We’re still more than a month away from Spring Training. And even though we’re still weeks away from pitchers and catchers even reporting, one thing is becoming clear to be – the NL East hasn’t been compelling at all this winter, and likely won’t be all that exciting during the regular season.
What makes me say that? Well, consider this – the Washington Nationals won the division in 2014 by 17 games over the Braves and Mets. Washington was the only team in the division to even finish above .500. The defending division champions also haven’t made any major moves this winter to remove themselves from that perch – the only significant free agents the team had were second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera, first baseman Adam LaRoche, and reliever Rafael Soriano. Cabrera will be replaced in-house by Danny Espinosa or minor league signee Dan Uggla, LaRoche is being replaced by Ryan Zimmerman, shifting across the diamond from third, and Soriano had already lost his closer’s job in DC and his spot in the bullpen will be overwhelmed by other relievers.
Hell, the biggest question about the Nationals surrounds right fielder Jayson Werth, who underwent shoulder surgery this month and is a question mark for Opening Day. But one player doesn’t make a team, and even if Werth misses much of April, I doubt Washington will miss much of a beat.
And why won’t the Nationals really struggle in 2015? The only team in the division that’s gotten better this winter is the Miami Marlins, who have gone crazy this offseason. The Marlins traded for Dee Gordon, Mat Latos, Martin Prado and the questionable to report Dan Haren, and signed Michael Morse, all moves made to contend now. That’s all well and good, but Miami went on a spree of activity like this three winters ago, and it didn’t work out all that well. Needless to say, Miami is still the second-best team in the division and the most likely challenger to Washington, even though their chances at knocking off the division’s top team is slim.
The three traditional powers in the NL East are on a downswing. The Phillies have finally begun to rebuild, trading veterans Jimmy Rollins and Marlon Byrd. Yes, they did sign Aaron Harang, but that’s not a move that turns and 89 loss team into a .500 team. The Braves are also starting to tear down their club, despite what GM John Hart may say publicly. Atlanta has traded Jason Heyward and Justin Upton, two of the team’s top hitters from a year ago, and three members from their 2014 bullpen. They’ve added Shelby Miller, pieces for the future, and stop gaps such as Alberto Callaspo, A.J. Pierzynski, and Jim Johnson, none of whom scream “we’re contenders now!” to me.
The New York Mets have somehow done even less than every other team in the division. They signed outfielder Michael Cuddyer early in November when free agency was still in its embryonic stages, and their next biggest move, either by addition or subtraction, this winter was the signing of fourth outfielder John Mayberry Jr. The club has done nothing to spur confidence in their contention hopes this season, and it could be yet another long season in Flushing if Matt Harvey’s elbow isn’t up to snuff.
And that’s the NL East in a nutshell. You’ve got the dominant reigning division winner that didn’t do much this winter, the plucky young team that added a bunch of veterans and looks to contend, two clubs that are rebuilding, and the large market club that apparently feels like a holding pattern is the best course of action. The other five divisions have plenty of interesting storylines, largely thanks to offseason spending sprees or youth movements that have begun to show fruit. In the NL East this season, the picture is much more bleak. Will Matt Harvey’s elbow be back to normal? Will the Braves and Phillies continue to tear it all down and start over? Will this finally be the plan that works for the Marlins to contend?
There aren’t many reasons for optimism in 2015 in the NL East. There isn’t a team like the Indians with fantastic, underrated players. There isn’t a team like the Red Sox that went ham on the high-end free agent and trade markets to revamp nearly their entire roster. There isn’t a team like the Cubs has an incredible amount of optimism based on years of building. Hell, there isn’t even a team like the Athletics, who burned down a playoff team and rebuilt it with perhaps an even more interesting roster this winter.
The NL East is just…there. It’s not out of the realm of possibility for the Nationals to be the only team above .500 when October rolls around. I also wouldn’t be shocked if the division had two or even three 90 game losers in 2015. If you’re a neutral fan that wants to watch some National League baseball, you might want to focus on nearly any team in the NL Central or NL West – at least they’re trying to make it interesting this year.
