The National League East is expected to be one of toughest divisions in Major League Baseball, if not the toughest.

The Phillies are one of three teams listed at +250 or lower to win the NL East going into Opening Day on Thursday. The American League West is the only other division with three teams listed at +250 or lower.

DraftKings lists the Phils at +210 behind the Braves at +110. The Mets are +240 on DK.

FanDuel currently has the Phils at +190, with the Braves at +125 and Mets at +220.

If you even consider spending money on the Nationals or Marlins to win, well, I got nothing for you, that’s just a waste of money. You’re better off opening an NJ casino app and depositing your entire bank account. The Nats could improve in 2025, but it’s so hard to topple the three established powers.


The time to bet the Phils might be now because of what Atlanta is going through.

The Braves won’t get Ronald Acuna Jr. and Spencer Strider back until May, and it probably will take until the start of summer for both of them to really get going.

Atlanta also plays 13 of its first 20 on the road, the first seven of which are against the Padres and Dodgers.

Contrast that with the Phillies, who could go 6-0 against the Nationals and Rockies.

There will not be a drastic shift in the odds over the first week, or even the first month, but I could see the Phillies starting hot and the Braves struggling because of their schedule. That might shift the odds a bit in the Phils’ favor.

The current odds do take into consideration that Strider and Acuna will return, so I wouldn’t expect Atlanta’s number to go up significantly, but you’d rather take the Phils at their current prices than at a lower-ish number by the end of April.

The Mets are a clear third right now. Sure, they signed Juan Soto, but have you looked at their pitching staff???

Woof.

Clay Holmes, who pitched in relief for the Yankees, is not just starting, but he is the Mets’ Opening Day starter.

Tylor Megill, Griffin Canning, David Peterson and Kodai Senga fill out the Mets rotation.

The Phils have the best rotation on paper to begin the season with Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Cristopher Sanchez at the top.

The Braves have Chris Sale, but after that, they’re trusting Spencer Schwellenbach and Reynaldo Lopez in the 2 and 3 spots. Were they one-hit wonders in 2024, or real deals? That’s a big question that has to be asked before and after Strider’s return.

At least right now you have to like the Phils’ chances compared to the Braves and Mets, and if an early-season hot streak happens, the odds will drop from where they are currently.