New York Mets: The biggest threats in the National League

The New York Mets have a real shot at representing the National League in the World Series this year. They return some of the best players in their respective positions, such as Jacob deGrom, Michael Conforto, Jeff McNeil, among others.

Now, with the additions of Francisco Lindor, Carlos Carrasco, James McCann, among others, the Mets have a loaded roster ready to compete now.

There seems to be a completely new energy this year surrounding the team, and it’s one that hasn’t been present in the city for quite some time. Finally getting a new owner in the building has allowed for the Mets to finally act like the big market franchise that they are, and it’s certainly creating a ton of buzz in the fanbase.

The Mets are legitimate contenders but the National League is tough

I can legitimately say that this is the first time since 2015 that I have been this fired up going into a season. With a deep lineup, one of the best starting staffs in the league, and a much deeper bullpen than last year, the team looks ready to fire on all cylinders. Make no mistake though, it’s not going to be easy to navigate through everyone this year.

There are a lot of really good teams all across the National League. However, there are only 4 teams that are the true juggernauts that the Mets would have to get through in order to be in the World Series. If the Mets want to get to and win the World Series this year, these are the teams they’re going to have to get through in the National League.

This is fairly obvious to everyone, but the Dodgers are the team to beat in the National League. Fresh off of a 2020 World Series title, they are returning basically their entire roster from that title run.

They feature a killer rotation with Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Dustin May, and David Price projected to come back this year. Trevor Bauer now signs a 3-year contract with the team as well, adding the reigning Cy Young winner to that mix.

Their bullpen is also nothing to scoff at either. Kenley Jansen is a proven closer in this league, and when you add Joe Kelly, Brusdar Graterol, Blake Treinen, and now Corey Knebel to the mix, they have a plethora of good arms.

Of course, lineup-wise, we all know they have superstars. Mookie Betts and Cody Bellinger are two of the top ten players in baseball, and they pair with the power bat of Max Muncy and World Series MVP Corey Seager to make a lethal four-headed monster.

All around, this is one of the best offensive teams in the game. According to stats pulled from Baseball Reference, they ranked 1st in home runs, 2nd in RBIs, 5th in on-base percentage, and tied for 1st in slugging percentage. They are a juggernaut, and they will prove to be one of, if not, the Mets biggest threat.

On top of all that, they have an extremely deep and versatile team as well. Guys like Muncy, Edwin Rios and Chris Taylor can play multiple positions all over the field. They have three very solid catchers, a lengthy bullpen, and multiple guys who can play swing roles in the bullpen and the starting rotation.

They are a juggernaut, and they will prove to be the Mets biggest threat.

Atlanta isn’t going anywhere and will be the biggest obstacle in the NL East, let alone the National League. While it’s possible that Marcell Ozuna doesn’t return for them this year, they still have a ton of firepower.

You can’t think about the Braves lineup without thinking about two guys: Freddie Freeman and Ronald Acuna Jr. Freeman was the NL MVP in 2020, slashing an absurd .341/.462/.640 with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs. He’s also a former gold glove winner and is easily the best first baseman in the game.

Acuna meanwhile, is one of the most electric young stars in the game. He had a bit of a down year as far as batting average goes, but he did have 14 home runs and slugged .581 with a .406 on-base percentage. Let’s be honest, we all know what he can do. In 2019, he was 3 stolen bases shy of becoming the fifth player in league history to join the 40-40 club (40 home runs and 40 stolen bases).

Their starting rotation is nothing to sneeze at either. Max Fried is a bonafide stud just entering his prime, coming off a 7 win season with a 2.25 ERA. Mike Soroka will also be back this coming year, albeit off of an Achilles injury. When healthy though, he was an All-Star in 2019 and was the youngest opening day starter in Braves history in 2020.

Also hoping to further establish themselves in the rotation are young guns Ian Anderson and Bryse Wilson. Anderson pitched to a 1.95 ERA in his 6 regular-season starts, and an impressive 0.95 ERA in his 4 starts during the postseason.

Wilson beat Clayton Kershaw in game 4 of the NLCS. He threw 6 brilliant innings, allowing just one run on one hit, with one walk and five strikeouts. He showed not only impressive stuff, but amazing poise on such a big stage. He should be a good one for them.

I will admit, the Braves roster isn’t as all-around impressive as the Dodgers or the Padres, but they are top-heavy with stars, and they certainly have depth throughout their 40 man roster to be able to provide a ton of punch in the division.

Yet another team in the NL East that will be a pain to get through, the Nationals have had a pretty solid offseason. Key acquisitions include Brad Hand, Jon Lester, Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber. Lester gets added to what is already a stacked rotation. Hand becomes the closer, and Bell and Schwarber are two very powerful bats that could be key to their success.

What the success of the Nationals is really going to depend on is two things: the starting rotation, and the performances of Juan Soto and Trea Turner. We of course know how good the starting rotation is when healthy; there’s no question it’s one of the best in the game. Scherzer, Strasburg, Corbin, and now Lester is scary. Will they all stay healthy though is the big question.

The lineup, while it has some big names, is a little shaky for me. For one thing outside of Turner and Soto, they don’t have a lot of great average hitters. They do have a ton of power, but guys like Bell and Schwarber are high strikeout guys, and they’re going to be feature hitters in that lineup. Robles isn’t a great average hitter, Yan Gomes doesn’t scare me at this point in his career, and Carter Kieboom is still young and learning how to play at the next level.

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Yes, the Nationals will be a threat. Do I think that they’re the biggest threat in the division? No not at all, as their roster is certainly not better than the Braves in our own division.