The 2025 National League East was weird. Honestly, if you looked at the projections back in March, you probably thought we’d see a three-way bloodbath between the Phillies, Braves, and the Juan Soto-led Mets.
But baseball doesn't care about your spreadsheets.
The 2025 NL East standings finished with the Philadelphia Phillies firmly on top for the second year in a row. They went 96-66. It sounds dominant—and it was—but the road there was anything but smooth. Losing Zack Wheeler in August to a season-ending injury should have been the funeral for their division hopes. Instead, Cristopher Sánchez turned into a legitimate ace, and the Phillies actually extended their lead while everyone else in the division seemingly forgot how to win a series.
How the 2025 NL East Standings Actually Shook Out
When the dust settled in late September, the gap between first and second place was a massive 13 games. That is not the "down-to-the-wire" race the media promised us.
- Philadelphia Phillies (96-66) - Division Champs.
- New York Mets (83-79) - A massive disappointment considering the hype.
- Miami Marlins (Over .500 but way back) - Somehow beat the Braves for third.
- Atlanta Braves (Below .500) - The absolute shocker of the year.
- Washington Nationals (Rebuilding) - Exactly where we expected.
Let’s talk about the Mets for a second. They signed Juan Soto to that monster deal. They had the momentum from a surprising 2024 run. And yet, they barely scraped past .500. It turns out that having one of the best hitters in history doesn't matter much when your rotation—led by question marks like Kodai Senga and Frankie Montas—struggles to provide five clean innings. They finished 83-79, which was technically good enough to hang around the Wild Card conversation, but it felt like a failure.
The Braves’ Spectacular Collapse
If you want to know why the 2025 NL East standings looked so lopsided, look at Atlanta. This team was a juggernaut for six years. Then, 2025 happened. Max Fried and Charlie Morton left in free agency. Spencer Strider was coming back from injury, but the "regress" warning bells were ringing loud.
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They fell behind early. They never recovered. By August, they weren't even fighting the Phillies; they were fighting the Marlins just to stay out of fourth place.
The Marlins are the sneaky story here. Everyone—including the experts at Baseball Prospectus—gave them a 0% chance to do anything. They were supposed to be "tanking." But behind Jesús Luzardo (who actually led the Phillies in wins after being traded there later or being a key rival arm—wait, Luzardo stayed a force) and a scrappy, no-name lineup, they finished ahead of the Braves. That’s a sentence no one thought they’d write in 2025.
Why the Phillies Ran Away With It
It wasn't just Bryce Harper being Bryce Harper. Kyle Schwarber hit 56 home runs. Fifty-six! Trea Turner hit over .300 despite missing most of September with a hamstring issue.
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But the real MVP of the Phillies’ season was the pitching depth. When Wheeler went down, the season should have tanked. Instead:
- Cristopher Sánchez posted a 2.50 ERA with over 210 strikeouts.
- Ranger Suárez stayed healthy and reliable (before heading to Boston in the 2026 off-season).
- Aaron Nola ate innings like it was his job.
They clinched the division on September 16, 2025, after beating the Dodgers. It was a party in Philly, but it was also a sigh of relief. The Mets were "hot" on their heels in August (only 2.5 games back at one point), but the Phillies just refused to blink.
The Nationals and the Long Game
Washington finished last, sure. But if you’re a Nats fan, you aren't looking at the 2025 NL East standings with tears. You’re looking at James Wood and Dylan Crews. These kids are the real deal. Wood started showing All-Star flashes, and Crews kept the Rookie of the Year race interesting. They are still a year or two away from being a problem, but they aren't the "easy win" they used to be.
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Final Thoughts on the Race
Most people get the 2025 season wrong because they think the Mets were "close." They weren't. A 13-game lead is a canyon. The Phillies didn't just win; they survived a division that was supposed to be the toughest in baseball and made it look like a cakewalk because their rivals tripped over their own shoelaces.
If you're looking to understand what happened, look at the rotation stability. Philly had it. The Mets and Braves didn't. Simple as that.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Check the 2026 Spring Training schedules now that the 2025 season is in the books and the off-season moves (like Ranger Suárez to the Red Sox) are shifting the power balance.
- Watch the arbitration numbers for the Marlins' young core; their overperformance in 2025 makes them prime trade candidates or extension targets.
- Track Spencer Strider’s recovery metrics heading into the new year, as the Braves’ 2026 hopes rest entirely on his right arm returning to 2023 form.