{"id":123560,"date":"2025-11-21T09:47:26","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T09:47:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=123560"},"modified":"2025-11-21T09:47:26","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T09:47:26","slug":"%f0%9f%9a%a8-pressure-mounting-mets-and-phillies-should-be-feeling-the-heat-braves-flurry-of-moves-sends-shockwaves-through-mlb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=123560","title":{"rendered":"\ud83d\udea8 PRESSURE MOUNTING: Mets and Phillies Should Be Feeling the Heat \u2014 Braves\u2019 Flurry of Moves Sends Shockwaves Through MLB!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Atlanta is off to an aggressive start this winter. Can their division rivals keep up?<\/div>\n<\/header>\n
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Washington Nationals v Atlanta Braves | Matthew Grimes Jr.\/Atlanta Braves\/GettyImages<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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The\u00a0Atlanta Braves\u00a0are grabbing the proverbial bull by the horns this offseason. Alex Anthopoulos has already inked Raisel Iglesias to a one-year,\u00a0$16 million contract\u00a0and traded for ex-Houston Astros\u00a0utilityman\u00a0Mauricio Dub\u00f3n. And he did it all before we even hit Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n

This is a major show of aggression for the Braves. It’s early, and the team needs to keep adding, but Atlanta is off to a rollicking start. Anthopoulos is responding to immense pressure after a disappointing 2025. Can the\u00a0Philadelphia Phillies\u00a0and\u00a0New York Mets\u00a0match that energy? A quick vibe check paints a worrying portrait for the opposition fans.<\/p>\n

Braves start offseason with a bang; not so much for Phillies, Mets<\/h2>\n
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Texas Rangers v Houston Astros | Houston Astros\/GettyImages<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Atlanta has already taken steps to address two key areas of need. Dub\u00f3n offers coverage at shortstop. Ideally, the Braves can re-sign Ha-Seong Kim or aim even higher for a full-time starter, but Dub\u00f3n \u2014 a two-time Gold Glove winner \u2014 can shoulder that load if needed. His positional flexibility is a nice boon, too: He played literally every position except catcher and pitcher in 2025.<\/p>\n

Igelsias is merely a reunion, bit an important one. The 35-year-old still ranks among the top closers in baseball. Last season was rocky at times, but Iglesias was lights-out down the stretch, one of the lone bright spots in an otherwise dour Braves season. Anthopoulos has already said he plans to add “a lot of relievers,” while also noting his priorities at shortstop and in the starting rotation.<\/p>\n

“Our plan is not to just get one reliever and be done,” he said at the GM Meetings (h\/t\u00a0Yahoo Sports). “We\u2019re going to need more. How that\u2019s going to present itself? I don\u2019t know yet but closer is definitely the anchor and you definitely want to get that solved.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Igelsias figures to be that bullpen anchor, but Atlanta could raise the stakes and invite spring training competition if Anthopoulos really commits to beefing up this bullpen. Several quality relievers are floating around the free agent market this offseason: Edwin D\u00edaz, Robert Su\u00e1rez, Pete Fairbanks, Ryan Helsley and more. There are also potential trade candidates, which is more traditionally Anthopoulos’ speed. Names such as Matt Strahm and Dennis Santana could be intriguing.<\/p>\n

After back-to-back postseason whiffs, the Braves are itching to climb back into the contenders circle. This is a solid start to the most critical offseason of Anthopoulos’ Atlanta tenure. In the end, the Braves just need to stay healthy. But there’s a lot of room to improve along the margins of this roster. Adding a quality starter to the mix behind Chris Sale, Spencer Strider and Specer Schwellenbach? Adding an impactful shortstop, such as Bo Bichette? These are moves that can really push Atlanta\u00a0toward the top of the division.<\/p>\n

Are Phillies, Mets at risk of losing ground to Braves?<\/h2>\n
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New York Mets v Philadelphia Phillies | Mitchell Leff\/GettyImages<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Phillies and Mets are on more solid ground than Atlanta right now. The Braves are reeling from a years-long bout with injuries and several slumping stars. The Phillies finished first in the division and second in the NL last season. The Mets, even after a postseason collapse, are sitting pretty with Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor leading the charge.<\/p>\n

But any sense of security in MLB can quickly become a mirage. For years, Atlanta was the gold star student of the NL East classroom. There is plenty of star power on the Braves roster. If Anthopoulos adequately addresses their needs and the Braves aren’t hit by another unholy wave of bad luck, it won’t take a miracle for Atlanta to climb back to the top of the standings.<\/p>\n

Both Philadelphia and New York, in theory, have more financial maneuverability than Atlanta. Dave Dombrowski built his reputation on supersized investments like Bryce Harper and Trea Turner. Steve Cohen is the richest owner in MLB; the man gave $765 million to Soto last winter and didn’t even blink. But that financial maneuverability too often leads nowhere productive.<\/p>\n

Both clubs have money coming off the books. Especially Philadelphia, as Kyle Schwarber, JT Realmuto, Ranger Su\u00e1rez, Max Kepler and Harrison Bader are all free to leave. But that is a double-edged sword. Philadelphia is the frontrunner to re-sign Schwarber,\u00a0at the very least, but Su\u00e1rez, Realmuto and Bader are far less likely. That (potentially) leaves the Phillies without an All-Star ace, a Gold Glove catcher and their most impactful deadline addition in years, plus Kepler’s occasional power surge. How exactly can Dombrowski recover? God forbid if Schwarber leaves them hanging.<\/p>\n

Phillies are playing with free agency fire<\/h2>\n
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Minnesota Twins v Philadelphia Phillies | Emilee Chinn\/GettyImages<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Phillies are expected to poke around\u00a0big-ticket free agents, such as Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger, and Japanese slugger\u00a0Munetaka Murakami. You can never count out Dombrowski in a heavyweight fight, but after back-to-back seasons of doing the bare minimum to maintain a competitive roster, it’s hard to consider the Phillies\u00a0frontrunners\u00a0for any of these marquee names. We’ve also heard Strahm’s name come up in trade rumors. That is fine on the surface, but what exactly does it mean for the Phillies’ already-scant bullpen depth? It’s hard to imagine Philadelphia picking from the top of the litter in that particular free agent bucket after the Jhoan Dur\u00e1n trade.<\/p>\n

Philadelphia’s best bet might be\u00a0running it back\u00a0with a few upgrades along the margins. But so little is guaranteed on that front. The Phillies’ payroll is already an obstacle and all the signs point toward significant change, whether they want it or not.<\/p>\n

“Retaining Suarez would go a long way toward solidifying a rotation with an atypical number of red flags, but the Phillies already project for a nearly $228MM payroll before making any additions or bringing back any potential free agents,” writes Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors. “It\u2019s hard to imagine them keeping all three of those prominent impending free agents \u2014 particularly when there are other needs elsewhere on the roster.”<\/em><\/p>\n

If Su\u00e1rez walks, despite his well-documented desire to remain in South Philly, the rotation boils down to Zack Wheeler (post-shoulder surgery), Cristopher S\u00e1nchez, Jes\u00fas Luzardo, Aaron Nola and a few less-than-stable options, such as veteran Taijuan Walker or top prospect Andrew Painter.<\/p>\n

John Middleton to expected to do “everything”<\/em> to re-sign Schwarber. But even if we grant the Phillies that one key expense, is Middleton then comfortable shelling out tens of millions of dollars to make up for the Phillies’\u00a0other losses?<\/p>\n

Mets are stuck between a rock and a hard place<\/h2>\n
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New York Mets Introduce Juan Soto | Al Bello\/GettyImages<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Steve Cohen is the richest owner in baseball, but even he has his limits \u2014 and Soto’s historic contract last winter pushed him a lot closer to them. David Stearns is also an analytics-driven GM from small-market roots. He’s not in the habit of running up the payroll willy-nilly, like a certain West Coast contender in blue.<\/p>\n

Pete Alonso is\u00a0as good as gone\u00a0this offseason, which removes New York’s biggest power source and Soto’s best protection from the lineup. Alonso is an aging first baseman with defensive deficiencies, so the reluctance to hand him a long-term contract is understandable (especially when any DH plans are derailed by Soto’s inevitable removal from the outfield). But, with Josh Naylor off the market, the list of available first basemen thins out quickly.<\/p>\n

The Mets also need to pour their energy into solving the rotation. Even if Nolan McLean picks up where he left off as a frontline ace on the rise, the Mets’ rotation depth is ghastly. Kodai Senga is involved in trade rumors after another injury-plagued season. Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil and other key Mets have also come up as potential trade fodder, signaling a desire to manicure the payroll. If the Mets are attempting to cut costs, top arms like Framber Valdez, Dylan Cease or Ranger Su\u00e1rez start to feel less attainable, even for a team in desperate need. This comes after New York basically ignored the top of the pitching market last offseason post-Soto signing.<\/p>\n

New York has one of the highest payrolls in MLB by default. Cohen and company could very much add to that \u2014 he wants to win as badly as any owner \u2014 but Stearns is going to attempt to be smart about his spending. Sometimes being smart aligns a little to closely with being scared, and the Mets cannot afford a tentative, overly calculated approach after\u00a0missing the postseason\u00a0in 2025.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Atlanta is off to an aggressive start this winter. Can their division rivals keep up? Washington Nationals v Atlanta Braves | Matthew Grimes Jr.\/Atlanta Braves\/GettyImages The\u00a0Atlanta Braves\u00a0are… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":123561,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-123560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n\ud83d\udea8 PRESSURE MOUNTING: Mets and Phillies Should Be Feeling the Heat \u2014 Braves\u2019 Flurry of Moves Sends Shockwaves Through MLB! - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=123560\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\ud83d\udea8 PRESSURE MOUNTING: Mets and Phillies Should Be Feeling the Heat \u2014 Braves\u2019 Flurry of Moves Sends Shockwaves Through MLB! - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Atlanta is off to an aggressive start this winter. 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