The National League East has been quite busy this offseason. Since the end of the 2018 season, the division has added Robinson Cano, Edwin Diaz, Josh Donaldson, Yan Gomes, and Jean Segura. We have also seen Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto change teams, as well as Jeurys Familia and Brian McCann return to the division. All told, this is one of the, if not the, strongest division in all of baseball.

Seeing how strong the top four teams are in the division, the question is how exactly do the Mets fair in the 2019 season. In the latest edition of the MMO Roundtable, our writers endeavor to answer that question:

Marshall Field – Wild Card Contender

The Mets won 77 games last year. Unless Mickey Callaway pulls a Willie Randolph and improves the team by at least 12 wins, it’s hard to imagine the Mets winning more than 87 or so games with 90 the ceiling. The starting pitching is solid and the bullpen is revamped with an elite closer. The lineup is sprinkled with both young and upcoming players and established veterans. How this will mesh is anyone’s guess.

The Mets also find themselves in an ultra-competitive NL East with Washington, Atlanta and Philadelphia all improved. If the Mets can avoid what seems to be the omnipresent injury bug, I see the Mets finishing second or third and in the hunt for a wild-card right through September. A difficult early schedule doesn’t help, but it is a long season and if they can keep their head above water through a slew of road games and two west coast trips early on, they should contend and play competitive baseball throughout the 2019 season.

Mojo Hill – Fight for the Division

Playing in arguably the toughest division in baseball, the Mets have actually had a solid if flawed offseason to improve and have a fighting chance at winning the division. I think that the Mets absolutely have the talent and depth to compete for the division, but that being said, there are still three other teams that are just as good if not better than them, so everything’s going to have to go right for them to win. I think they’ll stay competitive for most of the year but ultimately fall short of the division title. I could very well see them snagging a Wild Card spot, but it will be tough as health and some luck will have to stay on their side.

Matt Mancuso – Mets Didn’t Do Enough

While the Mets have done well to upgrade their roster this season, the reality is that all of their competitors have arguably improved their team significantly more. The Braves brought in Josh Donaldson, who has produced at an MVP-caliber level in the past, and signed old friends Brian McCann and Nick Markakis. They came out of nowhere to win the division in 2018 and with guys like Ronald Acuna and Ozzie Albies only getting better, they could emerge yet again as one of the top teams in baseball.

Meanwhile, the Nationals signed two starting pitchers to complement their 1-2 punch of Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg. Washington also has two new catchers, a new second baseman and acquired a couple of hard-throwing relievers to shore up the back-end of their pen.

Phillies’ owner John Middleton promised that “he would spend stupid money” at the onset of the winter and he’s lived up to that promise, overhauling the outfield by adding 2015 NL MVP Bryce Harper and Andrew McCutchen. They also acquired the best catcher in baseball, one of the more underrated middle infielders in the game in Jean Segura, and beefed up their bullpen to the point where it could legitimately emerge as one of baseball’s best. While all of these teams still have holes, it’s likely the NL East will be one of the toughest divisions in all of baseball this year.

The Mets simply haven’t done enough to compete with these teams. While it’s possible the standings at the end of the season could be in any combination of those four teams, I predict the Phillies will clinch the division title while the Braves and Nationals will battle it out in the wild-card game. The Mets, yet again, will fail to capitalize on their chance to add more talent this offseason and will embarrassingly miss the postseason for the third consecutive year.

Jack Ramsey – Serious Threat

The Mets head into 2019 with arguably their most talented roster since 2006. The only issue is, so does the rest of the NL East. The Braves are reigning divisional champions, the Phillies have arguably the most improved roster in baseball, and the Nationals still carry one of baseball’s best rotations. There is a legit case to be made that three of the National League’s best five teams are in the East.

The Mets, however, carry a strong bullpen with 2 new (and one returning) arms at the back-end with Diaz, Familia, and Justin Wilson. The lineup is as deep as it has been in almost 13 years, with everyone slated to hit 1-8 being able to strike at any moment. A bench that is expected to carry a mixture of versatile youngsters and veterans that can really hit, should be one of baseball’s best. The rotation is… well… baseball’s best. While there are issues with some new names on the coaching staff, Mickey Callaway now has one of the National League’s best bench coaches. Health allowing, the Mets are a serious threat in the National League and can make a deep run into October

Tim Ryder – Goes Down to the Wire

Mets have elite starting pitching, upgraded bullpen talent, and a half-revamped lineup consisting of young players and seasoned veterans. I may be biased, but I really believe the Mets have one of the more talented teams in the National League. The Mets win the East in a down-to-the-wire race over the Phillies.

John Sheridan – Meaningful Games in September

While we have a tendency to overly focus on the Mets, the truth of the matter is, the other teams which the Mets are fighting for a postseason spot are flawed. As detailed on Mets Daddy, each one of the National League East teams has significant issues which could derail their seasons paving the way for the Mets to win the division.

In the Central, many believe the Cubs are on the decline. The Brewers have already lost Corey Knebel, The Cardinals are looking for Marcell Ozuna to overcome shoulder issues and Matt Carpenter to not derail them defensively. After that, the Pirates and the Reds are not nearly good enough to win the division, but they are good enough to play spoilers.

In the West, this shapes up to be a two-team race between the Dodgers and the Rockies as the Padres still appear a year away after the Manny Machado signing. The Dodgers are loaded with injury prone players and players who seem to be increasingly upset at the platoon system across the board. With the Rockies, they’re hoping Ryan McMahon can spell DJ LeMahieu while stubbornly trying to make Ian Desmond work.

Point is, the Mets are every bit as good as these teams. Likely, this all means the Mets are in the thick of things until the last week of the season. If the National League gives them an inch and allows them into the postseason, the Mets pitching staff has the ability to carry them to a World Series.

Our writers seem to believe this is a talented team but remain skeptical of their chances of making the postseason. Do you agree? We look forward to continuing this discussion in the comments section.