The NL East was one of the most dominant divisions in baseball last season, and given the off-season movement, it promises to be even stronger in 2023.
It isn’t the deepest division in baseball, but it is extremely top-heavy. It will likely be a three-team race for the crown, but they should be three of the best teams in either league. All of them are in the top-8 in the shortest World Series odds, and for good reason.
The New York Mets Are Slight Favorites To Win NL East
JV & Mad Max 🔥 pic.twitter.com/H4triSSyW0
— New York Mets (@Mets) February 17, 2023
Starting at the top, the New York Mets are the favorites to win the division with a current line of +125. They were the story of the off-season, with their record-breaking spending spree and additions of some marquee names. Their payroll will be the highest in MLB history at a whopping $370 million, which will be $79 million more than the previous high held by the 2015 Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Mets re-signed their own, giving out nearly $330 million in contracts to Edwin Diaz, Jeff McNeil, Brandon Nimmo, and Adam Ottavino. They also added the reigning AL Cy Young award winner, inking Justin Verlander to a two-year $86 million deal. They went further by adding pitchers Jose Quintana, David Robertson, and Kodai Senga to their rotation as well.
Surprisingly enough, they almost spent hundreds of millions more if the Carlos Correa situation had worked out.
| NL East Teams | Odds | Play |
|---|---|---|
| Mets | +125 |  |
| Braves | +135 | |
| Phillies | +325 | |
| Marlins | +2500 | |
| Nationals | +1000 | |
The other two powerhouses aren’t far behind in the listing of odds for the division. The Atlanta Braves are listed at +135, nearly equal to the team that is breaking the payroll records. But the Braves are the reigning champions of the NL East, having won the third-most games of any team in the MLB in 2022. They did lose Danbsy Swanson to free agency, but it doesn’t seem to have affected their chances in the eyes of the oddsmakers.
The Philadelphia Phillies had something of a down year during the regular season in 2022, but made an impressive World Series run before being unseated by the Houston Astros. They added one of the premier players from the free agent pool during the off-season, signing shortstop Trea Turner to a mega-deal. Despite their success from last season, the Phillies are somewhat behind in the odds listings, coming in at +325 to take the division.
The Miami Marlins are +2500 to win the NL East, while the Washington Nationals have practically no chance at +10000.
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