First Pitch: Grading NL East offseason moves and one addition for each team to make

There are a slew of impactful players available both in free agency and on the trade market, but we're deep enough into the offseason to check in on moves teams have made thus far.

The NL East is as scary of a division as there is in the majors, with teams like the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, and New York Mets all among the best teams in the National League as a whole. It wouldn't be shocking to see any of those teams in the World Series.

In addition to this division being one of the most competitive in the league, contenders in it have also made several major MLB offseason moves. With that in mind, let's take a look at what each team has done and should do.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB offseason.

Atlanta Braves haven't done remotely enough...yet

Notable additions: N/A
Notable subtractions: Max Fried, Charlie Morton, Jorge Soler, Travis d'Arnaud

Yes, the Atlanta Braves are going to get Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr. back at some point. Yes, they should have better injury luck than they did in 2024. Yes, star players like Matt Olson, Austin Riley, and Michael Harris II (to name a few) should bounce back. No, none of that excuses Alex Anthopoulos for doing practically nothing as of this writing. It was unlikely that the Braves were ever going to re-sign Max Fried, and choosing to let Charlie Morton walk isn't the biggest deal in the world, but their biggest addition thus far has been the Bryan De La Cruz signing to a one-year deal which isn't even fully guaranteed.

The Braves entered the offseason needing an outfielder, rotation help, and, in a perfect world, a shortstop. They were able to shed a ton of money by dumping Jorge Soler's contract, non-tendering Ramon Laureano, and declining club options on Travis d'Arnaud and Luke Jackson. Despite all of that money seemingly being available to spend, the Braves, again, have done virtually nothing.

There's still time, but those holes that were there at the start of the winter are still there, only with fewer options available in terms of replacements. While some potential fits for Atlanta required more money than they'd realistically spend, they could've easily spent the money it took to sign a guy like Nathan Eovaldi or even Walker Buehler to ensure they would not have to rely on two of Grant Holmes, Ian Anderson, AJ Smith-Shawver, or Bryce Elder in their rotation. They absolutely could've topped the deal it required to sign Tyler O'Neill or even Max Kepler.

Anthopoulos deserves the benefit of the doubt in most cases and will almost certainly make moves at some point, but right now, it's tough to justify giving them a higher grade than a D.

One addition for the Braves to make: Sign Jack Flaherty

Signing Jack Flaherty might have been unrealistic just days ago, but his willingness to take a short-term high-AAV deal should be right up Anthopoulos' alley. The Braves cleared money and won't be attached long-term. Adding Flaherty to a rotation consisting of Strider, Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, and Spencer Schwellenbach would make the Braves NL East favorites.

Small-market Marlins still have work to do

Notable additions: N/A
Notable subtractions: Jesus Luzardo, Jake Burger

The Miami Marlins are rebuilding. That much was clear at the 2024 trade deadline, and is only clearer based on the Jesus Luzardo and Jake Burger trades. Peter Bendix deserves praise for immediately deciding to enter a rebuild after a flukey postseason run, and did very well with some of his trade deadline deals, but his moves this offseason left a lot to be desired.

The Marlins did get a top-100 prospect in the Luzardo deal, but that prospect is Starlyn Caba, a 19-year-old who finished this past season in Single-A and had a .669 OPS overall. His glove is excellent, and he offers speed and high-end contact tools, but the fact that he has 14 extra-base hits in 116 minor league games is cause for some concern. Even if he does make it to the majors, can he hit enough to be a starting-caliber player, let alone the All-Star caliber player you'd want in a trade for a pitcher of Luzardo's caliber?

The Burger trade was even more confusing. The return was always going to be somewhat limited for a corner infielder who is not a great defender and doesn't get on base a whole lot, but the Marlins also had no reason to be in a hurry to trade a player who has combined to hit 63 home runs in the last two seasons before he even hits arbitration without a truly exciting return.

In addition to somewhat lackluster returns in their trades, the only MLB signing the team has made was inking Eric Wagaman to a one-year deal. The Marlins might not be competing in 2025, but signing some veterans to one-year deals with the goal of flipping them at the trade deadline can still be done.

One addition for the Marlins to make: Sign Jose Quintana to one-year deal with hopes of a trade

The Marlins should consider signing a veteran like Jose Quintana who can give the team innings every fifth day and net them a decent asset or two at the trade deadline. Quintana finished his 2024 season incredibly strongly, proving that he still has plenty in the tank for 2025.

Mets are built to contend long-term

Notable additions: Juan Soto, Jose Siri, Sean Manaea, Clay Holmes, Frankie Montas
Notable subtractions: Luis Severino

The New York Mets are not only the biggest offseason winner in the National League East, but they might've had the best offseason of any team in the sport. That's how massive the Juan Soto signing was. Did they overpay to land him? Of course. Was this a move all 29 fan bases wish their team made? Absolutely. The Mets just added a 26-year-old phenom on a Hall of Fame trajectory to play for them during his prime years immediately after making a surprise run to the NLCS.

Adding Soto alone makes the offseason an A, and yet, the Mets have made several other moves to go along with him. Their rotation might be a bit underwhelming when considering expectations, but getting Kodai Senga back after making just one regular season start is a massive plus, and pairing him with Sean Manaea, a pitcher who looked like an ace down the stretch and in October, gives the group some upside.

Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas are massive question marks, but let's not act like guys like Manaea and Luis Severino weren't in similar spots last season. There's some boom potential with both of those starters as well.

The big story, again, is that Soto is a Met. Assuming they address their bullpen, add another bat to their bench, and, of course, re-sign Pete Alonso, they might get right back to the NLCS in 2025.

One addition for the Mets to make: Re-sign Pete Alonso

Pete Alonso's walk year wasn't the best, yet he still hit 34 home runs. He's the big power bat that the Mets need to slot behind Soto, and with him reportedly open to signing a short-term high-AAV deal with the Mets, he should be back with the team sooner rather than later.

Phillies under-the-radar offseason has been a good one

Notable additions: Jesus Luzardo, Max Kepler, Joe Ross, Jordan Romano
Notable subtractions: Jeff Hoffman, Austin Hays

The Philadelphia Phillies made one of the more underrated moves of the offseason by trading for Jesus Luzardo. Their rotation was already among the best in the majors without Luzardo, and now they added him to a group that already consists of Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez, and Cristopher Sanchez. All five of these starters have All-Star potential. There's some injury concern with Luzardo, but with the rest of their rotation being what it is, the Phillies could afford to take on that risk.

The rest of their offseason, though, has left a lot to be desired. They've mostly taken chances on players coming off down years in 2024 that they hope will bounce back.

Max Kepler has hit as many as 36 home runs in a single season and hit 24 in 2023, but hit just eight in 105 injury-riddled games this past season. He can be a solid addition, but it's frustrating that the Phillies didn't pursue bigger names to improve an outfield that needed bolstering.

Jordan Romano was one of the best closers in the AL from 2020-2023, but he too missed substantial time due to injury this past season and was ineffective when he played. Can he revert to form? Joe Ross looked good for the Milwaukee Brewers in relief this past season, but is he really enough to offset the loss of Jeff Hoffman and the likely loss of Carlos Estevez?

The Phillies bullpen continuously gets beaten in the postseason, and that group looks worse on paper than it did in 2024. The Luzardo addition was a great one, but the Phillies didn't need him as much as they needed to address other areas of their roster. Their outfield still looks underwhelming, and they need another reliable late-game reliever.

One addition for the Phillies to make: Sign Tanner Scott

Is this realistic? Probably not. However, the Phillies' window to win is right now. Tanner Scott is by far the best reliever available. They haven't spent big money on any free agent yet this winter. Adding him to the mix would make them especially tough to beat.

Nationals are on the cusp of contending

Notable additions: Nathaniel Lowe, Josh Bell, Mike Soroka, Jorge Lopez
Notable subtractions: Kyle Finnegan, Robert Garcia, Joey Gallo

The Washington Nationals might've only won 71 games in 2024, but it felt as if they had shown signs of life for the first time in a long time. In addition to a young up-and-coming rotation, the Nationals promoted Dylan Crews and James Wood to their roster late in the season, and both showed flashes of greatness. Tacking them onto a lineup that already includes Luis Garcia Jr. and CJ Abrams, the Nationals had a roster exciting enough to make some wonder whether they'd make a big splash this offseason. Guys like Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman felt very realistic.

Unfortunately, the Nationals opted to take things slowly and only marginally improve. Nathaniel Lowe is a good player. The same can be said about Josh Bell. Mike Soroka has some upside and looked good, particularly in relief for the Chicago White Sox. Even Jorge Lopez can help bolster their bullpen. None of these players are close to needle-movers, though.

The Nationals have the misfortune of competing with the Braves, Mets, and Phillies. The task of competing with them would've been tough even if they made a splash. The best addition being Nathaniel Lowe, though, leaves a lot to be desired, in the end.

One addition for the Nationals to make: Sign Carlos Estevez

The Nationals bullpen is easily the team's biggest weakness, and the team lost both Robert Garcia and Kyle Finnegan. They won't be players for Tanner Scott, but Carlos Estevez shouldn't be out of their price range and would give them the closer they need.