District On Deck
FanSided

NL East Roundup: News and links from around the division

By Pablo Roa

Sep 26, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Fans celebrate in the stands after the New York Mets clinched the National League East Championship at Great American Ball Park. The Mets beat the Cincinnati Reds 10-2. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 26, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Fans celebrate in the stands after the New York Mets clinched the National League East Championship at Great American Ball Park. The Mets beat the Cincinnati Reds 10-2. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports /
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With Spring Training just a few weeks away, we check in on what the other teams in the NL East have been up to of late:

The NL East was one of the more surprising divisions in baseball last season. All in all, the division was one of the weakest in the game — at least when it comes to individual team records.

The Mets, of course, took home the division title with just 90 wins. By comparison, the Cardinals won the NL Central with 100 wins and the Dodgers won the NL west with 92 wins. If the Mets were in the NL Central, their 90 wins would only be good for a fourth-place finish behind the Cardinals (100), Pirates (98) and Cubs (97). The second-place Nationals, who finished with a disappointing 83 wins, ended the season 13-games back in the race for the NL’s second Wild Card spot.

The Nationals’ lackluster 2015 campaign was especially disappointing since almost everybody expected the team to win the NL East and breeze to the World Series.

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Of course, the success of a division during the regular season doesn’t necessarily translate to success in the postseason. The Mets made it to the World Series last year, whereas the Cardinals, Pirates, Dodgers and Cubs all fell short. But a strong finish in the division is always a good sign for a team with World Series aspirations. And with the incredible dominance of the NL Central, it’s becoming increasingly clear that a division title is crucial for an NL East team to make the playoffs.

So, it’s important for the Nationals and their fans to monitor what other teams in the division have been up to this offseason in order to know what they’re up against in 2016. The Nationals will once again enter the season as favorites to take home their third division crown, but as we learned last season, offseason predictions mean absolutely nothing in baseball.

With that in mind, check out some great NL East news and links from around FanSided below to get caught up with everything that’s happening in the division:

Atlanta Braves

Tomahawk Take: Two Atlanta Braves SS Prospect Among MLB Pipelines Top Ten

Tomahawk Take: Atlanta Braves Freddie Freeman’s Right Wrist Is Back In The News

Miami Marlins

Marlin Maniac: Miami Marlins Should Explore Lucroy Trade

Marlin Maniac: Miami Marlins Likely To Keep Marcell Ozuna…For Now

New York Mets

Rising Apple: Mets’ Collins reveals potential 2016 lineup

Rising Apple: Mets provide insight into the Yoenis Cespedes signing

Philadelphia Phillies

That Ball’s Outta Here: Phillies Search Google, Find New Analytics Guy

That Ball’s Outta Here: Phillies 2016 Outfield Mix

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