Braves Open As Co-Favorites To Win National League East

The Atlanta Braves had a great regular season in 2019, winning the National League East over the loaded Washington Nationals. In the postseason, though, it was the Nats that had the magic and the Braves continued to flounder. It is hard to believe that the Braves – who have made several postseason appearances this century – haven’t won a playoff series since 2001. The goal for the Braves this season is to at least win a playoff series, and ideally return to the World Series for the first time since 1999, when Atlanta lost to the New York Yankees.

ATLANTA BRAVES ODDS

TO WIN WORLD SERIES: +1400
TO WIN NL PENNANT: +750
REGULAR SEASON WIN TOTAL: 90.5

OFFSEASON CHANGES

The Braves had a very busy offseason. Josh Donaldson went to the Minnesota Twins, a big loss for an Atlanta team which counted on Donaldson’s clutch hitting and power, plus his veteran presence in the clubhouse with all the younger players on the roster. The Braves did compensate, however, by getting Marcell Ozuna from the St. Louis Cardinals, a move which is beneficial to the Braves not just for its own sake, but also because the Cardinals – a competitor in the National League – won’t have him to beef up their own lineup. The Braves also got pitcher Cole Hamels from the Chicago Cubs and catcher Travis d’Arnaud from the Tampa Bay Rays. The acquisition of d’Arnaud is noteworthy because he was a thorn in the Braves’ side when he played for the New York Mets in the National League East.

IF THINGS GO RIGHT…

The Braves will make the World Series. This team is highly likely to make the playoffs. The only question is if the team can finally win in the playoffs for the first time in 19 years. The Braves just have to master the big moment. They led the St. Louis Cardinals, two games to one, in the National League Division Series. They let Game 4 slip away, however, and they got bombed in Game 5. It is just a matter of making one or two extra plays. This batting order is loaded, and this starting pitching staff is deep. The Braves have all the ingredients of a World Series team.

IF THINGS GO WRONG…

The Braves will lose the National League East to the Washington Nationals and then lose the National League Wild Card Game to continue their playoff misery. Beating the Nationals won’t be a piece of cake, and even though the Braves had the upper hand last season, Washington will rightly be full of confidence after winning the World Series in 2019. The Braves might be scarred by their playoff loss last October and fail to match the Nats in a season-long battle. Then, in a one-game pressure cooker known as the wild card game, the Braves could falter yet again. The scenario would not be the slightest bit surprising to anyone who has followed Braves baseball over the past 20 years or so. Atlanta has to avoid the back end of its bullpen getting lit up, the one weakness on a generally strong roster.

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