Do Mets Or Braves Have An Edge To Win NL East?

Mets, Braves are in tight battle up top

The NL East is one of those divisions that has largely been a close race for the last few seasons, with two or three teams that will all be fighting to the finish line to win it. This season, we have more of the same, although it is looking more and more like a two-team scramble to the end instead of three. There is always some value to be found at the midway point of the season, and this division usually offers some as the weeks and months roll along. Let's take a look at the teams that still have a realistic chance to take the crown, and see if we can find some value here to make a winning wager.

The New York Mets are unsurprisingly at the top, as they were preseason darlings after their past few offseason's of signing big names and bringing up prospects. It seems at this point at least that it has all been worth it, with the team boasting a 50-30 record, 20 games above .500. They have gotten contributions from just about everyone on the main roster, but Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso have been on another level this season, and have been large reasons why the team has been so successful. The pitching has been a mixed bag, with far too many injuries to really paint a good picture of it. Max Scherzer was the big addition this offseason, but he has been on and off the IL, along with half the starting rotation. BetMGM currently has them listed as pretty huge favorites to win the division, coming in at -175 right now. There is still quite a lot of season to go, though.

The Atlanta Braves are sitting right behind the Mets in the division after a poor start to the season. That should sound familiar to you, as the same exact thing happened last season, and Atlanta went on to win the World Series. Not saying that is going to happen this season, but it isn't like we haven't heard this story before. Despite losing longtime first baseman and superstar Freddie Freeman, the team has rallied and has been red hot as of late. They got another superstar, Ronald Acuna Jr., back from injury and have been ripping through teams since his return. The impact of guys like Dansby Swanson and Austin Riley can't go without mentioning as well, and the pitching staff has been great aside from a few guys. Max Fried is the certified "ace" of the staff, but the emergence of Kyle Wright has been huge. You can get the Braves at +160 right now at BetMGM, which is a bit surprising considering they are just 3.5 games behind the Mets in the standings.

The Philadelphia Phillies are most likely out of the running at this point after the injury to their best offensive player, Bryce Harper, but for now they are still technically "in contention" to win the division. They are eight games back of the Mets with a record of 42-38, and while Harper obviously isn't the whole team, his loss impacts them on both offense and defense. He was the most steady bat in the lineup, and while players like Kyle Schwarber have been great with power numbers, no one else has come close to being as consistent on offense. Big offseason addition Nick Castellanos has been a major disappointment, with just a .248 average and -0.8 WAR, the worst on the team. The pitching, especially the bullpen, has been inconsistent at best besides the performance's of Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. Philly is +1800 at BetMGM to win the division, far off from Atlanta and New York.

I can't justify laying -175 on the Mets when they are just 3.5 games ahead of the defending champion Braves. Atlanta has been red-hot, and while New York has been consistently good all season, they really aren't that much better than Atlanta. At +160, I think you are getting some really good value on the Braves to catch up with New York and take the NL East in the end. It should be a fun and crazy race to the finish.

Pick: Atlanta +160

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