Not a lot of marquee additions to the division this year
The Phillies haven’t had the most exciting offseason, mostly concentrating on retaining or extending their own players rather than bringing in new players via free agency or the trade market. If you were frustrated by that lack of action and were concerned that their division rivals have been busy closing the gap between them – or in the case of the Braves, widening the gap (in the regular season, at least) – I have reassuring news: Nobody in the division did all that much.
Here’s what the other teams in the division have been up to:
Atlanta Braves
In 2023, the Braves had the best offense in baseball, and all that got them was their second straight NLDS elimination at the hands of the Phillies. Seeing that the Phillies had a lot of success against their lineup by loading up on hard-throwing relievers, the Braves tried to copy that strategy by extending relievers Pierce Johnson and Joe Jimenez, trading for Aaron Bummer, and signing Reynaldo Lopez. (Imitation is flattery?)
They also noticed that they quickly ran out of effective starting pitchers during those playoff defeats, and they tried to remedy this by trading for Chris Sale.
Your first instinct is probably to think, “Oh wow, Sale is awesome. Nobody is going to stop them now!” Then you realize that the last time Sale actually was awesome came before COVID-19. He barely pitched from 2020 to 2022, and while he was mostly healthy in 2023, he was mostly just okay, and a far cry from his former dominant self. If my top concern was starting pitchers not being able to stay healthy, Sale probably wouldn’t be the first name on my list.
Additionally, considering MLB has introduced new uniforms that are almost universally hated by players, it seems like an especially questionable move to bring in a guy with Sale’s history.
Not a joke: Source says Sale blowup was because he didn’t want to wear throwbacks, so he cut the jerseys up so no one could wear them.
— Tommy Stokke (@StokkeTommy) July 23, 2016
Will these moves allow the Braves to finally get past the Phillies? Probably not, but unlike the other teams in the division, at least they seem to be trying.
Miami Marlins
After making the playoffs (and being summarily dismissed in two games by the Phillies) some teams might have viewed themselves as rising contenders and gone all in on this season. That’s not the Marlins’ thing. Their roster feels worse than it was in 2023, but at least the fans can be happy that they didn’t go full-on fire sale.
Jorge Soler took his 36 home runs to San Francisco, and that’s a lot of power to compensate for. Meanwhile, the rotation will be without Sandy Alcantara, who will miss the season recovering from surgery. While Alcantara had a down year in 2023, he was still a quality starter, and there is no obvious replacement.
just realized how much i’m going to miss Sandy Alcantara this season
— brandon (@brandongucci12) March 21, 2024
In terms of notable additions, the biggest was Tim Anderson. The two-time All-Star is coming off a horrible season, but it seems reasonable to think he can turn that around to some extent. At the price, it certainly isn’t a bad signing, but when your marquee addition is a “buy low” guy, it’s not usually a good sign. (Apologies to all those Christian Bethancourt fans out there, for not categorizing the trade for him as “marquee.”)
Tim Anderson’s 2024 Comeback Player of the Year campaign starts NOW
Oppo taco after hitting only 1 HR last season pic.twitter.com/Ct9ojvzmMc
— Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) March 11, 2024
Maybe some of their players show improvements, and hey – Sixto Sanchez might actually be healthy. But in the end, Marlins gonna Marlin, and hopefully the fans got to enjoy that brief taste of playoff action last year, because a repeat trip to the postseason seems unlikely.
New York Mets
After Steve Cohen spent the GDP of a small country to earn a single playoff game win over the past two years, the Mets were more restrained this offseason. Instead of adding marquee names like Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander to their rotation, it felt like they were content adding only lesser names like Sean Manaea and Luis Severino.
Those guys are decent enough mid-rotation starters, but with Kodai Senga expected to miss some time with an injury, the Mets’ Opening Day rotation isn’t especially intimidating.
With Kodai Senga’s injury and Tylor Megill winning the fifth starter spot, the Mets’ starting rotation appears to be set heading into the season.
How do you feel about this group? pic.twitter.com/XhksUu1kn7
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 21, 2024
They also utilized a “Here are some guys you’ve heard of” approach in bolstering the bullpen. Jake Diekman, Jorge Lopez, and Michael Tonkin were all signed, and sure, they could all be part of a good bullpen, but teams probably aren’t thinking “This game is over,” when they see them run out to the mound.
After finishing 11th in the National League in scoring in 2023, the Mets looked content to mostly run it back on offense. Centerfielder Harrison Bader was their most notable addition through February, and while he should improve the defense, he has never contributed much at the plate. But then last week, the Mets signed J.D. Martinez, which should provide a boost to their lineup.
Due to his late signing, Martinez will spend the first week or so in the minors. The Mets have to hope that at age 36, the power resurgence he showed last year was for real, while his rising strikeout rate and declining walk rate are not signs of impending disaster.
Perhaps this pivot from “Spend ALL the money” to “Spend some of the money” will result in more success for the Mets.
Washington Nationals
The good news for the Nationals is that they improved by 16 wins in 2023. The bad news is, that improvement only got them to 71 wins, and still left them in last place. If they’re going to rise from that status, it will be done mostly on the back of players already on the team, because they didn’t do all that much in the offseason.
It wasn’t that long ago that Joey Gallo hit 38 home runs and made the All-Star Game, but he’s had two straight poor seasons. Considering he was signed to a one-year, $5 million deal, it seems there isn’t much optimism for him regaining his form this season. At least Gallo has a track record of success, which is more than can be said about Nick Senzel who was the team’s other offensive signing.
The pitching staff was similarly non-bolstered. They added reliever Dylan Floro, which means they’re content letting the likes of Patrick Corbin and Trevor Williams take some lumps in the rotation once again. (Fret not, Nats fans: We’ve come to the sixth and final year of Corbin’s contract!)
cAnT gIvE pAtRiCk CoRbIn SiX yEaRs ThO pic.twitter.com/qNJ49ExVRI
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) April 18, 2019
Maybe with a little growth by their young players, the Nats will choose to spend money next year. Or maybe their lack of spending is due to their owner wanting to sell the team, and not wanting to have any big financial commitments on the books. Either way, based on how they approached this offseason, another last place finish is in the Nats’ future.