MLB Division bets & picks: NL East could be best in baseball

NL East odds from William Hill

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New York Mets (+140)
Atlanta Braves (+140)
Washington Nationals (+650)
Philadelphia Phillies (+850)
Miami Marlins (+2500)

Prediction

Not many people are talking about the 2019 World Series champions (Nats) and the Marlins, who were a playoff team in 2020. This seems to be all about the newly-rich Mets and a Braves’ team that came within a few innings of the 2020 World Series.

I have to side with the Braves here, and you can get them around +150 with some books.

Preview.

Oh, what might have been for the 2020 Atlanta Braves. The defending National League East division champions had a two-game lead last year in the NLCS, and held a lead in Game 7 as well, before they fell to the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3.

With the way Major League Baseball is now, that might have been the best chance Atlanta will have for a long time. The Dodgers and San Diego Padres are both stronger and set for years to come, but the main challenge for the Braves might come from the new money bag Mets.

New York has a new owner who likes to spend money, and will certainly want to see the Mets contending not only for the NL East crown but also for NL Pennants and World Series titles.

But this division might be the most competitive in all of baseball. Washington won the World Series in 2019, Miami made the playoffs in 2020 and has a ton of emerging young talent, while Philadelphia might be over .500 as well.

This could be a race that goes to the final day, with many twists and turns throughout the campaign.

It should, though, come down to the Mets and Braves.