The NL is getting really intriguing right now. The Los Angeles Dodgers just signed Freddie Freeman to a six-year deal that will bring him back home to California. Freeman’s departure was very interesting after Freeman won the MVP two years ago and then won the World Series with the Braves last season.
It was basically over for the Braves once the Braves elected to trade for Matt Olson to the Athletics for two elite prospects and other players. After bringing Olson back to his hometown area, the Braves locked him up for eight seasons. Let’s look at the odds from top-rated sportsbooks.
The Braves
The Braves won’t really miss a beat with Olson instead of Freeman and now have a younger version of Freeman essentially. It’s not all bad for the Braves. Still, the Braves are +1300 to win the World Series while the Dodgers are +550 and the Mets are +1100.
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But give the Braves some credit. The Braves also brought in Collin McHugh who had a breakout season last year for the Rays out of the bullpen. Atlanta also brought back Eddie Rosario and should have major pieces return this season like Mike Soroka and Kirby Yates, who were both injured throughout the season last year.
And while the Braves didn’t bring back Joc Pederson, Atlanta was able to sign Alex Dickerson to a one-year deal. He’ll be a solid platoon player and another guy that can have success at the plate in positions that Joc Pederson was in last season.
But the question remains if the Braves are good enough to compete against the Dodgers in the playoffs and even the Mets in the NL East division.
The Dodgers
The Dodgers made a huge splash with Freddie Freeman and now have ultimately the best lineup in baseball. It looks like Trevor Bauer won’t be able to throw for the Dodgers just yet, but he’s another guy, when he returns, the Dodgers get better.
Los Angeles has been working the market and brought in Hanser Alberto, Mike Wright, Jake Lamb, and even Shane Greene on a minor league deal. The depth for the Dodgers is elite and the lineup and starting rotation should be just fine with Clayton Kershaw coming back for another year.
The Mets
On the other hand, the Mets spent big money this year as well. New York didn’t get Freeman or Kris Bryant. Carlos Correa won’t be coming either. But the Mets didn’t get Max Scherzer to pair with Jacob deGrom and traded for Chris Bassitt to be the third pitcher in the rotation. While the Dodgers have the best lineup, the Mets likely have the best pitching staff. New York has the depth this season that normally they didn’t have.
The Mets also signed Eduardo Escobar, Starling Marte, and Mark Canha to bolster up the roster a bit. The bullpen also improved with Adam Ottavino returning to New York and signing with the Mets.
I would say that the MLB odds for the three best NL teams are fair. The Mets are the one team that hasn’t been to the World Series in previous years. The Dodgers are the best team and the Braves just won last year. This three-team race is going to be really fun.
Calculators
