MLB 2025: Early NL East storylines for Phillies, Mets, Braves - ESPN

Let's call it the first big intradivision showdown of 2025: The Philadelphia Phillies at the New York Mets for three games beginning Monday. The Mets are off to a hot start thanks to Pete Alonso and a surprisingly dominant pitching staff that leads the majors in ERA. They hold a two-game lead over the Phillies, who have been powered by the familiar 1-2 punch of Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber and a new starter in Jesus Luzardo who so far looks like one of the best acquisitions of the offseason.

While winning the National League East isn't necessarily a must to reach the postseason, the early depth in the NL West, with four potential playoff teams, does suggest the possibility that only one East team might make the playoffs — which makes these head-to-head matchups even more important.

Let's examine some of the early storylines for the Mets and Phillies and how those might decide the NL East — and, no, we don't want to ignore the Atlanta Braves, who are off to a horrendous start but are still capable of turning this into a three-team race over the course of the next five months.

Is this a new and improved Alonso?

After a less-than-adventurous free agency, in which he seemed to draw little interest from other teams, Alonso eventually returned to the Mets on a two-year, $54 million deal with a player opt-out after 2025 — betting that he can put together a better season than he did in 2024, when he had the lowest OPS and the lowest full-season home run total of his six-year career.

That's so far been the case. He has been the most locked-in Mets hitter in the early going, slashing .346/.453/.718 with six home runs and 24 RBIs — trailing only Aaron Judge in OPS among all hitters. The big key here is clear: Alonso has cut his