran off their GM that was architecting their turnaround and cut their payroll to the bone again. At this point, the only relevant storyline around the Marlins is when they will decide to trade Sandy Alcantara with the 2025 trade deadline when Miami will probably be at least 10 games out seeming like a decent possibility.
4. Nationals
Washington is #4 on our rankings, but that doesn't mean people should sleep on them. They have a duo of high ceiling young hitters about to play their first full season in the big leagues in James Wood and Dylan Crews in addition to a young roster that over-performed a bit in 2024. 2026 seems to be the more likely timeline for the Nationals' resurgence, but if Wood and Crews go off and the Nationals' recent signing of old friend Michael Soroka pays off, they could end up making some more noise than folks think.
3. Mets
Okay, we are well aware that the Mets signed Juan Soto and he is, without question, one of the best players in baseball. No one should be expect him to be any less than a top 5 hitter in the National League in 2025...he's a stud. However, New York lost a lot more in free agency (at least so far) than people seem to realize. Pete Alonso is still unsigned and the Mets have seemingly replaced Sean Manaea and Jose Quintana with two very speculative rotation pieces in Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes (the latter they are converting into a starter).
With real questions throughout their current pitching staff and a few questionable spots in their lineup, it is hard to go all in on the Mets this season until we see what other moves they have in store. Soto is great, but he is still just one player and New York has more work to do before they will have a complete roster.
2. Phillies
The Phillies have had a pretty weird offseason coming off winning the NL East in 2024. Philly is typically very involved at the top of the free agent market every offseason, but they have been very quiet so far as the big names have come off the board. If they had made one significant roster upgrade to this point this offseason, the Phillies would have a really strong argument for the top spot here.
That said, respect where respect is due. The Phillies still have a very scary pitching staff with Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola at the top and they could get even better late in the season if top prospect Andrew Painter comes back and forces his way into the conversation. Bryce Harper is still a force to be reckoned with and Trea Turner is an absolute menace. However, a few of the Philly impact players on offense are getting long in the tooth, so it wouldn't be all that surprising if the group took a small step back in 2025 if they don't make any moves to address the lineup.
It's a long offseason. Resetting where the Phillies stand ahead of the winter meetings: https://t.co/hU6rZpjCec
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) December 5, 2024
1. Braves
Let's just call it like it is: 2024 was an aberration when it comes to injuries and regression for the Braves. Any other team in baseball probably would have missed the playoffs altogether with the number of injuries to All-Star level players Atlanta had last season and they still managed to squeak in regardless. Down seasons from Matt Olson and Sean Murphy came at the worst possible time as well and losing Max Fried this offseason is a significant loss to be sure even if they shouldn't be mad they didn't give Fried what he ended up getting.
However, this is still the best team in the division. Chris Sale is coming off a dominant Cy Young season, Spencer Schwellenbach looks like a future stud in the rotation, and the offense will be (hopefully) completely healthy by May. Between Ronald Acuna Jr., Spencer Strider, Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris II, Chris Sale, Raisel Iglesias, Marcell Ozuna, and Olson, Atlanta still has an roster incredibly deep in star-level talent.
The Braves will have to survive the first month of the 2025 season without Strider and Acuna Jr. as they recover from their injuries which is a consideration. That said, between the internal options the Braves have to reinforce their rotation and the lineup getting healthy again, the Braves are still sit atop the NL East power rankings in a close race.