For the Fourth Consecutive Season, the Braves Are NL East Champions

Without Ronald Acuña Jr. since July. Without Marcell Ozuna since May. Without Mike Soroka the entire season. Didn't matter. For the fourth season in a row, the Atlanta Braves are headed to the Postseason as NL East champions.

I must admit: I didn't see this coming a few months ago. The injuries had piled up, the team didn't get above .500 until August and the Mets had a plethora of opportunities to run away with this division before the Braves finally figured everything out. I even posited the idea of trading Freddie Freeman, who still has yet to sign an extension, at the deadline — with some context that nobody read, but that's fine — because making the Postseason really just didn't seem like a realistic goal at that point. I am willing to say I was categorically wrong about that, although Freeman's future beyond this season still remains a concern of mine until ink hits paper on another contract with the Braves.

But that's another issue for another time. We're headed back to the Postseason.

I've been quick to voice my displeasure with Alex Anthopoulos when he's done things wrong, so it's only fair to give credit when it's due. And I don't think it's hyperbole to say this division title is almost entirely thanks to what he was able to do at the trade deadline. The Braves got Jorge Soler (.860 OPS, 12 HR and 31 RBI in 53 games in Atlanta), Adam Duvall (.815 OPS, 16 HR and 44 RBI in 53 games) and Eddie Rosario (.921 OPS in 29 games) to completely overhaul an outfield which was struggling mightily since Acuña's injury. Soler and Duvall completely changed the offense.

Atlanta also added Richard Rodriguez as much-needed help in the bullpen and got Joc Pedersen for even more outfield depth. And it did so all without giving up a single top 10 prospect. Anthopoulos absolutely murdered this year's deadline.

Of course, none of this happens without what Austin Riley did this year. I certainly did not see this type of season coming from him. Just your casual .300 average, 30-homer, 100 RBI season — he'll be the first Braves player to achieve all three of those marks in a season since Javy Lopez and Gary Sheffield in 2003 if his average stays above .300 through Sunday. He has been absolutely phenomenal.

Max Fried and Charlie Morton have shoved in the second half. Dansby Swanson had his scorching hot streak when the team needed it. Ozzie Albies has come up clutch time after time. After so much went wrong in the first half of the season, the Braves just hung in there and had everything come together at the right time.

Even with the Braves playing as a corpse of a team for several months, the Phillies and Mets — and their combined $383,000,000 payrolls — couldn't dethrone Atlanta for the first time since 2017.

We're onto Milwaukee.