Hot take: The Philadelphia Phillies could claim the NL East title in 2023. The Phillies went through the 2022 regular season as underdogs, not expecting to be contenders against the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves.

Then, Philadelphia managed to knock the Braves out of the playoffs and ultimately claimed a spot in the World Series. That was the Phillies first appearance in the Fall Classic since 2008 and their first playoff appearance since 2011.

Philadelphia finished third in the NL East in 2022, but the playoffs were truly good to the NL underdogs. The Mets got knocked out in the Wild Card Series by the underdog San Diego Padres, while the Braves got knocked out in the Divisional Series by the Phils.

The Phillies had a lot of defensive issues to fix, but their lineup had a lot of power that helped them excel. During the season, the Phillies had the sixth-best slugging percentage (.422) and eighth-best OPS (.739).

This offseason, they’ve addressed some issues and have made their roster stronger throughout.

Phillies made major moves this offseason

Trea Turner was, without a doubt, the biggest signing the Phils made this offseason.

Over his career, Turner’s had an rPM of 14, DRS of nine, OAA of 13 and RAA of 10. He also has an insanely strong arm with a wFB of 17.9 in 2022.

They also signed Craig Kimbrel to a one-year deal, which could be a great signing if he plays to his fullest potential. Over Kimbrel’s 13-year career, he’s produced an ERA of 2.31, batting average against of .165 and WHIP of 0.98. Last season was a bit below his capabilities, but he has the potential to be a key bullpen arm.

Philadelphia also signed Matt Strahm for the bullpen, which gives even more consistent bullpen help. Most of their key players, such as Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins, Bryson Stott and Nick Castellanos, just to name a few, are still on the roster, so the new acquisitions this off-season enhance the team significantly.

This, however, isn’t to say that the Mets and the Braves will be bad. They’ll still be highly competitive teams, especially considering the Mets locked down Brandon Nimmo and Edwin Diaz, in addition to welcoming Justin Verlander and Kodai Senga to the team.

The Braves have a lot of their 2021 championship core remaining and have built a very young team, giving them an advantage as well.

However, considering the reign the Phils ended up having over the division in the 2022 postseason and the massive improvements they’ve made this offseason, they have a really good chance of winning the division this upcoming season.

By : @RylieS_14

*Photo Courtesy: For the Win- USA Today