Talkin' Teams - National League
I rip through all 15 teams in the National League, looking at their trade deadlines and seeing how they shape up for the playoff push.
Check it out on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!
Below are my quick summaries of each team with my predicted finishing standings. There’s a lot more detail about each team in the podcast.
National League East
Phillies
They have given themselves a big lead in the division, and that should be enough to coast to the playoffs. Solid rotation, great lineup, and a bullpen upgrade at the deadline.
Prediction: Division Winner
Braves
Sale + Fried is a great 1-2, and there’s still some depth here with Schwellenbach + Lopez. The offense is still above average even while disappointing this year, and the Soler add was a positive.
Prediction: Wild Card
Mets
The lineup is great, but the rotation is really bad, and the bullpen is questionable even with Brazoban addition. I could see them missing the playoffs because they just can’t get the starting pitching performances they need, but overall they’re in fine shape and probably better than the other teams they’re competing with for the final two wild card spots.
Prediction: Wild Card
Nationals
They have waved the white flag. Bad lineup, nothing great in the rotation (it’s not the worst in the league by any means though), and the bullpen is whatever. They’ll just focus on getting some of these young guys some reps and seeing what they have for the future.
Prediction: Missed Playoffs
Marlins
They did the right thing and gave themselves a better shot for the next few years. They could be competitive next year or the following with Sandy + Eury coming back and Max Meyer developing. They’ll need some of these hitter prospects to hit, but there are many franchises in worse positions right now.
They are probably the #1 matchup for fantasy pitchers right now.
Prediction: Missed Playoffs
National League Central
Brewers
They have lost Yelich for an extended period, and their rotation did not get better even with the Montas addition. That’s a pretty big problem for them, but they have enough cushion in the division to bring it home.
Prediction: Division Winner
Pirates
There’s a real shot here at a Wild Card berth. The rotation could be extremely good if Jones gets back into form, and the bullpen is already solid with a lot of young minor leaguers that could come in and help out. They’ll need the offense to be above average the rest of the way to get there, but they did upgrade at two key positions at the deadline. It could happen, but I’d bet against them given the lack of impact bats and the tough schedule they have ahead.
Prediction: Missed Playoffs
Reds
They are a few games behind the Pirates and Cardinals, but they have the second-best run differential in the division after going +45 over their last 60 days (third-best in the league). They have two very good SPs and a decent lineup. The bullpen is a problem, and the back three of the rotation is pretty bad. I think they can catch the Cardinals, but they’re too far back to make up for the bad luck.
Prediction: Missed Playoffs
Cardinals
They might be the worst team in this division. Their offense is middling at best and they remain with just one truly good starter. They’ve been very lucky this year (-44 run differential), and I think they’re likely to fade out of the playoff race.
Prediction: Missed Playoffs
Cubs
The bullpen is the only true weak spot. They have two strong starters and a middle-of-the-road lineup. They didn’t get worse at the deadline, so they’ll probably be around .500 the rest of the year. It would have seemed logical to me if they had sold off Taillon or Bellinger or something like that, but they’re not totally out of it yet.
Prediction: Missed Playoffs
National League West
Dodgers
They’ve been outscored over the last 30 days (-27), but they get two Hall of Famer hitters back into their lineup in the coming days, and they very well could have Glasnow + Yamamoto + Flaherty + Kershaw down the stretch and into the playoffs.
Prediction: Division Winner, #1 NL Seed
Padres
They could make a lot of noise in the playoffs if they can get there, and I think they’ll get there. Cease + King + Musgrove + that bullpen, and not a bad lineup by any means.
Prediction: Wild Card
Diamondbacks
The Christian Walker injury hurts pretty bad. That said, it’s still a good lineup without any true weak spots. The pitching is an issue, with only Gallen as an SP you’re really confident in, and he’s posting the worst K-BB% of his career this year. If they survive the Walker IL stint and Carroll keeps it going, they should be able to sneak into the playoffs once again.
Prediction: Wild Card
Giants
Just like normal, they pitch well but don’t score enough runs. The lineup isn’t awful, and the 1-2-3 with Webb+Snell+Ray could be pretty nasty. But there’s very little pitching depth, not much in the bullpen, and a lot of hitters you could see really falling apart.
Prediction: Missed Playoffs
Rockies
I thought they should have sold at the deadline, but they did nothing. They’re awful and will stay awful.
Prediction: Missed Playoffs
Predicted Playoff Bracket
Dodgers (Division)
Phillies (Division)
Brewers (Division)
Padres (Wild Card)
Braves (Wild Card)
Mets (Wild Card)
Pirates
Diamondbacks
Giants
Reds
Cardinals
Cubs
Nationals
Rockies
Marlins