10 best players to join the NL East this offseason

The New York Mets have been the league's busiest team of the offseason, spending a fortune to try and improve a team that just won 101 games but lost many crucial players.

Unfortunately, the Mets weren't the only team to make upgrades. Arguments can be made that all five teams improved from last season which is frustrating considering the division already had two 100-win teams and the team that won the NL Pennant.

These are the ten best players to join the toughest division in baseball this offseason.

10) Gregory Soto - Philadelphia Phillies

Gregory Soto is a hard-throwing lefty the Phillies traded for in a deal with the Tigers. They sent two important depth pieces in Matt Vierling and Nick Maton to Detroit, but with this arm they got back, it was more than worth it.

Soto is a guy some Mets fans were clamoring for and he would've been a decent fit. He joins Jose Alvarado in the Phillies bullpen as lefties who have elite stuff but don't know where it's going at times.

Soto walked 5.1 batters per nine this past season and has walked 5.3/9 in his career. Despite that obvious flaw, he's developed into a very effective reliever.

Jose Alvarado was a key piece for Philadelphia down the stretch and in the postseason. It's very possible Soto can follow a similar trajectory for them. If the Phillies finally have a formidable bullpen they become that much scarier.

7) Jose Quintana - New York Mets

Jose Quintana was a very underrated pickup made by the Mets. He's essentially the Taijuan Walker replacement. While Quintana in my opinion doesn't have the upside Walker has (as Walker shows every first half) he does have the ability to pitch a complete season. Walker faltered both second halves he pitched for the Mets while Quintana excelled in the second half of last season.

Quintana likely won't have the 2.93 ERA he had last season or even have an ERA that comes close to that number. He doesn't have to do that. He has to be a reliable fourth starter for New York. Give five or six innings per start, allow three runs or fewer most of the time. The Mets would be thrilled if they get that kind of production from the southpaw.

What makes Quintana so exciting to me is that he allowed just eight home runs in 165.2 innings pitched. When he faces teams like the Phillies who play in one of the more hitter-friendly parks in baseball or the Braves who rely so much on the home run ball, having a pitcher who excells at limiting that will be huge. I'd expect that number to go up into double figures playing in the NL East against much better competition than he faced in the NL Central, but it'll be a nice asset to have.

6) Joe Jimenez - Atlanta Braves

The Braves added a reliever I desperately wanted the Mets to target when they acquired Joe Jimenez in a trade with the Tigers. I wanted him at the deadline, and I wanted him in the offseason. The right-hander is coming off of a dominant season with Detroit and looks to be a fixture late in games for the Braves who have an elite bullpen.

Jimenez's 3.49 ERA was good but doesn't jump off the page. His 2.00 FIP does, and suggests his ERA was very unlucky. Jimenez struck out 12.2 batters per nine while walking just 2.1 per nine. His 5.92 K/BB ratio wasn't much worse than Edwin Diaz's 6.56, and we all know the special season Diaz had in 2022.

The Braves lost Kenley Jansen but replaced him with an even better reliever. The Mets will have trouble hitting this 6'3" 277-pound right-hander.

5) Kodai Senga - New York Mets

Kodai Senga is a hard pitcher to rank because of the fact that he hasn't pitched in the bigs yet but I have confidence that he'll be quite good for the Mets. Senga went 11-6 with a 1.89 ERA in Japan this past season in 23 starts and 148 innings pitched.

Control is a question, as is durability, but his pure stuff should make him effective right away. Armed with a fastball that can reach triple digits and a "ghost fork" Senga should strike out plenty of hitters. If he can throw quality strikes and take the ball every fifth day, it'll be the icing on top.

The Mets took a risk letting a reliable number two type of starter in Chris Bassitt walk for Senga who has a higher ceiling. If he can locate and stay on the field there's a very solid chance he develops into a potential ace with Jeremy Hefner, Justin Verlander, and Max Scherzer helping him along. I have high hopes for this right-hander.

4) Luis Arraez - Miami Marlins

After not doing much the entire offseason, the Marlins finally traded one of their talented young starting pitchers in exchange for a bat. The bat wasn't the one I expected, but Luis Arraez is a good player.

Arraez won the batting title in 2022 and is a career .314 hitter across four seasons with the Twins. He has the ability to play first, second, and third base and should be a fixture in the leadoff spot for Miami for the next three seasons at least.

Arraez doesn't provide much in the power department but is very similar to Jeff McNeil as a guy who puts the ball in play and refuses to strike out. He will be extremely annoying to face as he'll prolong at-bats with foul balls before finding a pitch to poke through some hole for a hit. I don't expect him to win a batting title with such little offensive talent around him, but I do expect him to be a solid table setter for the Marlins.

3) Sean Murphy - Atlanta Braves

Sean Murphy's stats don't jump off the page at you, but he's one of the best catchers in the game. This past season he slashed .250/.332/.426 with 18 home runs and 66 RBI in 140 games. Those numbers are solid, but nothing special. A big reason they weren't anything special is because he called Oakland his home. He had to play half of his games in the worst hitters ballpark in baseball.

Murphy moving to Atlanta should allow him to thrive offensively. He had a 120 OPS+ last season, I'd expect that number to remain around the 120 mark if not higher in a better environment and a better Atlanta lineup.

In addition to his solid bat, Murphy is an elite defender. He won the Gold Glove award in 2021 and was a finalist this past season. He ranked in the 84th percentile in pitch framing and the 96th percentile in pop time according to baseball savant. He threw out 31% of base stealers this past season. The Braves locked him up on a long extension so he'll be in Atlanta annoying the Mets for many years to come.

2) Trea Turner - Philadelphia Phillies

Trea Turner is probably the best shortstop in the game and he's joining a team that just won the pennant. The Phillies offense was scary when seen at full strength and will be even scarier with Trea Turner hitting toward the top of the order. A Kyle Schwarber, Turner, Bryce Harper top-three is terrifying and is likely what the opposition will see down the stretch when Harper returns from injury.

Turner can do it all. He can hit for average, hit for power, has blazing speed, and is a capable defender. I don't think his 11-year contract will age well at all with speed being his best asset but I do think he makes a team that just won the pennant even better.

Mets fans got a short break from Turner when the Nationals traded him to the Dodgers but he's right back in the NL East the first chance he got and will have the chance to torment Mets fans once again.

1) Justin Verlander - New York Mets

Trea Turner is probably going to accumulate the most WAR over the totality of the contracts signed by each of the players who arrived in the NL East for the 2023 season, but Justin Verlander is the best player at least for right now who joined this insane division.

Verlander is coming off of arguably his best season on the mound in his Hall of Fame career. This comes after missing two seasons after undergoing Tommy John Surgery. The 39-year-old went 18-4 with a 1.75 ERA in 28 starts and 175 innings pitched. He won his third Cy Young Award and was the ace on a World Series-winning Houston Astros team.

In all likelihood, Verlander won't repeat the season he had. Again, he doesn't have to do that. If Verlander can give the Mets 25-30 ace-level starts and then give them big-time outings in the postseason, the big contract they gave him would be worth it.

The Mets signed Verlander to replace Jacob deGrom. While deGrom's talent is irreplaceable, his production certainly is. deGrom has given the Mets 26 starts over the past two seasons. Verlander surpassed that total last season.

While I don't expect another Cy Young season, I expect something similar to what Max Scherzer did last season. Scherzer was an ace for 90% of the season, and Verlander should be just as good as he was.