Mets Lineup Is Improved, Braves and Nationals Still Dangerous

While we listen to a chorus of positive quotes coming from every team and every player in spring training, I’m telling the truth. Let’s see where the Mets, Braves, and Nationals lineups stack up in the NL East.

The New York Mets had a lineup on Saturday that’s pretty close to how it will shake out this season, at least in Interleague play.

McNeil 2B
Lindor – SS
Conforto – RF
Alonso – !B
Smith – DH
McCann – C
Davis – 3B
Pillar – CF
Almora – LF

That’s a decent lineup. It’s better than last year. It’s lacking some power. It’s lacking run producers after McCann or at least, proven run producers. Would it look better with George Springer and J.T. Realmuto? That would be championship caliber, but the Mets fell short of that. Would it be better with Jackie Bradley Jr.? Yes, better than this lineup for one big reason. When there is no DH, Brandon Nimmo is still the best center fielder on the team. They’re weak at 3B, but nobody is perfect, right? Well, the Mets had the money to correct all of it instead of some of it.

Acuna – CF
Freeman – 1B
Ozuna – OF
d’Arnaud – C
Albies – 2B
Swanson – SS
Austin Riley – 3B
Cristian Pache – OF

I view this Braves lineup as more worrisome. It has more overall power. The Nationals have a lot of different lineups. One of them may look like this:

Robles – CF
Castro – 2B
Soto – RF
Bell – 1B
Schwarber – LF
Gomes – C
Stevenson – OF
Kieboom – 3B
Turner – SS

The Nationals lineup is on par with the Mets but not as good as the Braves.

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The Phillies lineup isn’t too far away from the Nationals and the Mets if they stay healthy and get some gains from their younger players. The Mets can win the division if they have the best pitching staff. That’s a big if, and Noah Syndergaard returning to help the starters may be the answer in July or August.

The Braves are the class of the division. It’s easy to see. The Nationals and Mets are both close, and one day soon. I’ll break down the pitching staff. The main point of this exercise was to prove the Mets coming up short with the pocketbook has put them in the conversation but probably not much more than that. It’s progress, sure, but when you had a chance to make big gains by simply spending money, they drew a line. That’s the way I see it, and if they come up short this season many will see it that way. Playing it safe is never the right plan because tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. All they have is exactly what they’re looking at less than a month before the 2021 season begins.