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NL East Winner: Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals are all within five games of each other in the NL East. Any of the three could get hot and take control.

The Phillies, however, have both the inside track and the best team.

They've had the division's most reliable starting rotation all season, and both their bullpen and offense should finish strong. Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera and, when he returns from a hamstring injury, catcher Wilson Ramos are substantial offensive upgrades at positions that needed them. Aaron Loup is a fine addition to a bullpen that's already hot.

The Braves, meanwhile, are a roughly .500 team since May 15, and they went strictly for upside plays at the deadline. And as tempting as it is to put faith in Washington's star power, it hasn't earned any faith in 2018.

NL Central Winner: Milwaukee Brewers

Although the Chicago Cubs are positioned for their third straight NL Central title, neither the Milwaukee Brewers nor the Pittsburgh Pirates are to be taken lightly.

The Brewers have been near the top of the division all season, and they've just added Joakim Soria, Mike Moustakas and Jonathan Schoop. The Pirates have won 16 of 21 since July 8, and now they have Chris Archer and Keone Kela.

The Cubs, of course, got Cole Hamels and Brandon Kintzler. But their fate is more so hinged to when and how strongly Yu Darvish (elbow), Kris Bryant (shoulder) and Brandon Morrow (biceps) return from injuries. For now, the fates of all three are up in the air.

Clearly, the Brewers and Pirates have an opening. Since the former have the better record and deeper roster, they're the pick.

NL West Winner: Los Angeles Dodgers

As of now, the NL West race is a toss-up between the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies.

The Rockies may be on borrowed time. By doing virtually nothing at the deadline, they've opened themselves up to regression to the sub-.500 club they were before June 28.

The D-backs were more active at the deadline, acquiring Escobar, Matt Andriese, Jake Diekman and Brad Ziegler. But none of those additions are as big as the Dodgers' trade for Manny Machado. Throw in Dozier and John Axford, and they arguably made better use of the deadline than any other team.

It also can't be ignored that the Dodgers are 45-23 since May 17. They're not perfect, but they're a hot team that just made itself better.

NL Wild Card No. 1: Chicago Cubs

The Cubs have their work cut out for them in holding on to the NL Central lead. But even if they tread water for the rest of the season, they can still nab the NL's top wild-card spot.

Even without a healthy, productive Bryant, the Cubs still lead the National League in OPS and runs scored. That speaks to the sheer depth they have in their lineup. And while their pitching has bent, it has yet to break. Hamels and Kintzler will help ensure it stays that way.

NL Wild Card No. 2: Arizona Diamondbacks

We're left with the Braves, Nationals, Pirates, Diamondbacks, Rockies and perhaps the San Francisco Giants in a race for a single playoff spot.

Survey says: the Diamondbacks. They're the best team of the bunch right now, and they should stay that way.

Escobar's arrival and Steven Souza Jr.'s return to form will help the Snakes' offense avoid another horrible slump like the one that happened in May. For their part, Diekman and Ziegler will help the team's bullpen pull out of the slump it's been in for the last month or so.