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The Mets, Braves, and Phillies have all had active offseasons and figure to be among the top contenders in the National League next season. The NL East has had a representative in the World Series in three of the last four years, and each team will enter spring training feeling like they have a legit chance at winning the pennant.
Each team has also made a significant acquisition to boost, or at least maintain, their offensive output from last season. The Mets inked Brandon Nimmo to an eight-year deal to lock up one of the top outfielders on the market. The Phillies signed Trea Turner, an elite shortstop and two-time All-Star to an 11-year deal. Atlanta made a deal this week to bring in Sean Murphy from the A’s to be the team’s primary catcher, though they may lose Dansby Swanson.
With all due respect to the Nationals and Marlins, it feels like a three-team race in the division entering 2023. While it’s possible each team will make more offensive additions such as the Mets being interested in J.D. Martinez and Michael Conforto, it feels like a good time to examine how all three lineups stack up to see who has the advantage.
Mets Projected Lineup
- CF Brandon Nimmo
- RF Starling Marte
- SS Francisco Lindor
- 1B Pete Alonso
- 2B Jeff McNeil
- DH Daniel Vogelbach
- 3B Eduardo Escobar
- C Francisco Álvarez
- LF Mark Canha
While signing Carlos Correa would have taken the Mets lineup to a different level, it is still deep and without any significant holes. Even if Tomás Nido begins the year as the team’s catcher instead of the rookie Álvarez, they will still feature at least eight quality hitters in the lineup. As we saw from the Mets in 2022, this team looks prime to make pitchers work for every out and grind out at-bats. McNeil, Nimmo, and Canha all ranked in the top 17 last season in the majors in OBP, with Alonso and Marte also finishing in the top 35.
The biggest weakness for the Mets will be their relative lack of power outside of Alonso. So far, the team has not added any power hitters to the lineup this offseason, and we saw the limits of the Mets’ approach of trying to string together hits late in the season. If Nido or James McCann is the team’s primary catcher, that would also be a position of weakness offensively.
If Álvarez makes the Opening Day roster, or joins the team soon after, he figures to help in both of those areas. Álvarez has significant pop, and could add a much-needed power bat to the lineup. In addition to taking over catching duties, Álvarez could also be a right-handed DH option to spell Daniel Vogelbach, which could be a huge upgrade over Darin Ruf. The Mets also figure to give Luis Guillorme plenty of opportunities, and could see Escobar, Canha, or McNeil fill in at DH when he’s in the lineup.
Braves Projected Lineup
- RF Ronald Acuña Jr.
- 2B Ozzie Albies
- 1B Matt Olson
- 3B Austin Riley
- CF Michael Harris
- C Sean Murphy
- DH Marcell Ozuna
- SS Vaughn Grissom
- LF Eddie Rosario
Similarly to the Mets, the Braves’ lineup looks absolutely loaded on paper. If Atlanta has a healthy Acuna Jr. and Albies back at the top of their lineup, it bolsters a team that already finished third in the majors in runs scored in 2022.
Harris and Grissom (who projects to be the shortstop if the team doesn’t re-sign Swanson), will be the other keys to the Braves lineup. Harris looks like a star and is coming off of winning the NL Rookie of the Year award, and Grissom will have big shoes to fill if he holds off Orlando Acria as Swanson’s replacement. Braden Shewmake, one of the team’s top prospects, could also be a factor at short.
Murphy presents an upgrade defensively over the combo of Travis d’Arnaud and William Contreras, but the latter was an All-Star last season, so it’s unclear how much the trade will help them offensively in the short term.
Overall, this Braves lineup looks prime to rake and hit lots of home runs, just as they did in 2022. Health will be a key, however, as they lack significant major-league depth at this point.
Phillies Projected Lineup (1st Half)
- LF Kyle Schwarber
- SS Trea Turner
- C J.T. Realmuto
- 1B Rhys Hoskins
- RF Nick Castellanos
- 3B Alec Bohm
- 2B Bryson Stott
- DH Darick Hall
- CF Brandon Marsh
The Phillies lineup is certainly formidable, even with Bryce Harper on the shelf for the first half of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Philadelphia will supplement last year’s NL home run leader in Schwarber with Turner at the top of their lineup to create as formidable of a 1-2 as you’ll see in the NL.
The lineup remains strong in the 3-6 spots, but certainly thins out in the bottom third. The Phillies don’t have a straightforward DH option until Harper returns, and would likely currently slot in either Darick Hall, or Schwarber/Nick Castellanos with Matt Vierling taking over in the outfield. Edmundo Sosa could also play the infield with Bohm/Hoskins acting as the designated hitter on certain nights.
Who Is The Best?
You could make a legitimate argument for any of these teams having the best lineup in the division going into next season.
The Mets have the deepest lineup of the three, and signing another high-level free agent may put them over the top. However, it’s tough to pick against the firepower of the Braves, especially if Acuña Jr. is healthy and back in All-Star form.
Philadelphia is not far behind, but they are a clear No. 3 until Harper returns. If the former MVP comes back fully healthy in the second half, they would be right in the mix for the top spot.
Ultimately, health, player development, and in-season acquisitions will decide which of these lineups is the best during the season. But the 2023 season figures to be another wild battle for supremacy in the NL East.
