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2 MLB teams the Mets should fear, 1 team that is a fraud
The New York Mets have done a lot this offseason to try and improve from the 101-win team they were in 2022. Obviously improving from one of the best teams in franchise history was a tall task, but the Mets did a really nice job trying.
Justin Verlander is here replacing Jacob deGrom. While he might not be as talented, Verlander is definitely more reliable than the Met legend. Kodai Senga and Jose Quintana replace Chris Bassitt and Taijuan Walker. Brooks Raley and David Robertson are here to fortify the bullpen.
The Mets in my opinion are better heading into the 2023 season, but will have some stiff competition. They're in arguably the best division in baseball, as they were last season. While it'll be tough to win the division, not every team we'd perceive as dangerous feels that way right now.
The Atlanta Braves are still the biggest threat to the Mets succeeding in 2023
The Braves are here to annoy the Mets in 2023 and will continue to be there for years to come. Atlanta won 101 games last season and did lose Dansby Swanson but added Sean Murphy.
While it might seem like a bit of a lateral move because Atlanta already had two really good catchers in William Contreras and Travis d'Arnaud, Murphy is a pretty sizeable upgrade in my opinion and will torment the Mets for years.
The Braves won 101 games last season with Ronald Acuna Jr. being a shell of his old self. He hit just 15 home runs and had a .764 OPS in 119 games. He should be fully healthy now after his knee bothered him throughout last season, and I expect nothing more than him jumping right back into the NL MVP conversation.
The Braves have one of the best rotations in baseball led by Max Fried and with the additions they've made, they might have the best bullpen in baseball.
Losing Swanson and replacing him with Vaughn Grissom or Orlando Arcia hurts, but Atlanta is loaded pretty much everywhere you look. Expect the Braves to be toe to toe with the Mets all season long once again.
The Philadelphia Phillies are much improved and should be taken seriously
The Mets had their way with the Phillies last season, going 14-5 against them. They threw a no-hitter against them, came back from 7-1 down in the ninth to win, had the Mark Canha game that they somehow won. The Phillies weren't a dominant regular season team, but the Mets absolutely owned them.
The Phillies are without Bryce Harper for a large chunk of the season, but that blow is softened dramatically by the signing of Trea Turner. Turner will be the new shortstop for the Phillies and is essentially replacing Jean Segura. They were already loaded offensively, and just got that much better.
The Phillies also added Taijuan Walker, a pitcher who Mets fans had a love/hate relationship with, but was mostly solid. He's certainly an upgrade over Kyle Gibson in the back end of their rotation. Walker joins Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, and Ranger Suarez in a rotation that is certainly above average.
Their achillies heal for the last number of years has been their bullpen, and Philadelphia finally has one fans can (sort of) get behind. Jose Alvarado and Seranthony Dominguez are still there, and the Phillies added Gregory Soto, Craig Kimbrel, and Matt Strahm. Their bullpen isn't elite, but it's better than it has been in recent memory.
The Phillies won just 87 games last season but snuck into the playoffs and went on a run all the way to the World Series. They're most definitely better heading into 2023 than they were in 2022. As much as I don't want to admit it, the Phillies are a team, especially when Harper returns, that the Mets should be worried about.
The Dodgers are not as scary as they once were
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been the class of the National League for the last decade. They've made the postseason in every season since 2013. They've won three pennants since 2017 and broke through in 2020 to win the World Series.
The Dodgers won 111 games last season, their high water mark in this impressive decade-long run, but suffered the same fate as the Mets, losing in the postseason to the Padres. The Dodgers are still going to be good in 2023, but they shouldn't scare you as much as they have in the past.
The Dodgers still have Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Will Smith at the top of the lineup, but see a steep drop off after them. Can players like Max Muncy and J.D. Martinez bounce back? The Dodgers will be relying on players like David Peralta, Chris Taylor, and Miguel Rojas to produce every day. They do have some of their young prospects coming up, but is that really enough?
On the pitching side, the Dodgers are still good. Julio Urias is a stud. Clayton Kershaw is still there. Tony Gonsolin is good. The questions are still there after those three pitchers. With Walker Buehler on the shelf, can the Dodgers rely on a pitcher like Noah Syndergaard to be closer to his old self? They do have a history of turning mediocre pitchers into really good ones, so we'll have to see.
The Dodgers seem to be all in on Shohei Ohtani in the 2023 offseason. It's very possible they get him, but they seem to be okay with sacrificing 2023 to do it. Watching Trea Turner, Tyler Anderson, Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, and Andrew Heaney walk and replacing them with cheaper players doesn't smell like the recipe for success.
The Dodgers are always great and will find a way to win 90+ games and make the playoffs. They might even win the division. Top to bottom, this Mets team is flat out better. Better lineup, better rotation, better bullpen.
Next. Ranking the 15 greatest Mets infielders in franchise history. dark