Mets Become Clear Favorites To Win NL East, Braves, Phillies Struggling In 2022

It’s still early in the 2022 MLB season, but the New York Mets are starting to create significant separation between themselves and the rest of the NL East. Four weeks after Opening Day, the Mets have become clear favorites to win the division.

New York is a -135 odds-on favorite to win the NL East at BetMGM. The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies both have +250 odds to finish the season in first place.

The Mets swept the Braves in a doubleheader Tuesday, increasing their lead over the defending World Series champions to seven games. New York is six games ahead of Philadelphia, whom the Mets just defeated twice in a three-game series. The Miami Marlins are in second place and trail New York by 4.5 games.

Miami has +1000 odds to win the NL East and still isn’t considered to be much of a threat. The Washington Nationals have +3000 division odds, sitting 8.5 games behind the Mets in last place.

Through 26 games, the Mets have been the National League’s best team. New York has a league-best 18-8 record. The team hasn’t lost a series yet.

As the most popular World Series bet of the offseason, the Mets entered 2022 with high expectations. Owner Steve Cohen gave New York MLB’s second-highest payroll by signing Max Scherzer and other free agents.

With 16% of the regular-season schedule complete, the Mets have managed to exceed those lofty expectations.

The Mets opened only as slight betting favorites with +140 odds to win the NL East. The Braves, coming off a World Series title and four straight division titles, had +160 odds. The Phillies opened with +450 NL East odds.

The Mets have MLB’s third-best ERA and rank eighth in runs per game. Scherzer and Tylor Megill are tied for the league-lead with four wins apiece.

Atlanta has been one of MLB’s most disappointing teams, losing 11 of its first 26 games. The Braves got off to a poor start in 2021, as well. Atlanta didn’t have a winning record for the first time until Aug. 6.

In their last 188 regular-season games, the Braves are only 11 games over .500. Even with the return of Ronald Acuna Jr., there’s no guarantee that Atlanta will become one of the NL’s top teams as the season moves along.

The Braves are 10th in ERA and 12th in runs per game in the NL.

The Phillies haven’t made the playoffs since 2011. The Marlins last finished over .500 in a 162-game season in 2009.