Fans expect the Phillies to get off to a strong start in 2024
The National League East promises to be a difficult division again in 2024. The Atlanta Braves are still the team to beat heading into the season, and their recent trade for Chris Sale makes their starting rotation arguably the deepest in all of MLB. The Braves are a dynamic squad and unlikely to take a step back next season.
The New York Mets had a train wreck of a 2023, but it's hard to count out a team with vast financial resources and an owner dead set on competing with the New York Yankees for relevancy in the Big Apple. Any day now they could make a move to bring themselves back into the discussion as a team to beat in the highly competitive NL East.
The Miami Marlins are starting to build something after a long stretch of basement-dwelling within the division. No longer the laughing stock of the NL East ( that honor now belongs to the Washington Nationals), the Marlins have started to mix in a young core with some key veteran additions. The Phillies swept the Marlins in two games during the Wild Card round of the playoffs last year, but all indications are that Miami is a team entering a competitive window.
In such a tough division, getting off to a good start to begin the 2024 season is vitally important for the Phillies. In 2023, the Phillies had an April that saw the team go 15-13, and a dreadful May that resulted in a 10-16 record.
All signs point to the Phillies beginning the season healthier entering 2024, so there's no excuse for playing poor baseball in April and May. Falling behind in the division early could prove fatal this time around.