Predicting the Division winners for the 2019 MLB Season

NL East: Washington Nationals

NL East has always been known as one of the weakest divisions in baseball

For years, the NL East has always been known as one of the weakest divisions in baseball, often referred to as the “NLeast”. However, that won’t be the case this year as four teams have a legitimate shot at winning the division.

The reigning NL East champion Atlanta Braves had a quiet offseason, only adding former MVP Josh Donaldson and bringing back Brian McCann.

They did not address their biggest weakness though, which is pitching and the bullpen. They are in talks with Craig Kimbrel though, which would definitely help them.

The Mets had the most active offseason of the NL East teams, adding Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz from a trade with the Mariners.

They also brought back Jeurys Familia and signed Justin Wilson to bolster their bullpen, which was a disaster last season.

They also helped their offense by signing Wilson Ramos and Jed Lowrie. They also made a bunch of moves to help their depth. The question is are these moves enough to bump them from 4th place to 1st place?

They still lack starting pitching depth behind reigning Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, and Zack Wheeler. Steven Matz is still inconsistent and Jason Vargas is a huge question mark.

The Phillies had a great offseason. They signed arguably biggest free agent in Bryce Harper to a 13-year deal.

They also added to their offense by signing Andrew McCutchen, as well as trading for J.T. Realmuto and Jean Segarra. They helped their bullpen by signing David Robertson. Much like the Braves, their biggest question is their starting pitching.

Behind Aaron Nola, you’re not quite sure what you are going to get. They starting out well last season but fell apart in the second half. If they add soma pitching, then they definitely have enough offense to be the favorites in the East.

The favorites though, have to be the Nationals at this point. They have the most balanced team on paper in the division. Their starting trio of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and newly signed Patrick Corbin is only rivaled by the Mets top 3.

Their backend of Jeremy Hellickson and Anibal Sanchez is arguably the best in the division. The additions of Yan Gomes, Brian Dozier, and Tony Sipp feel like much better signings than the Mets made.

The Davison will likely be decided by who beats up on the Marlins the best, much like the AL East and the Orioles.

The Mets are notorious for struggling against Miami for some reason, so if that trend continues and the NL East is as competitive as many believe, then that puts them in a hole.

The Nationals seem like the most balanced team in the division and have fewer questions and holes than the other three teams, so they should be the slight favorites to win the East.