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The NL East produced two playoff teams last year, one of which had the best record in the MLB all season, while the other went to the NLCS for the second straight season.
There are good teams, and some of them are improving year after year. Here's what the final standings could look like:
Predicting the NL East rankings
5) Washington Nationals
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The Nationals might be better than some people think, but they are still not going to be a good team.
The rebuild is underway, and they have some intriguing young players and prospects, but don't expect there to be much success on the field during the 2024 season. It should be more about development and not wins and losses.
Record: 73-89
4) New York Mets
The Mets retooled last year at the trade deadline, but it was for 2025 and not 2024. They didn't spend much, as Pete Alonso is a free agent next year, while Justin Verlander's money comes off the books.
This is not going to be a great year for them, but they have enough talent to be middle of the road and not an abysmal unit.
Record: 81-81
3) Miami Marlins
Whether or not the Miami Marlins will be able to return to the playoffs again remains to be seen, but they have a fairly young team that achieved that goal in 2023.
Therefore, it's difficult to predict them to fail in 2024. The NL is very deep, but this should be a team, led by Luis Arraez and Jazz Chisholm Jr., that's good enough to at the very least be in firm contention for one of the Wild Card spots in the NL.
Record: 89-73
2) Philadelphia Phillies
They're a perennial playoff team, so it would be a surprise to see anyone knock the Philadelphia Phillies off that pedestal this year.
Bryce Harper is fully healthy. Trea Turner has an acclimation year fully behind him. Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola are still in town. This is a dangerous team and could make another deep playoff run.
Record: 93-69
1) Atlanta Braves
If not for what the Dodgers did in the offseason, the Atlanta Braves would be the top contender in the NL.
As it stands, the Dodgers are the top team in the East, and it's difficult to imagine them not winning the division. Ronald Acuna Jr. is the reigning MVP, and Matt Olson hit 50 home runs last year. They got stronger over the offseason, so they should be as good as advertised.
Record: 102-60
