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Grading the NL East’s offseason: How have the division’s teams improved (or not) so far this winter?

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Grading the NL East's offseason: How have the division's teams improved (or not) so far this winter?

There are two ways to watch the NL East this winter.

Technically, no division has spent more money in free agency. Through that lens, the NL East is a behemoth, a behemoth, a financial force of nature.

However, an overwhelming amount of that spending went to one man: Juan Soto. If Soto is removed from the equation, the division’s $972.75 million outlay drops to $207.75 million, less than the AL East, AL West and the National League West.

That points to a bigger story. Aside from Soto, this division, which sent three teams to the playoffs in 2024, has been relatively inactive so far this offseason.

Let’s go team by team and analyze how the Phillies, Mets, Braves, Nationals and Marlins have approached the offseason so far.

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  • Acquired SP Jesús Luzardo via trade from the Miami Marlins

  • Signed RP Jordan Romano for one year

  • Signed OF Max Kepler for one year

  • Signed SP/RP Joe Ross for one year

The defending NL East champions entered the offseason much earlier than they would have liked, exiting the playoffs in a disheartening NLDS loss to the Mets on October 9. Afterwards, all reports indicated that president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski will oversee the roster refresh in the winter. For the second straight October, the Phillies’ vaunted offense had imploded on the big stage under an avalanche of strikeouts. Changing things seemed logical and prudent. Veteran stalwarts like Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner wouldn’t be traded, but All-Star third baseman Alec Bohm, whose late-season struggles resulted in a surprising NLDS benching, was rumored to be available via of an exchange.

But a deal never materialized, neither for Bohm nor for any other member of the Phillies’ lineup. Instead, Dombrowski redoubled his commitment to starting pitching, reinforcing what was already a strength of his club. Acquiring Jesús Luzardo as the team’s fifth starter could prove to be a truly impactful transaction. Just two years ago, the left-hander started Game 1 of the 2023 wild card series for the Marlins against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Injuries limited him in 2024, but Luzardo is one season away from being one of the most effective starters in the game.

On offense, the signing of Max Kepler to a one-year contract to be the regular left fielder represents Philadelphia’s only significant addition. Kepler, like Luzardo, was hampered by injuries in the 24th after putting up a stellar 23rd. If he can stay healthy, he will certainly help the Phillies in their quest to repeat as division winners. In the bullpen, losing Jeff Hoffman (and likely fellow back-end Carlos Estevez) takes down Philadelphia’s relief corps, even if Jordan Romano can bounce back from an injury-plagued 2024.

Are the Phillies better today than they were on October 9? Maybe? Maybe not. Either way, the year-over-year difference is, once again, relatively insignificant. The success of the 2025 Phillies, as with the 2023 and 2024 versions, will depend on whether the club’s best hitters are up to the task come playoff time. The rest is, most likely, just window dressing.

  • Signed OF Juan Soto for 15 years.

  • SP Sean Manaea was renewed with a 3-year contract

  • Signed SP Clay Holmes for 3 years

  • SP Frankie Montas signed for 2 years

  • Signed SP Griffin Canning to a 1-year contract

  • Acquired OF José Sirí via trade from the Tampa Bay Rays

Juan Soto is now a Met, whose importance cannot be underestimated. His leap across town for a mountain of moola represents a new era in New York baseball and makes the Mets contenders for the foreseeable future. Owner Steve Cohen, who also had a good year off the diamond, is a man who can afford the luxuries of a $765 million baseball player. The price is surprising. It doesn’t really matter either.

But as absurd as it may seem, there is more to life and the construction of the team than Soto.

The Mets entered the winter desperately needing to revamp and strengthen their starting pitching. Three of the team’s four playoff starters hit free agency, and the only returner, Kodai Senga, started just one regular-season game in 2024.

New York responded accordingly, signing a quartet of starting pitchers. That included re-signing Manaea, who became a top-line contributor for the Mets in 2024. Holmes and Montas are interesting, if very different, acquisitions for a pitching development group with an impressive track record. That group will try to turn Holmes, who was a key piece in the back end of the Yankees bullpen, into a starting pitcher while hoping to unlock another level from Montas, who was a below-average pitcher last season.

Surprisingly, the Mets have yet to address their bullpen, which was overloaded and depleted at the end of the National League Championship Series. Edwin Díaz needs help. Fortunately, there are still plenty of impact relievers on the market, including Estevez, Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates and Kenley Jansen.

Then there is the matter of Pete Alonso. The Polar Bear, who has spent his entire six-year MLB career in Queens, remains a free agent. The Mets are the most obvious and likely landing spot for him, but it’s far from a given. A short-term deal for a higher average annual figure with opt-outs could be the path to a reunion. Retaining Alonso would turn the Mets’ already formidable lineup into a real force and could turn their offseason from A- to A.

Six teams have yet to guarantee a single dollar in Major League free agency: the Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Miami Marlins, San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves.

For Atlanta, whose roster was beset by a series of injuries in 2025, that fact could seen through rose-colored glasses as good news. It could indicate that Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr., two game-changing forces who missed most of 2024, will return sooner than expected. But through a half-empty glass lens, the Braves’ inactivity could be seen as a robbery of a talented roster of much-needed complementary pieces.

And there are certainly open spaces. Starting pitcher Max Fried, starting pitcher Charlie Morton, catcher Travis d’Arnaud, outfielder Ramón Laureano, outfielder Adam Duvall, infielder Whit Merrifield, reliever Jesse Chávez and infielder Gio Urshela are all members contributors to the 2024 team who have hit free agency. Outfielder Jorge Soler was also traded to the Angels.

For now, it appears Atlanta is content to fill those roles with internal options and injury returns. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reported that the Braves had agreed to an offer with Jeff Hoffman before concerns about the pitcher’s medical status led to the deal falling through. But for the most part, president of baseball operations Alex Anthopolous has been unusually passive. How Anthopoulos strengthens his bench and bullpen over the next six weeks could be hugely important for a Braves team that remains one of the most talented groups in the game.

  • Signed SP Trevor Williams to a 2-year contract

  • Signed SP Mike Soroka for one year

  • Acquired 1B Nate Lowe in trade from Texas Rangers

  • He signed RP Jorge López for one year

  • Signed 1B Josh Bell to a 1-year contract

In an alternate timeline, there was an offseason that would have brought the Nationals into genuine wild-card contention. Washington, buoyed by Patrick Corbin’s huge contract off the books, could have been active at the top of the free agent market. But while Alex Bregman and Pete Alonso are still available, it seems likely that the Nationals will enter spring training without a truly significant addition.

It’s an unfortunate path for the Nationals, considering the group of promising young players on their roster. The moves they’ve made aren’t bad in and of themselves—keeping Williams strengthens the rotation’s depth, while Lowe immediately becomes the club’s best hitter—but this feels like a missed opportunity. If all goes well, the Nationals could still be a nuisance in 2025. However, the likelihood of that happening could have been higher.

  • Traded 3B/1B Jake Burger to Texas

  • SP Jesús Luzardo transferred to Philadelphia

  • Acquired 1B Matt Mervis in a trade from the Chicago Cubs

The Marlins are one of two MLB teams, along with the White Sox, actively trying to lose.

It is, once again, rebuilding time in Miami. And that’s why the Fish, under new president of baseball operations Peter Bendix, are trading away any veteran player worth their salt. First baseman Jake Burger and starting pitcher Jesús Luzardo were released this winter in prospect deals. Acquiring 1B Matt Mervis from the Cubs is a good investment, but for the most part, Miami’s moves center around being good four years from now.

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