Trea Turner and 3 more new rivals who will be pains in the NL East

Philadelphia Phillies Introduce Trea Turner
Philadelphia Phillies Introduce Trea Turner / Mitchell Leff/GettyImages
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The National League East got a lot tougher this offseason. Three teams are trying to seriously compete. Another has added to their roster and will cause a lot of trouble along the way for the New York Mets.

One of the best players the Mets will have to deal with is Trea Turner. Reunited as a rival, Turner is now on the Philadelphia Phillies instead of the Washington Nationals. He’ll be a problem for at least a part of his 11-year contract. Year one should provide us with plenty of sports hate for him.

What about those other pains entering the division? They may not be superstars, but we can already prepare ourselves for some aggravation when dealing with them.

1) Luis Arraez will be a different level pest against the NY Mets at the plate

If someone can do to the Mets what Jeff McNeil does to everyone else, it’s Luis Arraez. These players are so close in ability it’s eerie. They also both happened to win the 2022 batting title. McNeil took it in the National League. Arraez did so for the Minnesota Twins.

Arraez will be one of those pesky hitters in the Miami Marlins lineup hoping to spoil games we thought the Mets had in the bag. He doesn’t hit for much power but in parts of four MLB seasons he is the owner of a .314/.374/.410 slash line. He has walked more than he has struck out in his career. It’s a slim margin but a notable one.

Versatile on defense as well, Arraez is the kind of guy the Marlins can fit into any defensive alignment. He’s one of the last players you’d want to see at the beginning, middle, or end of a rally. Maybe most frightening of all, he’ll still be 25 when the Mets first see him in their opening series.

2) Gregory Soto is going to be a pain for the NY Mets hitters to face

The Philadelphia Phillies added more than Trea Turner to their roster. A pain in a different kind of way, Gregory Soto is the late-inning lefty the Mets will have to see often whenever facing Philadelphia. He has had some issues with control but is beginning to master run prevention and striking guys out.

The Phillies already had Jose Alvarado on the roster. They still do. Add in Soto and the Mets are now dealing with two similar all-or-nothing types of lefty relievers. They’re the kind of guys you will ride into battle with four times in a row and then panic the fifth time.

Something to watch for from the Mets this year is how they handle at-bats against left-handed pitchers. All they’ve done to improve this is sign Tommy Pham. We should have our doubts that he turns the club’s fortunes around in those situations. Even if he has a track record of hitting well against southpaws, he’s going to play less regularly. Bats can get cold when they aren’t in the lineup every day.

Soto should not strike fear into our hearts quite yet. However, he is getting better and can cut down a rally in a moment’s notice.

Looking at him and the Phillies bullpen from a Mets perspective, we see the value of having multiple lefty relievers with talent. How will Mets hitters respond?

3) NY Mets pitchers will grow sick of having to face Sean Murphy

Yet another trade and a guy with success either already in or about to enter his prime, we find a player on the Atlanta Braves who is brand new to the division. Catcher Sean Murphy joins an already stacked Braves lineup where he’ll share duties behind the plate with Travis d’Arnaud. This probably means when he isn’t catching there are opportunities for him to DH, too.

Murphy has a better reputation than resume. He’s only a lifetime .236/.326/.429 hitter. He did have 37 doubles and 18 home runs last year in Oakland. A transition to Atlanta could propel him further.

A surer problem Murphy will give the Mets is how he plays defense. He’s going to slow down any run game the Mets try to build. Last year, he threw out 31% of attempted base thieves. It’s better than the league average of 25%. It’s an upgrade over d’Arnaud who somehow did gun down 25% of would-be base thieves. Nobody knows better than Mets fans how easy it could be to steal against him.

Murphy is about to enter his prime. How high will the ceiling go? The Braves have already locked him up with an extension. He’s going to be here for a while. Let’s hope it’s not too painful.

Next. 3 dream future Mets starting pitcher additions. dark

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