The NL East could be the most interesting division to watch this offseason. Of the five teams, only one — the Miami Marlins — figures not to be making noteworthy moves. Two big-money teams, the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets, will be in spend mode after disappointing finishes — for much different reasons — to their seasons. Coming off a perplexing 2025, Atlanta also will be seeking some imrpovements, while the Washington Nationals are under new management, so who knows what will happen there.
2025 record: 96-60 (first place)
Postseason: Lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in NL Division Series 3-1.
What went right: Perhaps because he was in a walk year, designated hitter Kyle Schwarber was an undeniable offensive force. The left-handed slugger crushed 56 Schwarbombs to lead the NL and had an MLB-leading 132 RBIs. Shortstop Trea Turner won the NL batting title at .304 and had 36 steals. Left-hander Cristopher Sánchez continued his ascension as another terrific arm in the starting rotation to go along with Zack Wheeler and Ranger Suárez. Sanchez was a unanimous runner-up in the NL Cy Young Award voting.
What went wrong: The bullpen was an issue all season, especially after signing Jordan Romano last offseason to be the closer and then the right-hander putting up an 8.23 ERA with only six saves in 11 chances. Left-hander José Alvarado didn’t help by getting popped for an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. Nick Castellanos, a liability in right field, regressed offensively for a second season in a row. On a team seemingly built with a reliance on homers, first baseman Bryce Harper was the only other Phillies player to clear 20 homers with his 27. While third baseman Alec Bohm had a .287 average, his highest since his rookie season, he only produced 11 homers and was limited to 120 games. Wheeler getting hurt came into play during the NLDS.
What needs to be done: Coming off their second straight division title and the second-most wins in MLB, the Phillies are facing a big offseason after only having to make minor tweaks a year ago. Schwarber, catcher J.T. Realmuto and outfielder Max Kepler are heading into free agency, with Realmuto the more likely to return (almost a guarantee). The rotation returns intact and trade-deadline acquisition Jhoan Duran will stabilize the back end of the bullpen. But more relief help is needed. Schwarber’s return could depend on whether the Phillies get into the bidding for an upgrade at third base with Alex Bregman or Eugenio Suárez among the top free agents. A trade involving one of the starters is possible to bolster the offense, whether that is at third base or center field.
2025 record: 83-79 (second place, 13 GB)
Postseason: None (since 2024).
What went right: The first season of the Juan Soto era was decent for the Mets’ right fielder. He hit a career-high 43 homers, had his third straight 100-RBI season and more than tripled his previous best stolen-base total by swiping 38 (12 had been his high), nearly pulling off a 40-40 season. He also finished third in MLB with 120 runs scored. First baseman Pete Alonso, in a contract year for a second season in a row, had perhaps his finest season with a .272/.347/.524 slash line to go along with 38 homers and 126 RBIs. Shortstop and leadoff hitter Francisco Lindor benefited by having a 31-31 season and finishing fourth with 117 runs scored. A late-season influx of right-handed starters Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat provides optimism for the rotation. Edwin Diaz was Edwin Diaz and the trade-deadline bullpen acquisitions did what they were supposed to.
What went wrong: After have a solid division lead in June, the Mets saw their season take a downward turn beginning in late July and ended up missing a trip to the playoffs by losing a tiebreaker to the Cincinnati Reds. The 2-14 stretch from just before the trade deadline was compounded by another eight-game losing streak. Much of that could be put on the performance of the rotation, which necessitated the call-up of the young arms in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Opening Day starter Clay Holmes, a key offseason acquisition, was sent to the bullpen late in the year and fellow right-hander Kodai Senga’s struggles got so bad that he was sent to the minors.
What needs to be done: Alonso opted out of his contract, rightfully so after a big season, while outfielder Starling Marte is the only other key free agent. Finding more offense from center field would seem to be a key. But figuring out how to best utilize Brett Baty, Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio — all listed as third basemen — would seem to be a bigger priority. One or more of that trio could be used as trade bait for the hole at first base or a center fielder. The rotation will have plenty of competition with the veterans hoping for bounce backs and the young arms hungry for jobs. David Stearns, the Mets’ president of baseball operations, will add to the rotation somehow, but he is wary of extending longer-term offers. Do the Mets want Alonso back with his poor defense at first? Locking him in as a DH would take away lineup flexibility.
2025 record: 79-83 (third place, 17 GB)
Postseason: None (since 2023).
What went right: The first season with Clayton McCullough as manager went pretty well considering what we traditionally expect from the Marlins. Thanks to slides by other teams, the Marlins still found themselves in contention for a playoff spot in the final week. The Marlins were 23-33 entering June, then had winning records in three of the final four months, including winning 12 of 13 games in a stretch of September. A handful of rookies acquired in 2024 trades helped turn things around, with left fielder Kyle Stowers, catcher Agustín Ramírez and center fielder Jakob Marsee providing some of the biggest contributions. Shortstop Xavier Edwards, in his first chance at regular playing time, proved he wasn’t a flash in the pan.
What went wrong: Believe it or not, pitching was the Marlins’ downfall. In particular, right-hander Sandy Alcantara, who put up a puzzling 5.36 ERA while making 31 starts in his comeback from Tommy John surgery. Young right-hander Max Meyer struggled to a 4.73 ERA in 12 starts before needing season-ending hip surgery, while left-hander Ryan Weathers made just eight starts due to multiple injuries. The injury bug also bit another 2024 trade pickup, third baseman Connor Norby.
What needs to be done: First is figuring out Alcantara. Was his performance a result of his TJ surgery or something else? Alcantara has one more season at $17.3 million, plus a club option for 2027, so the Marlins could still be in the market to trade him, but other teams will have questions. Right-hander Eury Perez also came back late in the season from Tommy John surgery and should be a full go in 2026. After that, the Marlins have a nice young nucleus of players to at least play a spoiler role in the NL East. We all know the Marlins aren’t going to go out and get a splashy free agent or two, but there are plenty of guys who will play on a prove-it deal who might now consider Miami after this year’s showing. Getting their injured players back, including outfielder Griffin Conine, for 2026 will also boost those chances.
Atlanta
2025 record: 76-86 (fourth place, 20 GB)
Postseason: None (since 2024).
What went right: Right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. returned in late May from his second knee surgery and was pretty good, slashing .290/.417/.518, although his homers were down a bit (he hit 21). Rookie catcher Drake Baldwin took advantage of Sean Murphy’s injury to emerge as a frontline catcher who can be counted on offensively. He had a .274/.341/.469 slash line with 19 homers and 80 RBIs and easily won the NL Rookie of the Year, becoming the third Atlanta player in eight years to do so (Acuna in 2018 and Michael Harris II in 2022). Right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach again stepped into a rotation role and again showed himself worthy of a regular role, going 7-4 with a 3.09 ERA in 17 starts, with 1.5 walks and 8.8 strikeouts per nine.
What went wrong: The 0-7 start should have sent signals that 2025 was going to be an uphill battle. Injuries certainly didn’t help as at one point, the entire Opening Day rotation was on the injured list, never a good thing. It could have been much worse, but the season was saved by the organization’s quality pitching depth. Offense seemed to be more of a problem as second baseman Ozzie Albies struggled much of the season before recovering late. Acuna’s power was down and he only had 42 RBIs and, understandably with the knee injury, didn’t run much (nine steals in 10 attempts). Shortstop was a black hole between Orlando Arcia and Nick Allen, so bad that Atlanta added Ha-Seong Kim late, even with the postseason no longer a reality.
What needs to be done: We will give Atlanta a bit of a mulligan due to the injuries and an underperformance here or there. Did Acuna’s issues have anything to do with manager Brian Snitker and the early-season incident involving Jarred Kelenic? Snitker is gone now, with Walt Weiss moving up a seat from bench coach to manager, so maybe Acuna is fully engaged in 2026. Closer Raisel Iglesias and designated hitter Marcell Ozuna are key free agents. Iglesias would be a bigger priority as Ozuna’s defensive liabilities hamstring the lineup. That could allow for the pursuit of a free-agent outfielder, with Acuna splitting time at DH. But shortstop is the biggest priority to resolve. There isn’t a prospect ready to bring up, so a trade or free agent would need to bring in someone in front of Allen, at least until he proves he isn’t overmatched.
2025 record: 66-96 (last place, 30 GB)
Postseason: None (since 2019).
What went right: Left fielder James Wood, playing his first full MLB year in his age-22 season, emerged as a potential superstar. He showed tremendous power en route to 31 homers while slashing .256/.350/.475 and driving in 94. Strikeouts were a problem, with an MLB-worst 221, but he did walk 85 times, both numbers that should improve as he matures as a hitter. Rookie right-hander Brad Lord was really good in a relief role (2.79 ERA in 29 games), but was converted to a starter (4.99 ERA in 19 starts). Otherwise, not much here.
What went wrong: The pitching staff as a whole was disappointing, finishing 29th of 30 teams with a 5.35 ERA, nearly a half-run worse than No. 28. Starters put up a 5.18 ERA and relievers actually finished last with a 5.59. Right fielder Dylan Crews, the former No. 1 overall draft pick, had a meager .208/.280/.352 slash line before being sidelined nearly three months with an oblique injury. Catcher Keibert Ruiz had four stints on the injured list, but only hit two homers in 68 games after hitting 18 and 13 in the previous two seasons.
What needs to be done: With a complete regime change (front office and manager), could there be a lot of movement on the Nationals’ roster this offseason? Not as much as you might think, unless new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni trades from the young talent to acquire veterans. Third baseman Brady House made his MLB debut this year and is the future at the hot corner, while CJ Abrams is remains the incumbent shortstop and Luis García Jr. is pretty solid at second base. The outfield of Wood, Jacob Young and Crews needs the latter two to produce offensively. The pitching staff and first base are the biggest items to address, with Josh Bell potentially returning at first as he brings a clubhouse presence on a young team. Blake Butera, at 33 years old, as manager would seem to indicate that the Nationals will stick with many of the young players already in place and try to build off that.
