Are Atlanta Braves still the favorites in the NL East?

The dust is still settling on the Atlanta Braves decision to apparently not match the Minnesota Twins offer to Josh Donaldson.

As we have already discussed, that has left the Atlanta Braves with an enormous hole right in the middle of the lineup and without someone who can protect Freddie Freeman in the middle of the order.

We certainly have to fill that spot out because Nick Markakis or Austin Riley are not the answer.

So this begs the question, are the Atlanta Braves still the favorites to win their third consecutive NL East title?

It’s tough to say, but one thing you could argue is no doubt the NL East might be the most competitive division in all of baseball.

Nationals 

The Washington Nationals are in a very similar situation as the Atlanta Braves since they lost Anthony Rendon to free agency themselves.

They too, much like the Braves, did improve in other spots of their roster, but still have a hole at first base as well.

With their pitching, they will still be a force and perhaps you believe in that old saying, to be the champs, you have to beat the champs. The Nationals are unfortunately the defending champions.

Phillies

Then comes the Philadelphia Phillies. They decided to spend big and grab Zack Wheeler and Didi Gregorious this Winter.

They spent big and now have a rotation that might fall just short of the Nationals but is certainly on par with them.

Maybe the biggest difference the Phillies can make is someone else calling the shots from the dugout though, as they got rid of their manager Gabe Kapler, who I’m not afraid to admit I think is the worst manager in the entire game.

One could argue, and I am actually one of them, as long as the Phillies stay healthy for the most part, they may be in the driver’s seat.

Mets

Of course, the New York Mets are still around as well. They lost Wheeler but still employ both Jacob DeGrom and Noah Syndergaard among others.

They also added to their pen with the addition of Dellin Betances, but he too needs to stay healthy.

New York also has a rookie manager in Carlos Beltran (at least for now) so it will be interesting to see if he will be up to the task.

And a lot could fall on if Pete Alonso can replicate his rookie outbreak season from 2019.

Marlins

Everyone will agree the Miami Marlins will not win the division, but they are improved from where they were last season. They will certainly play a part in who will eventually win the division.

Braves

As far as the Atlanta Braves go, a ton can still happen between now and opening day, and it’s not like we haven’t won with a group less talented than what we have on paper now.

We will still be good, but we obviously took a shot Tuesday night and unless we replace it, we will be the underdog again at the start of the 2020 season.

Maybe we were never the favorites anyway?

With that being said, we have proved them wrong before and I am fairly certain the Atlanta Braves will make at least one big move before Spring training begins.

Again, we took a shot Tuesday, but it should be fun to see how the Braves react and operate for the rest of the Winter.