NL East Division Betting Odds and Pick
NL East Division Odds
Sometimes quality isn't always better than quantity, that's basically what the NL East has been so far. Have they had a ton of quality teams in like the NL West? No. However, what they do have are five teams that are on the same level within two months of the season.
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Heading into Memorial Day Weekend the first-place Mets are just three games ahead of the fifth-place Nationals. Despite all of the injuries for the Amazin's, they are atop the division with a 22-20 record. Currently priced at -108 (DK), -105 (WH), and -133 (PB) it comes at an interesting price considering the fact they have 16 players on the IL. Michael Conforto and Jeff McNeil have hamstring issues that will keep them out until late June, Carlos Carrasco and Noah Syndergaard appear to keep getting pushed back to a July return. The ultimate question for the Mets isn't exactly their talent but rather them staying healthy and getting consistent hitting. At this price, it makes no sense when they can easily start to free fall with all of these injuries. It's not to say they can't get healthy and eventually make a trade at the deadline but currently, this makes no sense for bettors. Stay away from Queens for now.
The Philadelphia Phillies are a unique team within this division, there is talent in all three facets of the game and they have an experienced manager in Joe Girardi. Despite all of this the bullpen is still rocky and they have had inconsistent pitching outside of their two aces, Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler. How much can that truly carry throughout the season? Suffering injuries to star outfielder Bryce Harper and Didi Gregorius it has been a rough couple of weeks for the Phillies as they have gone 3-7 over their past ten games. June is set to have a ton of NL East teams facing off against the Phillies and the cause for concern against these opponents cannot be understated.
Currently priced at +600 (DK), +500 (WH), +650 (PB). The Phillies could eventually salvage themselves from their current position, if Bryce Harper remains out for an extended period it will be tough to see them end up as winners. I would stay away.
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Towards the bottom of the division now, the Marlins and the Nationals are the two squads that will have a tough time competing for the division. Both are currently listed over +1000 on all three sportsbooks. The Marlins go as high as +4000 on Pointsbet which presents the highest odds out of any team in the division. They have shown that they continue on the right path towards this rebuild and are trending upward. The arrival of Sixto Sanchez will bolster that staff but only for so long given his injury. Is this the year in a 162 game season that they take this leap? Probably not given the lack of star power but it's a number worth watching throughout the season and heading into the summer.
As for the Nationals, they're an interesting side, currently under .500. Not much depth at the Major League level has proven to be a pain so far. Trea Turner due to hit free agency and Max Scherzer as well it will raise questions for Executive Mike Rizzo. The likelihood of Max leaving could be high considering the return on prospects and lack of a winning squad. I assume that they keep Turner and get him signed during the offseason and move forward with that core of him and Juan Soto. This season isn't the one for the Nats to compete but it could be one used to re-tool to compete down the road. For that reason alone I will not be picking the Nationals for this division.
Down south to Atlanta where we look at last year's division champions as they look to finally repeat after a collapse in the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Initially, off to a rocky start to the season the Braves lead by Ronald Acuna Jr. are surging as of late, currently sitting second in the NL East and scoring the second-most runs in the National League, the offense is off to a really strong start. However, the issue is and continues to be the pitching, ranking 17th in baseball with a team ERA of 4.17 it has been abysmal to watch. Despite those issues, there is an opening to jump out in the next 30 days or so in front of the Mets. Due to all the injuries around the roster of the Mets, there is really solid value here with the Braves. Expect them to get pitching that's slightly better than what they have gotten on top of the offense doing what they usually do. The odds from Draftkings, William Hill, and PointsBet all come in with plus money value. +195 on Draftkings and then +225 on the other two books. What a payout that could be at this point in the season when they just sit one game behind the Mets. Value is everything in futures and there won't be a better time given the circumstances to pick the Atlanta Braves as the 2021 NL East Champions!
Pick: Atlanta Braves +225 on PointsBet or William Hill
Martino Puccio
Martino is a freelance writer for The Athletic for Soccer Sports Gambling and is also an Alumni of Iona College with a Masters degree in Sports Communications in Media. You can follow him on Twitter at @Martinopuccio.
