Offseason grades: Everything you need to know about the NL East
Welcome to theScore's MLB offseason grades, in which we look at where each team stands heading into the 2022 season. Payroll is calculated by AAV for competitive balance tax purposes. Record projections courtesy FanGraphs.
AL EAST | AL CENTRAL | NL CENTRAL | AL WEST | NL WEST
Atlanta Braves
Projected 2022 record: 93-69
Projected 40-man payroll: $201M
Key departures: Ehire Adrianza (WSH), Johan Camargo (PHI), Jesse Chavez (CHC), Freddie Freeman (LAD), Chris Martin (CHC), Joc Pederson (SF), Richard Rodriguez (FA), Drew Smyly (CHC), Jorge Soler (MIA), Josh Tomlin (FA)
Key additions: Alex Dickerson, Phil Gosselin, Kenley Jansen, Collin McHugh, John Nogowski, Matt Olson, Darren O'Day, Manny Pina, Tyler Thornburg, Kirby Yates
Injuries: Ronald Acuna Jr., Luke Jackson, Mike Soroka, Yates
Grade: A-
Projected Lineup
| ORDER | PLAYER | POSITION | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eddie Rosario (L) | LF | 30 |
| 2 | Ozzie Albies (S) | 2B | 25 |
| 3 | Matt Olson (L) | 1B | 28 |
| 4 | Austin Riley | 3B | 25 |
| 5 | Marcell Ozuna | RF | 31 |
| 6 | Adam Duvall | CF | 33 |
| 7 | Dansby Swanson | SS | 28 |
| 8 | Alex Dickerson (L) | DH | 32 |
| 9 | Travis d'Arnaud | C | 33 |
The defending World Series champions are returning a strong lineup, but several key members of the 2021 squad are gone. Longtime first baseman Freeman is the most notable of a bunch that also includes late-season heroes Pederson and Soler. The returns of Acuna and Ozuna should provide the Braves with a big boost alongside Albies and Riley, while the Braves hope Olson can replace Freeman's production.
Projected Rotation
| ROLE | PITCHER | THROWS | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Fried | L | 28 |
| 2 | Charlie Morton | R | 38 |
| 3 | Kyle Wright | R | 26 |
| 4 | Ian Anderson | R | 24 |
| 5 | Huascar Ynoa | R | 23 |
| 6 | Tucker Davidson | L | 26 |
Atlanta received terrific campaigns from Fried and Morton (28 combined wins and 8.4 fWAR), who return to front a strong rotation that also includes steady young righties Anderson and Soroka - the latter is primed for a midsummer return. The Braves also might have one of the best bullpens in the majors following the additions of McHugh and Jansen.
Miami Marlins
Projected 2022 record: 82-80
Projected 40-man payroll: $105M
Key departures: Jorge Alfaro (SD), Lewis Brinson (HOU), Sandy Leon (FA), Joe Panik (FA)
Key additions: Willians Astudillo, Avisail Garcia, Tanner Scott, Jorge Soler, Jacob Stallings, Cole Sulser, Joey Wendle
Injuries: Dylan Floro, Sixto Sanchez
Grade: B+
Projected Lineup
| ORDER | PLAYER | POSITION | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jazz Chisholm Jr. (L) | 2B | 24 |
| 2 | Jorge Soler | LF | 30 |
| 3 | Garrett Cooper | DH | 31 |
| 4 | Avisail Garcia | RF | 31 |
| 5 | Jesus Sanchez (L) | CF | 24 |
| 6 | Jesus Aguilar | 1B | 31 |
| 7 | Brian Anderson | 3B | 29 |
| 8 | Jacob Stallings | C | 32 |
| 9 | Miguel Rojas | SS | 33 |
The Marlins made several additions during the offseason, bringing in World Series MVP Soler and Garcia to strengthen an offense that landed near the bottom of the league in most categories last season. They also upgraded behind the plate by trading for Gold Glove catcher Stallings and added important depth and experience in Wendle.
Projected Rotation
| ROLE | PITCHER | THROWS | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sandy Alcantara | R | 26 |
| 2 | Trevor Rogers | L | 24 |
| 3 | Pablo Lopez | R | 26 |
| 4 | Jesus Luzardo | L | 24 |
| 5 | Elieser Hernandez | R | 27 |
The Marlins feature one of the more intriguing rotations, with workhorse Alcantara and NL Rookie of the Year runner-up Rogers leading the charge. Miami's front office received trade interest in Lopez and Hernandez throughout most of the offseason, but decided to stick with the pair. It was a smart move considering Sanchez's timeline for a return from a shoulder injury has been pushed back multiple times.
New York Mets
Projected 2022 record: 88-74
Projected 40-man payroll: $280M
Key departures: Javier Baez (DET), Dellin Betances (LAD), Miguel Castro (NYY), Michael Conforto (FA), Jeurys Familia (PHI), Brad Hand (PHI), Heath Hembree (PIT), Rich Hill (BOS), Aaron Loup (LAA), Kevin Pillar (LAD), Marcus Stroman (CHC), Noah Syndergaard (LAA), Jonathan Villar (CHC)
Key additions: Chris Bassitt, Mark Canha, Eduardo Escobar, Starling Marte, Adam Ottavino, Joely Rodriguez, Max Scherzer, Chasen Shreve
Injuries: Jacob deGrom, Joey Lucchesi
Grade: A
Projected Lineup
| ORDER | PLAYER | POSITION | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brandon Nimmo (L) | RF | 29 |
| 2 | Starling Marte | CF | 33 |
| 3 | Francisco Lindor (S) | SS | 28 |
| 4 | Pete Alonso | 1B | 27 |
| 5 | Robinson Cano (L) | DH | 39 |
| 6 | Eduardo Escobar (S) | 3B | 33 |
| 7 | Jeff McNeil (L) | 2B | 30 |
| 8 | Mark Canha | LF | 33 |
| 9 | James McCann | C | 31 |
The Mets finished a disappointing eight games under .500 in 2021, causing deep-pocketed owner Steve Cohen to splurge on talent. New GM Billy Eppler got the go-ahead to spend $124.5 million on Marte, Escobar, and Canha to help turn around an offense that finished 27th in runs last campaign. Expect a full bounce back from Lindor.
Projected Rotation
| ROLE | PITCHER | THROWS | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Bassitt | R | 33 |
| 2 | Max Scherzer | R | 37 |
| 3 | Carlos Carrasco | R | 35 |
| 4 | Taijuan Walker | R | 29 |
| 5 | Tylor Megill | R | 26 |
It's a good thing the Mets added Scherzer and Bassitt during the offseason as deGrom faces another lengthy IL stint. The two-time Cy Young winner was limited to just 92 innings last season and will miss at least the first month of the 2022 campaign. With Carrasco and Walker facing durability issues of their own, there's a lot riding on the Mets training staff to keep a very veteran rotation healthy. Money isn't an issue for Cohen, so it wouldn't be surprising to see the team try to acquire another starter.
Philadelphia Phillies
Projected 2022 record: 87-75
Projected 40-man payroll: $231M
Key departures: Archie Bradley (LAA), Freddy Galvis (Japan), Ian Kennedy (ARI), Andrew Knapp (PIT), Andrew McCutchen (MIL), Brad Miller (PHI), Matt Moore (TEX), Hector Neris (HOU)
Key additions: Johan Camargo, Nick Castellanos, Jeurys Familia, Brad Hand, Corey Knebel, Nick Nelson, Kyle Schwarber, Ryan Sherriff, Garrett Stubbs
Key injuries: Odubel Herrera
Grade: B+
Projected Lineup
| ORDER | PLAYER | POSITION | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Schwarber (L) | DH | 29 |
| 2 | J.T. Realmuto | C | 31 |
| 3 | Bryce Harper (L) | RF | 29 |
| 4 | Nick Castellanos | LF | 30 |
| 5 | Rhys Hoskins | 1B | 29 |
| 6 | Jean Segura | 2B | 32 |
| 7 | Didi Gregorius (L) | SS | 32 |
| 8 | Alec Bohm | 3B | 25 |
| 9 | Matt Vierling | CF | 25 |
Even with Harper's outstanding campaign, the Phillies finished 15th in fWAR and 20th in wRC+ in 2021, so it wasn't surprising when they dished out a combined $179 million to bring in Schwarber and Castellanos to help protect the NL MVP. The Phillies should put up a ton of runs this season, even if they aren't a strong defensive club.
Projected Rotation
| ROLE | PITCHER | THROWS | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aaron Nola | R | 28 |
| 2 | Kyle Gibson | R | 34 |
| 3 | Zach Eflin | R | 28 |
| 4 | Ranger Suarez | L | 26 |
| 5 | Zack Wheeler | R | 32 |
The Phillies actually featured one of baseball's top rotations last year, thanks mostly to Wheeler's incredible season and Suarez's emergence in a starting role. The bullpen, however, was a total mess. Dave Dombrowski has attempted to address the issue by bringing in veteran arms in Knebel, Hand, and Familia.
Washington Nationals
Projected 2022 record: 71-91
Projected 40-man payroll: $153M
Key departures: Alex Avila (Retired), Jordy Mercer (Retired), Ryan Zimmerman (Retired)
Key additions: Ehire Adrianza, Steve Cishek, Nelson Cruz, Sean Doolittle, Maikel Franco, Cesar Hernandez, Anibal Sanchez, Dee Strange-Gordon
Injuries: Carter Kieboom, Joe Ross, Stephen Strasburg
Grade: C-
Projected Lineup
| ORDER | PLAYER | POSITION | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cesar Hernandez (S) | 2B | 32 |
| 2 | Juan Soto (L) | RF | 23 |
| 3 | Nelson Cruz | DH | 41 |
| 4 | Josh Bell (S) | 1B | 29 |
| 5 | Keibert Ruiz (S) | C | 23 |
| 6 | Lane Thomas | LF | 26 |
| 7 | Alcides Escobar | SS | 35 |
| 8 | Maikel Franco | 3B | 29 |
| 9 | Victor Robles | CF | 25 |
The rebuild is on for the Nationals after an abysmal showing forced them to trade most of their best players last campaign. It's not entirely terrible in Washington, however, because Soto is one of the game's top players and the Nationals brought in Cruz's big bat to help the young star.
Projected Rotation
| ROLE | PITCHER | THROWS | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patrick Corbin | L | 32 |
| 2 | Josiah Gray | R | 24 |
| 3 | Anibal Sanchez | R | 38 |
| 4 | Erick Fedde | R | 29 |
| 5 | Joan Adon | R | 23 |
Washington has received just 26 2/3 innings from Strasburg since signing him to a seven-year, $245-million deal prior to the 2020 season, while Corbin was one of the worst starters in MLB last year. The Nats will need a turnaround from both if they have any plans to improve. Strasburg is set to return in late April or early May after undergoing surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome.