With three months until the beginning of Spring Training, the MLB offseason is just getting started. The NL East, however, has gotten off to a head start. The Braves got involved in the action last week signing veterans Brian McCann and Josh Donaldson to a pair of one-year deals. The Nationals then traded for catcher Yan Gomes to go with newly acquired Kurt Suzuki. Within the past few days the Phillies and Mets both completed trades with the Mariners, who look to be in full-rebuilding mode.

In the Mets trade with the Mariners, the Mets acquired veteran Robinson Cano, who is a superb talent despite being 36 years old. They also acquired a top five closer in Edwin Diaz, who is just 24 years old, and cash, while sending Jay Bruce, Anthony Swarzak, and three prospects to Seattle. This move clearly signals the Mets are in win-now mode, even though they have more work to do if they want to win the NL East in 2019. With more moves on the horizon, the Mets offseason is one to keep an eye on, and one that I didn’t think would be entertaining at all going into it. But with young talent set to make a mark in Queens this coming year, the Mets front office believes they are ready to compete.

The Phillies trade with the Mariners was announced today and the Phillies are sending JP Crawford, once a top-prospect in MLB, and aging veteran Carlos Santana to Seattle in exchange for Jean Segura, Juan Nicasio, and James Pazos. Segura will be an instant upgrade at shortstop, and seems to be the Phillies shortstop of the future now. We have been hearing all offseason how the Phillies are ready to spend big, so we know that they are far from done. With Segura now, it makes it seem a little less likely they will land Machado, who prefers to play the same position. But if they can convince him to go back to third base, they will easily have one of the best infields in the game. If Machado decides to take his talents elsewhere to play shortstop, the Phillies have plenty of money to throw around and will definitely be after top free agent Bryce Harper.

This is shaping up to be an interesting offseason so far, especially in the NL East. While the Marlins won’t make any big acquisitions, they have the top coveted catcher in J.T. Realmuto. The Nationals have the top coveted player in Bryce Harper, and it has been speculated from league executives that the Nats will most likely retain him. The Braves are still looking to make a few moves, seeking a front-line starter, an outfielder, and bullpen help. Besides the Marlins, there will be four teams in this division going all in to win the division this year. Only time will tell if four teams will still be in the race next September, but the next three months will have a huge impact on that and I am ready to sit back and watch it unfold.

Garett

Very Busy Off-Season so far for NL East