Mets will face an even tougher National League East in 2019

Winning ain’t easy and for the New York Mets, they will face an even tougher National League East in 2019.

For most of 2018, the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies sat atop the National League East. They had company at times, with the New York Mets and Washington Nationals fighting early on.

However, some bad summer months from the Mets and Nationals made it a two-horse race. The bad news for those two ball clubs is that the division will only get tougher in 2019.

The Braves and Phillies have everything needed to build a powerhouse. The Braves have a young team with some of the most exciting young players in the game. Ronald Acuna, Ozzie Albies, and others are already stars. Over in Philadelphia, they have a few young guys beginning to develop. Scarier than this, they have the money and will to spend in the offseason.

Some believe there’s a possibility we may even see Bryce Harper and Manny Machado in Philadelphia for the 2019 season. Their addition also creates an opportunity for Philadelphia to trade current players, possibly to add to a rather thin rotation. Whatever it is they do, the Mets need to take action.

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Only the Nationals and Miami Marlins may not be competitive in 2019. It’s doubtful Washington rolls over even if they do lose Bryce Harper to free agency. Max Scherzer will continue to anchor the rotation with an above-average lineup to support his quest for a Cy Young. As for the Marlins, let’s see something positive from the front office before we expect a winning season.

The to-do list for the Mets this winter is a lengthy one. Many of the items on it include making decisions. I’m doubtful they make too many significant transactions. Instead, they need to choose the best way to structure the depth chart.

The Mets have more first baseman than they know what to do with, no true everyday center fielder, and a catching core absent of a legitimate starter. Amed Rosario and Todd Frazier are the only guys we can fully draw into the lineup next year. While we can figure Jeff McNeil also gets the starting second base gig, it’s still not certain.

This season would have been a great one to capitalize on. The Phillies may finish closer to .500 than they thought they would in August. Even the division-leading Braves are one of the weaker teams among the “good ones.”

Instead of kicking their division rivals around, the Mets rolled over early and took off for a big chunk of the summer. A horrendous June took away any chance of contending in the future. Had they supported Jacob deGrom with a few more runs, avoided a couple of the bullpen meltdowns, or did a few more things playoff-bound teams do, maybe this year wouldn’t have ended sans October baseball.

The front office and whoever puts his butt in the general manager’s chair will need to get busy this winter. For as pleasing of a finish as the season includes, it’s no time to rest.

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The teams in their own division are prepared to get better. With some deep squads in the other two divisions, the National League does not include an easy path to the postseason.