All things considered, the National League East went about as expected for the Atlanta Braves in 2026. The Braves rebounded from a tough 2025 season to win the division, the Phillies lagged a bit behind in second place as their roster got even older, and the Nationals, Marlins, and Mets struggled to keep pace to varying degrees. Some may have been surprised that the Mets struggled as much as they did, but those people probably just haven't watched New York play recently.
However, the offseason brings a blank slate for everyone. The Braves stand to lose free agents that played a key role in their success, and the Phillies are set to experience some losses as well. On the flip side, the other teams in the division don't seem to be losing much of value, and all of them could be aggressive in trying to make a move up the divisional hierarchy.
As to where things stand at the start of free agency, that requires a closer look.
NL East Power Ranking still has the Braves at the top, but the gap isn't much
Assessing teams against each other before free agency even starts is definitely a little weird. Doing so doesn't really account for payroll space, front office competence, or any moves that get made after the fact. However, assessing the situation now does at least give us a starting point to think about how the division stacks up as moves start actually happening.
1.) Braves
2.) Phillies
3.) Nationals
4.) Mets
5.) Marlins
Despite the rankings here, the gaps should be considered small. The Braves are losing some key players, but they also appear poised to make several moves this offseason, and they still have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. The Phillies are showing their age, and keeping Don Mattingly as their manager is laughable, but it is probably asking a bit much to hope for a complete collapse.
If the Nationals realize that they have a young team that could make a push for a playoff spot (with or without CJ Abrams) with a couple of additions, it would not be shocking at all to see them push for a division title. The Mets are run very poorly, but they will throw a lot of money at their problems at minimum, plus Carson Benge and Nolan McLean look like the real deal. The Marlins have talent and played pretty well last year, but it is hard to see them keeping pace, especially if they part with Otto Lopez.
That is only where things stand now in the division, and a lot could change. It shouldn't take long at all for things to change this offseason radically. As for how these rankings will look when the dust settles, we will just have to wait and see.
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