The NL East has more or less panned out as expected. The Philadelphia Phillies are solid frontrunners with a rickety postseason outlook due to unaddressed weak points. The New York Mets are an offensive powerhouse with major shortcomings in the rotation. The Atlanta Braves are once again riddled with injuries, while the Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals are fun-bad. The future is bright if you have any remote confidence in those front offices.
While most MLB fans are focused on October, and rightfully so, a potentially transformative offseason is right around the corner. We won't get a $700 million sweepstakes for Shohei Ohtani or Juan Soto this time around, but that just means the market will be stronger for the middle-tier guys. A lot of needle-movers are about to hit the market, including several noteworthy names from the NL East.
Let's dive into the division, team by team, to decipher the absolute best of the upcoming free agents — and whether those free agents will relocate to greener pastures or forge a last bond with their current teams. Of note, the Miami Marlins don't actually have anyone coming off the books. That is a virtue of being cheap with an absurdly young roster.
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Washington Nationals: 1B Josh Bell
The Washington Nationals are still in the weeds of their rebuild. There was some excitement about what this team might be able to accomplish in 2025, but despite a proper breakout from James Wood, this remains a young group that is far too fallible to contend. It got to the point where Mackenzie Gore started floating around the rumor mill at the trade deadline, which isn't the best long-term sign.
Even so, the Nats are home to one of the most talented young cores in MLB, so there's a turnaround somewhere on the horizon. In the meantime, a few straggling vets are primed to hit the open market this winter. Chief among them is 33-year-old first baseman Josh Bell, a switch-hitting bopper splitting .226/.320/.380 with 16 home runs this season.
Bell's value is muted at this stage of his career, but he can still draw walks and send the occasional moonshot into the stratosphere. He's not much of a defender — in fact, we can expect more and more DH reps with each passing season — but MLB teams will still take interest in a proven power source who can hit from both sides.
Washington, to be frank, does not need Josh Bell. Even after cutting bait with Nathaniel Lowe, there will be younger, more sustainable options at first base next season. Think 23-year-old corner infielder Yohandy Morales, Washington's No. 19 prospect, who's due for his big-league shot. Bell will sign a small one-year deal with a contender and try to play meaningful baseball in 2026.
Verdict: Go
Atlanta Braves: RHP Raisel Iglesias
The Atlanta Braves will have a few consequential club options, but Chris Sale ($18 million) and Ozzie Albies ($7 million) feel like locks to stick around. As such, this comes down to Marcell Ozuna and Raisel Iglesias. It was a bit shocking when both veterans survived the trade deadline, but Alex Anthopoulos tends to believe in his guys and it's clear the Braves hope to contend next season.
Ozuna is a goner, that much is clear, but Iglesias is a far more consequential uncertainty. He began the year on choppy waters, but since the All-Star break, you'd be hard-pressed to find many better closers. He's 35 years old with a 3.81 ERA 1.02 WHIP on the season. Atlanta (or his next team) would be wise to temper expectations moving forward, but Iglesias can still deliver top-shelf results in the bullpen when he's locked in.
The Braves should try to keep him, and it should come at a relatively affordable, short-term price, but there is also a rabid market for high-leverage relievers. We can't be sure that Iglesias' going rate won't balloon to a point that makes Anthopoulos squeamish. The Braves typically lock up their guys ahead of time to avoid the pricey competition of the open market, so the fact that Igelsias is hitting free agency — even after surviving the trade deadline, against all odds — does not bode especially well for the Braves' odds of keeping him.
After two middling seasons in a row, and with change in the air, Atlanta probably bows out of the Iglesias bidding war early to focus on younger, perhaps internal options.
Verdict: Go
New York Mets: 1B Pete Alonso
Pete Alonso toiled for weeks and weeks in free agency last year before finally agreeing to a short-term reunion with the New York Mets. The Polar Bear is beloved in Queens and it's hard to imagine him in a different uniform, but David Stearns of the analytics bend, and Alonso does not fit the profile of players he historically tends to prioritize.
If there was any market at all last winter, Alonso probably would've found a new home. After another excellent regular season, it feels like Alonso should enter a healthier marketplace this go-around. He has a $24 million player option, but he should be willing to sacrifice a little bit of 2026 compensation if it means more security in the years come.
That puts the Mets in a tough spot. There isn't a clear internal replacement, certainly not one on Alonso's level. He has .268/.346/.521 splits with 33 home runs and 112 RBI so far this season, giving New York the perfect slugger behind Franciso Lindor and Juan Soto at the top of the lineup. But this is the Mets we are talking about, so Steve Cohen should gladly spend money on a more youthful replacement, perhaps with a bit more defensive value.
As such, there's a genuine possibility that Alonso finally picks up and leaves in a few months. He can't feel too wanted after how his last free agency saga played out. If the market stalls again, he'll end up back on a similar deal, but if there's any interest whatsoever outside of New York, he will bid adieu.
Verdict: Go
Philadelphia Phillies: DH Kyle Schwarber
Ranger Suárez and JT Realmuto will generate plenty of interest this winter, but Kyle Schwarber has cemented himself as the Philadelphia Phillies' most consequential free agent by a healthy margin. It's a somewhat surprising development given his volatility in years past, but the 32-year-old is enjoying a career year at the plate. He recently became the 19th player in MLB history to swat four home runs in a game.
With .245/.366/.577 splits and 49 home runs, Schwarber is running neck-and-neck with Shohei Ohtani in the NL MVP race. He probably won't bring home that hardware at the end of the day, but he couldn't have picked a better time to spruce up his average while chasing a new personal best in the home runs category.
Schwarber can bat anywhere in the top of a lineup. He's not overly quick and he's still going to strikeout a ton, but he also draws walk after walk. Every mistake pitch equates to a run on the scoreboard. This Phillies lineup is not without its fallow zones, so it's hard to overstate how important Schwarber's late-career renaissance has been.
Philadelphia failed to hammer out a deal ahead of time, and there are rumblings of Schwarber's desire to return to his midwest roots. But here's the simply truth: the Cincinnati Reds aren't going to out-splurge this Phillies front office, and Dave Dombrowski pays his dudes more often than most GMs. The Phillies really can't afford to let Schwarber walk out the door this winter and it's clear he loves this group, so there has to be some cautious optimism for a reunion this winter. Especially since there is only so much interest in exclusive designated hitters out there.