Last season, the New York Mets started strong, but needed to catch fire late to make it all the way to the World Series. They are the favorites for the division again, but should be pushed by a Washington Nationals team that drastically underperformed last year. Miami would have been in the same boat too were it not for a slew injuries that really derailed that group. They are definitely a sleeper this year. As for the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves, they are probably a year or two away from being worth real consideration. They are going to be the doormat in both the National League East as well as all of baseball.
New York Mets
Odds to win World Series: 11/1
Notable Additions: Neil Walker, Asdrubal Cabrera
Notable Losses: Jon Niese, Michael Cuddyer, Daniel Murphy
The Mets will win because pitching is still king. The Mets have the best rotation in the National League and they should be even better this season thanks to health and progress. This team may have lost their playoff hero in Murphy, but a full season with Yoenis Cespedes should make the offense go. The Mets are not going to need to score a lot of runs this season, but the offensive still might be a tick better. It helps that they’re in the National League East instead of the Central where they would have to compete with more quality teams. In the East, it’s mostly just a two-horse race.
Washington Nationals
Odds to win World Series: 17/1
Notable Additions: Ben Revere, Daniel Murphy, Shawn Kelly
Notable Losses: Jordan Zimmermann, Ian Desmond, Drew Storen
The Nationals will win because they finally figured it out. For years, the Nats have been an offseason favorite to win it all. Last year was a reality dose as they didn’t even make the playoffs and they have reshaped this team with more useful parts under the leadership of new manager Dusty Baker. This group is more multidimensional than in the past and they still have dominant pitching, so they could certainly be a force. Baker also has to be the difference as the previous managers just haven’t pushed the right buttons. This is a World Series-caliber team if he can extract it out of them.
Miami Marlins
Odds to win World Series: 50/1
Notable Additions: Wei-Yin Chen
Notable Losses: Casey McGehee, Henderson Alvarez
The Marlins will win because they are healthy. One can make the argument that the best hitter and pitcher in the National League call Miami home in Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Fernandez. Both are looking good coming into the season and the talent around them is a little more mature. Miami has one of the best outfielders in the league and their pitching is better than you think. If they beat up on the weak sisters of the division, they will be in this one through September.
Philadelphia Phillies
Odds to win World Series: 150/1
Notable Additions: Jeremy Hellickson, Vincent Velasquez, David Hernandez
Notable Losses: Cliff Lee, Aaron Harang, Domonic Brown
The Phillies will win because the pitching is better than you think. When pundits say the Phillies might not be terrible this season, it is because the duo of Velasquez and Aaron Nola has a high ceiling. If they start to reach it this season, this team gets suddenly respectable. Ryan Howard is a shell of his former self but he is still enough of a threat to make sure opponents pitch to Maikel Franco a little bit. He looks like the real deal.
Atlanta Braves
Odds to win World Series: 150/1
Notable Additions: Ender Inciarte, Erick Aybar, Bud Norris
Notable Losses: Mike Minor, Shelby Miller, Cameron Maybin
The Braves will win because sometimes you do, even if you are trying not to. The Braves are moving into a new stadium in a couple of seasons and it appears they are content to tread water until then. They have a legit middle of the order hitter in Freddie Freeman and a solid No. 1 starter in Julio Teheran, but beyond that, this team is pretty patchwork. They are probably the worst team in the Majors. We won’t know for sure until the games start to count.
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