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National League East: What Needs to go Right for Each Team

By Michael Francis

ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 07: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game Three of the National League Division Series at SunTrust Park on October 7, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 07: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game Three of the National League Division Series at SunTrust Park on October 7, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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Philadelphia Phillies Starting Pitcher Aaron Nola
(Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

The National League East is going to be an intense battle all season long with each team needing multiple things to go right in order to win.

It was a big winter for many teams as they either positioned themselves for the 2019 playoff race or distanced themselves for future success. The off-season was also a quiet time for some teams that did not seem to have a clear path toward contention or rebuilding. Regardless of how successful or disappointing each team’s off-season was, every team has things that can break right for them this season. Whether that means enough things go well that a surprise team sneaks into the playoffs, a juggernaut hits on all cylinders and wins the World Series or a rebuilding team has young players develop in a positive way. Over the next couple of weeks, I will be going division by division highlighting what needs to go right for each team in 2019. Let’s begin with the National League East.

It was a crazy off-season for nearly every team in the National League East this winter. It seemed like every day another move was being made by a team in the division. It went from being a young, up and coming division to possibly the best in all of baseball. A flurry of moves quickly created four contenders and one bottom feeder. The Nationals, Phillies, Mets and Braves will likely be duking it out all summer to see who will be crowned champion this fall.

The division race is shaping up to be a nail-biter starting on opening day. Fangraphs’ projection has the four top teams in the division separated by only 7 games, while Baseball Prospectus has the spread at a mere 5 games. In a race this close the team that finishes victorious at the end of the season will have many things go right for them throughout the year. These can be any number of things, but they are often little advantages that add up over the course of the year. Let’s take a look at what needs to go right for each team in the National League East:

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