NL East4 of 6
Atlanta Braves: Left Field
Even though they finished June at 9-14, the Braves are in first place and the first year of the Walt Weiss Era has been overwhelmingly successful so far.
That’s despite a seemingly disastrous Spring Training that saw Atlanta lose left fielder Jurickson Profar for the entire season after he failed a performance enhancing drug test for the second year in a row.
To make matters worse, Mike Yastrzemski—who posted an .809 OPS against righties a year ago—has just a .667 OPS vs. right-handed pitching in 2026. So it’s not like Braves just need a platoon partner for Yastrzemski, they probably need a new left fielder altogether. Mauricio Dubón is a nice super-utility player, but he’s best used sliding all around the diamond, not just cemented at one position.
Atlanta’s issues in the corner outfield are exasperated by Ronald Acuña Jr. currently being out with a left hamstring strain, but even once the former NL MVP returns, president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos will be one of the many executives looking for a corner outfielder.
Philadelphia Phillies: The back end of the starting rotation
There are worse problems to have than being worried about the final two starters in your rotation. The Phillies have as good of a starting pitching trio as any in baseball with Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler and Jesús Luzardo. But with Suárez departing in free agency this past offseason, there’s been a steep drop-off after that:
Taijuan Walker was finally released in April after posting a 9.13 ERA in five outings.
Long-time top prospect Andrew Painter was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after going 1-8 with a 7.06 ERA over his first 65 MLB innings.
Aaron Nola was MLB’s most durable starter for about a decade, but he has a 6.02 ERA in 34 starts since the start of the 2025 season. That’s particularly problematic when he’s signed through 2030.
Alan Rangel has a 3.38 ERA over 16 innings this year, but he’s not someone you are realistically going to hand the ball to for a postseason start.
Despite all the resources the Phillies have invested in starting pitching, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski could very well be looking to add to the rotation in some form before Aug. 3’s trade deadline.
Miami Marlins: Pete Fairbanks
The Marlins made a rare free-agent investment in closer Pete Fairbanks this past offseason, giving him a one-year, $13 million after the Rays surprisingly declined his $11 million club option for 2026.
Perhaps the Rays were onto something, though, because Fairbanks has pitched to a 6.84 ERA in 27 appearances. Even in a month of June that saw him convert on all six of his save attempts, Fairbanks posted a 5.91 ERA over 10.2 innings.
The Marlins are still above .500, and maybe if Fairbanks gets hot, he’ll help them to compete, or become a trade chip. So far, though, there’s been no sign of the version of Fairbanks who recorded 75 saves and posted a 2.98 ERA between 2023 and 2025.
Washington Nationals: The bullpen
With James Wood, CJ Abrams, Luis García Jr. and Curtis Mead all having strong seasons, the Nationals are second in runs scored in the majors this season. That’s the largest reason why they, despite being projected to lose over 100 games by most entering the season, are above .500.
The biggest reason why the Nationals are still hard to buy as a playoff team is that their bullpen is a disaster. No one in manager Blake Butera’s bullpen has more than six saves, and while there have been some bright spots like P.J. Poulin and Brad Lord, the bullpen has a minus-2.1 WAR, the second-worst mark in baseball.
Overall, the Nationals have still overachieved in the first season of the Butera/Paul Taboni Era. Before they return to the postseason for the first time since winning it all in 2019, though, a complete makeover of the arm barn is going to have to happen.
New York Mets: Well, everything
Carlos Mendoza was dismissed as manager in June, but the problems run much deeper in Flushing.
A year ago when the Mets went 28-37 after the All-Star Break, you wondered whether they had the right mix of personalities, even if they were very talented.
This season, the Mets straight up aren’t talented enough. Even if Polanco was healthy, he was not a serious replacement for Pete Alonso’s lineup presence. They appear to have gotten the worst end of the Brandon Nimmo for Marcus Semien swap. Neither Brett Baty or Mark Vientos has developed as expected. Bo Bichette has underperformed, as evidenced by his .676 OPS. So have Devin Williams (4.13 ERA) and Freddy Peralta (4.81 ERA) to varying degrees. Kodai Senga has been a disaster, as he has a 9.09 ERA and 7.06 FIP across 32.2 innings.
In a recent conversation with Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of The New York Post, Mets owner Steve Cohen stood by president of baseball operations David Stearns. But it’s fair for Mets fans to have skepticism about Stearns given how the 2026 campaign has played out.