NL East team needs heading into winter meetings
Welcome to theScore's MLB offseason team needs, where we'll break down every club's roster and key departures, along with how holes could be filled in free agency ahead of the winter meetings (Dec. 4-7).
AL EAST I AL CENTRAL I NL CENTRAL I AL WEST I NL WEST
Atlanta Braves
2022 record: 101-61 (1st in NL East)
Projected 40-man payroll: $222M
Key departures: Ehire Adrianza, Jesse Chavez, Adam Duvall, Robbie Grossman, Luke Jackson, Kenley Jansen, Darren O'Day, Dansby Swanson
Needs: Shortstop, left field
Where the lineup stands
| ORDER | PLAYER | POSITION | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ronald Acuna Jr. | RF | 2.1 |
| 2 | Michael Harris II (L) | CF | 4.8 |
| 3 | Austin Riley | 3B | 5.5 |
| 4 | Matt Olson (L) | 1B | 3.1 |
| 5 | Travis d'Arnaud | C | 3.9 |
| 6 | William Contreras | DH | 2.4 |
| 7 | Ozzie Albies (S) | 2B | 1.1 |
| 8 | Marcell Ozuna | LF | -0.6 |
| 9 | Vaughn Grissom | SS | 0.7 |
Most of the core pieces of Atlanta's offense will remain in place, and it will improve if Acuna and Albies are back at full strength. But the big question mark for the NL East champions is at shortstop. Grissom could step in should Swanson depart in free agency, and he impressed as a rookie, but that's not quite the same as replacing Freddie Freeman with Olson. The Braves could also upgrade in left field over Ozuna, whose woeful 2022 season included both dreadful production and more legal troubles, though that's easier said than done thanks to Ozuna's onerous contract. A return to form from Eddie Rosario would help there.
How the rotation looks
| ROLE | PITCHER | THROWS | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Fried | L | 5.0 |
| 2 | Kyle Wright | R | 2.9 |
| 3 | Spencer Strider | R | 4.9 |
| 4 | Charlie Morton | R | 1.5 |
| 5 | Mike Soroka | R | DNP |
The rotation will also look familiar in 2023, with Soroka's long-awaited return providing an extra boost, but there may be some questions in the bullpen. Raisel Iglesias can easily step into the closer's role if Jansen walks, but Tyler Matzek (Tommy John surgery) is already lost for 2023, and Jansen, Iglesias, Collin McHugh, and Jesse Chavez aren't getting any younger. Kirby Yates could help if his elbow is finally healthy, but he's thrown just 11 1/3 innings over the last three seasons; at this point, anything Yates can give is found money. Atlanta's already made some depth additions to the bullpen this winter, signing another injury-plagued but talented arm in Nick Anderson and claiming 26-year-old Dennis Santana off waivers. Some more depth would always be welcomed.
Miami Marlins
2022 record: 69-93 (4th)
Projected 40-man payroll: $106M
Key departures: Brian Anderson, Jeff Brigham, Lewin Diaz, Elieser Hernandez
Needs: Offense
Where the lineup stands
| ORDER | PLAYER | POSITION | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jon Berti | LF | 2.3 |
| 2 | Jazz Chisholm Jr. (L) | 2B | 2.6 |
| 3 | Garrett Cooper | 1B | 1.4 |
| 4 | Avisail Garcia | RF | -0.6 |
| 5 | Joey Wendle (L) | 3B | 1.3 |
| 6 | Jorge Soler | DH | 0.5 |
| 7 | Bryan De La Cruz | CF | 0.6 |
| 8 | Jacob Stallings | C | -0.6 |
| 9 | Miguel Rojas | SS | 1.2 |
Last winter, the Marlins prioritized offense, handing out big money to Soler and Garcia. It didn't work out. The Marlins were awful offensively in 2022 outside of Chisholm and need all the help they can get at just about every position other than second base. There'll also be more youngsters stepping up in 2023 at various positions. What routes they'll take this winter remains to be seen, but questions should be asked if they aren't being aggressive in the search for bats.
How the rotation looks
| ROLE | PITCHER | THROWS | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sandy Alcantara | R | 5.7 |
| 2 | Pablo Lopez | R | 2.8 |
| 3 | Jesus Luzardo | L | 2.2 |
| 4 | Edward Cabrera | R | 0.3 |
| 5 | Trevor Rogers | L | 1.5 |
What the Marlins do have going for them is a bright young pitching staff led by NL Cy Young winner and elite workhorse Alcantara. The rotation is in good shape behind him, especially after Luzardo found a groove in the second half. The surplus of young starters should help them find a trade partner for offensive help, and everyone not named Alcantara should be on the table. Upgrading the bullpen should also be a priority, and general manager Kim Ng's already made one move to address this by trading two prospects to the Rays for JT Chargois.
New York Mets
2022 record: 101-61 (2nd)
Projected 40-man payroll: $242M
Key departures: Chris Bassitt, Jacob deGrom, Tommy Hunter, Seth Lugo, Trevor May, Tyler Naquin, Brandon Nimmo, Adam Ottavino, Dominic Smith, Taijuan Walker, Trevor Williams
Needs: Catcher, outfield, bullpen, rotation depth, left-handed bat
Where the lineup stands
| ORDER | PLAYER | POSITION | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeff McNeil (L) | RF | 5.9 |
| 2 | Starling Marte | CF | 3.0 |
| 3 | Francisco Lindor (S) | SS | 6.8 |
| 4 | Pete Alonso | 1B | 4.0 |
| 5 | Daniel Vogelbach (L) | DH | 1.0 |
| 6 | Eduardo Escobar (S) | 3B | 2.3 |
| 7 | Mark Canha | LF | 2.8 |
| 8 | Luis Guillorme (L) | 2B | 1.3 |
| 9 | Francisco Alvarez | C | 0.0 |
Shifting McNeil into the outfield if Nimmo departs seems like an easy enough fix, but the Mets will still have to replace his production if the latter walks away. Where they find that replacement remains to be seen. The Mets have an internal solution to their catching woes in Alvarez, baseball's top prospect, and even modest production from him as a rookie will be an improvement over the James McCann-Tomas Nido combo. Another highly regarded prospect, Brett Baty, should push Escobar for time at third. With several multi-positional players who can shuffle around the diamond in any number of platoon scenarios, the Mets have plenty of room to work with on the position player front.
How the rotation looks
| ROLE | PITCHER | THROWS | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Scherzer | R | 4.4 |
| 2 | Carlos Carrasco | R | 2.4 |
| 3 | Tylor Megill | R | 0.6 |
| 4 | David Peterson | L | 1.4 |
| 5 | Elieser Hernandez | R | -0.9 |
Right now, Scherzer and Carrasco are the only guarantees in this rotation. Of course, the Mets could bring Walker, and Bassitt back - Steve Cohen has the money for it - but the openings loom large. Even if Megill, Peterson, and/or Hernandez do get rotation spots, they're not impact starters. They still need at least one more frontline arm to pair with the aging Scherzer. The one piece of good pitching news is that superstar closer Edwin Diaz was quickly re-signed, bringing some stability to a bullpen that's still in flux. Spots vacated by Joely Rodriguez and Ottavino need to be filled, and at least one more lefty reliever would be ideal.
Philadelphia Phillies
2022 record: 87-75 (3rd)
Projected 40-man payroll: $181M
Key departures: Chris Devenski, Zach Eflin, Kyle Gibson, Brad Hand, Corey Knebel, David Robertson, Jean Segura, Noah Syndergaard
Needs: Middle infield, rotation, bullpen
Where the lineup stands
| ORDER | PLAYER | POSITION | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Schwarber (L) | LF | 2.7 |
| 2 | Rhys Hoskins | 1B | 2.2 |
| 3 | J.T. Realmuto | C | 6.5 |
| 4 | Nick Castellanos | RF | -0.7 |
| 5 | Darick Hall (L) | DH | 0.4 |
| 6 | Alec Bohm | 3B | 1.5 |
| 7 | Bryson Stott (L) | SS | 1.4 |
| 8 | Nick Maton (L) | 2B | 0.8 |
| 9 | Brandon Marsh (L) | CF | 2.3 |
With Bryce Harper likely to miss the entire first half of 2023, it's going to take a team effort to replace his production. The Phillies might have to make do with a Hall-Dalton Guthrie platoon at DH until Harper is back. A second-base platoon of Maton and Edmundo Sosa is also a possibility, though the Phillies may be wise to try and upgrade the middle infield with an external acquisition, allowing Sosa - who surprised at the plate down the stretch but is a glove-first player - to slide into a utility role. If they want to get creative, the Phillies could choose to add a big-name shortstop and shift Stott, who put up better defensive numbers at second.
How the rotation looks
| ROLE | PITCHER | THROWS | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aaron Nola | R | 6.3 |
| 2 | Zack Wheeler | R | 4.1 |
| 3 | Ranger Suarez | L | 2.3 |
| 4 | Bailey Falter | L | 0.6 |
| 5 | Michael Plassmeyer | L | 0.1 |
The trio of Nola, Wheeler, and breakout playoff star Suarez atop the rotation remains a major strength for the Phillies. It's those final two spots where improvement is needed. Dave Dombrowski and Sam Fuld need to prioritize finding at least one more back-end rotation arm, as much for depth as the production itself. Bullpen depth would also be welcomed behind Seranthony Dominguez and Jose Alvarado. Adding some arms capable of working in both the rotation and bullpen as needed could help solve both problems. Either way, pitching should be atop the Phillies' shopping list.
Washington Nationals
2022 record: 55-107 (5th in NL East)
Projected 40-man payroll: $106M
Key departures: Steve Cishek, Nelson Cruz, Erick Fedde, Will Harris, Cesar Hernandez, Erasmo Ramirez, Joe Ross, Anibal Sanchez, Luke Voit
Needs: Pitching, third base, outfield
Where the lineup stands
| ORDER | PLAYER | POSITION | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lane Thomas | RF | 1.1 |
| 2 | CJ Abrams (L) | SS | -0.2 |
| 3 | Joey Meneses | 1B | 1.5 |
| 4 | Keibert Ruiz (S) | C | 1.7 |
| 5 | Jeimer Candelario (S) | 3B | -0.1 |
| 6 | Luis Garcia (L) | 2B | 0.0 |
| 7 | Alex Call | LF | 0.6 |
| 8 | Jake Alu (L) | DH | N/A |
| 9 | Victor Robles | CF | 0.3 |
Even with some bright young kids who promise to be the cornerstones of a future Nationals contender, it's pretty obvious that they have plenty of work to do to improve their lineup right now. General manager Mike Rizzo will once again be chasing low-cost veterans on short-term deals or bounce-back candidates, hoping to flip them at the deadline. Third base was a particular area of short-term need that Rizzo addressed by signing Candelario, who fits the bill as a bounce-back candidate and is a far more viable everyday option at third than journeyman bench player Ildemaro Vargas. A possible bright spot is Abrams, one of the keys to the Juan Soto-Josh Bell trade and a potential franchise shortstop.
How the rotation looks
| ROLE | PITCHER | THROWS | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Josiah Gray | R | -0.6 |
| 2 | Patrick Corbin | L | 0.8 |
| 3 | Cade Cavalli | R | 0.1 |
| 4 | MacKenzie Gore | L | 0.8 |
| 5 | Cory Abbott | R | -0.5 |
A full season of Gore, also acquired in the Soto-Bell deal and a young arm Washington can build its staff around, will go a long way toward helping this rotation long term. Although Gray was dreadful last year, the former top prospect is still just 24 and has plenty of room left to grow. Corbin came close to losing 20 games in 2022 but remains the high-priced veteran presence of this young staff; if Stephen Strasburg can ever get healthy, he'll also fill that veteran role. Short-term bullpen improvements and depth pieces that can be flipped at the deadline will very likely be the only free-agent pitchers the Nationals bring in this winter.