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3Bplay · 02-16-2026, 12:21 PM

2026 NL EAST PREVIEW
Phils expect to repeat; Mets will push

By MLB.com staff
03/20/2026

Over the next couple of days, we will begin our series of division-by-division previews. Our series starts with the National League East, where the Phillies will look to defend their division title and head back to the postseason under skipper Rob Thomson. However, the Mets should be much improved over their 83-79 mark that saw them miss the postseason after a September swoon. Adding pieces such as Bo Bichette, Jorge Polanco, and Freddy Peralta have (at least on paper) narrowed the gap between them and the Phillies, who didn't add much outside help outside of outfielder Adolis Garcia. Gone are Nick Castellanos, who was released just prior to the spring, and lefty reliever Matt Strahm, who was dealt to the Kansas City Royals. They also lost Ranger Suarez to the Red Sox on a multi-year deal. With Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto back in the fold, they largely return the same team that fell in the NLDS to the Dodgers last season, minus Suarez and Strahm's contributions.

The perpetually-rebuilding Nationals figure to occupy the cellar, especially after dealing away MacKenzie Gore to the Rangers for a five-spot of prospects, including Top 100 infielder Gavin Fien. They also added catcher Harry Ford from the Mariners for reliever Jose Ferrer. Miami and Atlanta figure to battle for third place, but injuries to the pitching staff are once again a concern in Atlanta as lefty Dylan Lee and righty Spencer Schwellenbach will both start the season on the IL. Meanwhile, Sandy Alcantara is finally 'close to 100%' per president of baseball operations Peter Bendix in Miami, and they should also get Eury Perez back prior to June 1st.

Later today, we'll look at the AL East.

1. PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

ADDED: OF Adolis Garcia, RHP Brad Keller, RHP Jonathan Bowlan
LOST: OF Harrison Bader, OF/DH Nick Castellanos, LHP Matt Strahm, LHP Ranger Suarez

It seemed when the Phillies signed Garcia to a one-year deal, that Nick Castellanos' time with Philadelphia was over, it was just a matter of when. They finally released him just prior to the beginning of the spring, with the Padres scooping him up for the league minimum just a handful of days later. The biggest moves that the Phillies made weren't new acquisitions, however, they brought back Kyle Schwarber on a five-year deal that will seemingly keep the 33-year-old in Philly through the rest of his prime years. They also return catcher J.T. Realmuto through 2028, his age-37 season, on a $45 million deal that will pay him an even $15 million per annum.

They also pursued re-signing Harrison Bader to play center field, but instead signed with the Giants on a two-year contract, so it will fall to returnees Johan Rojas, Brandon Marsh, and Justin Crawford to sort out the center field spot. On the pitching side, they'll be without Zack Wheeler for the first handful of months, but on the good news side, Andrew Painter is healthy and had a good spring, and figures to slot in as the fourth or fifth option in the rotation.

2. NEW YORK METS

ADDED: 2B Marcus Semien, RHP Devin Williams, RHP Luke Weaver, INF Jorge Polanco, SS/3B Bo Bichette, OF Luis Robert Jr., RHP Freddy Peralta, RHP Tobias Myers
LOST: OF Brandon Nimmo, RHP Ryan Helsley, 1B Pete Alonso, RHP Tyler Rogers, INF Luisangel Acuna, OF Jett Williams

The Mets got off to a quick start with the trade for Marcus Semien; but the big prize for them would have been Kyle Tucker, who ended up spurning the Mets for the Dodgers in late January. But they didn't sit on their laurels in the meantime, adding Jorge Polanco and Bo Bichette in free agency, and later adding Robert Jr and Peralta via trades.

Closer Edwin Diaz was replaced with Devin Williams, who will move up north to Queens to close games. They also grabbed another former Yankee in Luke Weaver to pitch high-leverage innings in front of him, but the bullpen situation is a bit murky beyond that. A.J. Minter is still battling injuries, and they lost Ryan Helsley to the Orioles in free agency. The top options after the aforementioned two guys at the back end are lefty Brooks Raley, and right-handers Tobias Myers (another part of the Peralta deal) and Huascar Brazoban, and youngsters Christian Scott and Jonah Tong. They'll also be without veteran Reed Garrett in the early going, as he'll miss the first few months after offseason surgery.

3. ATLANTA BRAVES

ADDED: C Jonah Heim, SS Ha-seong Kim, UTIL Mauricio Dubon, OF Mike Yastrzemski, RHP Robert Suarez
LOST: DH Marcell Ozuna, SS Nick Allen, LHP Kolby Allard

Not content after last season's 74-88 mark, they chose not to bring back slugger Marcell Ozuna, also upgrading their defense with both Ha-seong Kim and Mauricio Dubon, both Gold Glove-caliber players who represent an offensive improvement over their predecessors, as well. The Braves also received trade offers for both Jurickson Profar and Sean Murphy, but are opting to keep them for the time being. Murphy is actually slated to begin the season on the IL; necessitating the need for another catcher to complement reigning Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin, hence the signing of Jonah Heim to back Baldwin up.

The bullpen should be okay on the back end again as Raisel Iglesias was brought back on a one-year deal, and they signed flame-thrower Robert Suarez to serve as his set-up. But the injury bug appears to be biting again, as Spencer Schwellenbach was placed on the 60-day IL just prior to the spring beginning, and one of their top relievers in lefty Dylan Lee underwent Tommy John surgery last week and will miss the entire 2026 season. This doesn't even include Kim and another lefty in Danny Young also being on the injured list to begin the year.

4. MIAMI MARLINS

ADDED: OF Esteury Ruiz, RHP Pete Fairbanks, OF Owen Caissie, IF Christopher Morel, RHP Chris Paddack
LOST: OF Derek Hill, OF Dane Myers, LHP Ryan Weathers, RHP Edward Cabrera, RHP Cal Quantrill

Marlins personnel VP Peter Bendix had some real tough decisions to make this offseason, with a surplus of pitching and some holes to fill in their organization. Dealing Edward Cabrera to the Cubs netted them outfielder Owen Caissie, who as of this writing is still in Marlins' camp and appears to be on the verge of winning a roster spot for Opening Day.

He doesn't have a lot left to prove in the minors, as he posted a 139 OPS+ in Triple-A last season for the Iowa Cubs, and hit .500 (11-for-22) for Team Canada in the WBC that wrapped up last week. The Fish could have one of the more upside-heavy outfields in baseball, with Caissie, Matthew Etzel (acquired from the Rays via trade in July), and Jakob Marsee in center. Ruiz is a stolen base maven, having led the league in steals back in 2023 while with the A's.

Even with the losses of Cabrera and Ryan Weathers in a later trade to the Yankees, the pitching depth is still solid -- Paddack, a veteran righty, was added on a short-term deal to plug the loss of Cabrera, but they are hopeful that Sandy Alcantara is back and healthy, and fellow countryman Eury Perez is expected to return in early to mid-May. Fairbanks is also back to close games in front of bullpen that has some nice depth, including last year's main closer, Anthony Bender, and other solid guys in Calvin Faucher and Andrew Nardi.

5. WASHINGTON NATIONALS

ADDED: C Harry Ford, LHP Foster Griffin, RHP Alejandro Rosario
LOST: LHP MacKenzie Gore, LHP Jose A. Ferrer

New ops chief Paul Toboni and manager Blake Butera will go into the 2026 season with one of the most talent-bereft rosters in the league, but they made a couple of consequential trades that will undoubtedly play a role in the franchise going forward. They upgraded the catcher spot, at least on paper, grabbing Harry Ford along with pitching prospect Isaac Lyon from Seattle for Ferrer, who will be a primary set-up man for All-Star closer Andres Munoz.

The other was trading way MacKenzie Gore for five players, including Top 100-types in shortstop Gavin Fien and Rosario, who struggled in a short five-start stint with Triple-A last season, but has been one of the surprises of spring training and perhaps has pushed his way into the team's plans this season. Despite the loss of Gore, if it's one thing that the Nationals have, it's that they have a decent starting rotation that can keep them in games, but their bullpen is another matter.

The lineup could cover for that somewhat, but they could use young players such as Dylan Crews and Brady House taking the next step. They're also moving CJ Abrams off of shortstop to second base, and last year's incumbent second baseman, Luis Garcia Jr., will move to first base. He's been the team's primary second baseman the last three seasons, but with the pitching staff in flux, they'll need all the offense they can muster.

02-16-2026, 12:21 PM	#5
3Bplay Major Leagues Join Date: Jun 2018 Posts: 359	NL East Preview (03/20) 2026 NL EAST PREVIEW Phils expect to repeat; Mets will push By MLB.com staff 03/20/2026 Over the next couple of days, we will begin our series of division-by-division previews. Our series starts with the National League East, where the Phillies will look to defend their division title and head back to the postseason under skipper Rob Thomson. However, the Mets should be much improved over their 83-79 mark that saw them miss the postseason after a September swoon. Adding pieces such as Bo Bichette, Jorge Polanco, and Freddy Peralta have (at least on paper) narrowed the gap between them and the Phillies, who didn't add much outside help outside of outfielder Adolis Garcia. Gone are Nick Castellanos, who was released just prior to the spring, and lefty reliever Matt Strahm, who was dealt to the Kansas City Royals. They also lost Ranger Suarez to the Red Sox on a multi-year deal. With Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto back in the fold, they largely return the same team that fell in the NLDS to the Dodgers last season, minus Suarez and Strahm's contributions. The perpetually-rebuilding Nationals figure to occupy the cellar, especially after dealing away MacKenzie Gore to the Rangers for a five-spot of prospects, including Top 100 infielder Gavin Fien. They also added catcher Harry Ford from the Mariners for reliever Jose Ferrer. Miami and Atlanta figure to battle for third place, but injuries to the pitching staff are once again a concern in Atlanta as lefty Dylan Lee and righty Spencer Schwellenbach will both start the season on the IL. Meanwhile, Sandy Alcantara is finally 'close to 100%' per president of baseball operations Peter Bendix in Miami, and they should also get Eury Perez back prior to June 1st. Later today, we'll look at the AL East. 1. PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES ADDED: OF Adolis Garcia, RHP Brad Keller, RHP Jonathan Bowlan LOST: OF Harrison Bader, OF/DH Nick Castellanos, LHP Matt Strahm, LHP Ranger Suarez It seemed when the Phillies signed Garcia to a one-year deal, that Nick Castellanos' time with Philadelphia was over, it was just a matter of when. They finally released him just prior to the beginning of the spring, with the Padres scooping him up for the league minimum just a handful of days later. The biggest moves that the Phillies made weren't new acquisitions, however, they brought back Kyle Schwarber on a five-year deal that will seemingly keep the 33-year-old in Philly through the rest of his prime years. They also return catcher J.T. Realmuto through 2028, his age-37 season, on a $45 million deal that will pay him an even $15 million per annum. They also pursued re-signing Harrison Bader to play center field, but instead signed with the Giants on a two-year contract, so it will fall to returnees Johan Rojas, Brandon Marsh, and Justin Crawford to sort out the center field spot. On the pitching side, they'll be without Zack Wheeler for the first handful of months, but on the good news side, Andrew Painter is healthy and had a good spring, and figures to slot in as the fourth or fifth option in the rotation. 2. NEW YORK METS ADDED: 2B Marcus Semien, RHP Devin Williams, RHP Luke Weaver, INF Jorge Polanco, SS/3B Bo Bichette, OF Luis Robert Jr., RHP Freddy Peralta, RHP Tobias Myers LOST: OF Brandon Nimmo, RHP Ryan Helsley, 1B Pete Alonso, RHP Tyler Rogers, INF Luisangel Acuna, OF Jett Williams The Mets got off to a quick start with the trade for Marcus Semien; but the big prize for them would have been Kyle Tucker, who ended up spurning the Mets for the Dodgers in late January. But they didn't sit on their laurels in the meantime, adding Jorge Polanco and Bo Bichette in free agency, and later adding Robert Jr and Peralta via trades. Closer Edwin Diaz was replaced with Devin Williams, who will move up north to Queens to close games. They also grabbed another former Yankee in Luke Weaver to pitch high-leverage innings in front of him, but the bullpen situation is a bit murky beyond that. A.J. Minter is still battling injuries, and they lost Ryan Helsley to the Orioles in free agency. The top options after the aforementioned two guys at the back end are lefty Brooks Raley, and right-handers Tobias Myers (another part of the Peralta deal) and Huascar Brazoban, and youngsters Christian Scott and Jonah Tong. They'll also be without veteran Reed Garrett in the early going, as he'll miss the first few months after offseason surgery. 3. ATLANTA BRAVES ADDED: C Jonah Heim, SS Ha-seong Kim, UTIL Mauricio Dubon, OF Mike Yastrzemski, RHP Robert Suarez LOST: DH Marcell Ozuna, SS Nick Allen, LHP Kolby Allard Not content after last season's 74-88 mark, they chose not to bring back slugger Marcell Ozuna, also upgrading their defense with both Ha-seong Kim and Mauricio Dubon, both Gold Glove-caliber players who represent an offensive improvement over their predecessors, as well. The Braves also received trade offers for both Jurickson Profar and Sean Murphy, but are opting to keep them for the time being. Murphy is actually slated to begin the season on the IL; necessitating the need for another catcher to complement reigning Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin, hence the signing of Jonah Heim to back Baldwin up. The bullpen should be okay on the back end again as Raisel Iglesias was brought back on a one-year deal, and they signed flame-thrower Robert Suarez to serve as his set-up. But the injury bug appears to be biting again, as Spencer Schwellenbach was placed on the 60-day IL just prior to the spring beginning, and one of their top relievers in lefty Dylan Lee underwent Tommy John surgery last week and will miss the entire 2026 season. This doesn't even include Kim and another lefty in Danny Young also being on the injured list to begin the year. 4. MIAMI MARLINS ADDED: OF Esteury Ruiz, RHP Pete Fairbanks, OF Owen Caissie, IF Christopher Morel, RHP Chris Paddack LOST: OF Derek Hill, OF Dane Myers, LHP Ryan Weathers, RHP Edward Cabrera, RHP Cal Quantrill Marlins personnel VP Peter Bendix had some real tough decisions to make this offseason, with a surplus of pitching and some holes to fill in their organization. Dealing Edward Cabrera to the Cubs netted them outfielder Owen Caissie, who as of this writing is still in Marlins' camp and appears to be on the verge of winning a roster spot for Opening Day. He doesn't have a lot left to prove in the minors, as he posted a 139 OPS+ in Triple-A last season for the Iowa Cubs, and hit .500 (11-for-22) for Team Canada in the WBC that wrapped up last week. The Fish could have one of the more upside-heavy outfields in baseball, with Caissie, Matthew Etzel (acquired from the Rays via trade in July), and Jakob Marsee in center. Ruiz is a stolen base maven, having led the league in steals back in 2023 while with the A's. Even with the losses of Cabrera and Ryan Weathers in a later trade to the Yankees, the pitching depth is still solid -- Paddack, a veteran righty, was added on a short-term deal to plug the loss of Cabrera, but they are hopeful that Sandy Alcantara is back and healthy, and fellow countryman Eury Perez is expected to return in early to mid-May. Fairbanks is also back to close games in front of bullpen that has some nice depth, including last year's main closer, Anthony Bender, and other solid guys in Calvin Faucher and Andrew Nardi. 5. WASHINGTON NATIONALS ADDED: C Harry Ford, LHP Foster Griffin, RHP Alejandro Rosario LOST: LHP MacKenzie Gore, LHP Jose A. Ferrer New ops chief Paul Toboni and manager Blake Butera will go into the 2026 season with one of the most talent-bereft rosters in the league, but they made a couple of consequential trades that will undoubtedly play a role in the franchise going forward. They upgraded the catcher spot, at least on paper, grabbing Harry Ford along with pitching prospect Isaac Lyon from Seattle for Ferrer, who will be a primary set-up man for All-Star closer Andres Munoz. The other was trading way MacKenzie Gore for five players, including Top 100-types in shortstop Gavin Fien and Rosario, who struggled in a short five-start stint with Triple-A last season, but has been one of the surprises of spring training and perhaps has pushed his way into the team's plans this season. Despite the loss of Gore, if it's one thing that the Nationals have, it's that they have a decent starting rotation that can keep them in games, but their bullpen is another matter. The lineup could cover for that somewhat, but they could use young players such as Dylan Crews and Brady House taking the next step. They're also moving CJ Abrams off of shortstop to second base, and last year's incumbent second baseman, Luis Garcia Jr., will move to first base. He's been the team's primary second baseman the last three seasons, but with the pitching staff in flux, they'll need all the offense they can muster. Last edited by 3Bplay; 02-16-2026 at 02:11 PM.