Recapping recent offseason moves from around the NL East

Although the Nationals have been rather quiet so far this offseason, there has been some notable action throughout the rest of the NL East. While hopefully the Nationals are still waiting on their biggest move, the Mets have shuffled the deck considerably, the Braves have made some important upgrades, and even the Marlins have taken steps to fast-track their rebuild.

Atlanta Braves

Following a flop season in 2025, the Braves haven't made many significant changes to their roster. They have signed outfielder Mike Yastrzemski to presumably fill a spot near the heart of their starting lineup, while Marcell Ozuna remains a free agent. They also re-signed Ha-Seong Kim, who will be their full-time shortstop after missing most of last season.

On the pitching front, they have made some efforts to revamp their bullpen. Most notably, they signed Robert Suarez to a three-year, $45 million deal. Suarez will fill a late-inning role as a supplement to closer Raisel Iglesias, who the Braves also re-signed.

Miami Marlins

The most notable activity from the Marlins, who emerged as the surprise third-best team in the division last year, has been on the trade market. They dealt two of their starting pitchers, including Edward Cabrera to the Cubs and Ryan Weathers to the Yankees. They added some notable minor league talent through these trades, including big league ready outfielder Owen Caissie from the Cubs.

Miami's top free agent addition has been utilityman Christopher Morel. He has struggled a bit at the plate recently, but he had a breakout season at the plate in 2023 with 26 home runs in few than 400 at bats. The Marlins have also signed outfielder Esteury Ruiz, who isn't a very good hitter but has blazing speed on the bases, highlighted by his 67 stolen bases in 2023.

New York Mets

The biggest news on the Mets is who they have lost, including slugger Pete Alonso (Orioles) and closer Edwin Diaz (Dodgers). In exchange, they signed Devin Williams to effectively replace Diaz, and they've made multiple moves to reconfigure their infield. The Mets signed Jorge Polanco to a two-year, $40 million contract, traded away Jeff McNeil, and shipped Brandon Nimmo to the Rangers in exchange for Marcus Semien.

We'll likely see more significant activity from the Mets. They remain interested in adding another major bat, and they seem likely to add another starting pitcher as well.

**Update: The Mets have agreed to a 3-year, $126 million deal with Bo Bichette, crossing off their need for a big-time bat. According to Jon Heyman, Bichette will play third base for the Mets.**

Philadelphia Phillies

When a team wins 96 games, there often isn't a need for many major changes. Even so, Philadelphia's offseason has been a bit of a letdown. The Phillies are still waiting to make their splash, after already suffering some significant losses, most notably starting pitcher Ranger Suarez (Red Sox) and reliever Matt Strahm (Royals).

They have added outfielder Adolis Garcia, who will likely serve as an upgrade over last year's options. They also re-signed star slugger Kyle Schwarber and remain contenders to re-sign catcher JT Realmuto.

Compared to the Nationals, the rest of division has been rather active so far this offseason. Do you think the Nationals are continuing to fall behind the rest of the pack? Let me know your thoughts @stephen_newman1 on X.