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With a flurry of spending and offseason moves, one National League East team dramatically improved its roster and gave itself a legitimate chance to turn things around.
No, not the Mets. I’m talking about the Philadelphia Phillies.
While the Mets added Max Scherzer to bolster their rotation, the Phillies did a lot of spending on the offensive side of their roster. Their two biggest signings were the duo of Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber, both of whom were given multi-year contracts.
There’s no shortage of talent in the NL East, including the reigning World Series Champion Atlanta Braves, but this Phillies roster suddenly has the talent to keep pace. With the additions of Castellanos and Schwarber, the Phillies added a combined 66 home runs and 171 RBIs from last season, with Schwarber’s production coming in only 113 games.
Last year, the Phillies’ big signing was catcher J.T. Realmuto. Adding him to the mix, and Bryce Harper, fresh off the NL MVP award, now has plenty of pop surrounding him at the top of the Phillies lineup.
The Phillies are much more than just bats, which they have plenty of. They have an elite duo of their own in Zach Wheeler and Aaron Nola, and have a strong bullpen composed of Corey Knebel, Brad Hand, Jeurys Familia, and Jose Alvarado. Knebel is coming off a 2021 season with the Dodgers where opposing batters hit only .176 against him with a 29.7 strike out percentage.
The Mets were the preseason betting favorites to win the division, but injuries are already taking a toll on their starting duo of Jacob deGrom and offseason addition Max Scherzer. On BetMGM, the Mets have the fourth-best odds in the MLB of winning the World Series at +1000. The Braves are seventh at +1200, and the Phillies are 14th at +2500.
If this lineup can turn a corner with their new additions like I expect that they will, they can hang in there with their division rivals. The Phillies scored five runs through the first three innings of their season opener. Schwarber scored twice, including a home run, and Realmuto and Harper each logged a hit and a run scored. This offense can score runs, and those +2500 odds will only come down as the season goes along.
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