In a day full of hockey drama, I will write about baseball.. The first real games of spring training have been played and its time to preview the Senior Circuit, The National League.
NL East-
1. Philadelphia Phillies- All they did was shock the world and sign Cliff Lee after trading him away for a season. They now have the best rotation in baseball. They will need to score some runs but we will see how a full season of Cliff and Roy Oswalt do in Philly(Good I am sure).
2. Atlanta Braves- The toughest thing they had this offseason was replacing Bobby Cox. They picked a good character guy to do that in Freddi Gonzalez. If Chipper Jones can have one more good year, the Braves will be the Wild Card team.
3. Florida Marlins- Sneeky good but still not great. Young team like always though Hanley is still the MVP of this team.
4. Washington Nationals- They paid a guy a 100 million dollars because he can grow a good beard. In all seriousness, Jayson was not Werth it. They have upside but without either of their last two Number 1 picks playing in the majors this season, they will once again not be in the playoffs.
5. New York Mets- Money issues, manager issues, every type of issues. They need to prove to everyone they can be good. I mean Wright might as well get traded as his talents are being abused being on that team.
NL Central- This division is tough to predict especially given key injuries to some teams.
1. Milwaukee Brewers- I called it first-Me and a lot of people! Adding Greinke and Marcum, they are built for the short term. If they fade by the trade deadline, they will trade Fielder but I forsee them doing well and winning this division, especially after the debacle in St. Louis.
2. St. Louis Cardinals- They should win this division but losing Adam Wainwright will hurt them. Pujols is pissed and is about to take his talents to the Bronx next year unless they can keep him happy. They will have to rely on Cris Carpenters twice rebuilt arm if they are to be any good.
3. Chicago Cubs- Added some key free agents but are still a few arms away from being awesome. This team is trending upward.
4. Cincinnati Reds- Trending downwards. They are young but the arms are iffy. Dusty worked some magic last season but won't have that this season even with Cuban Fireballer Aroldis Chapman.
5. Houston Astros- Finally in rebuilding mode, but still old in a lot of places. This is a team without an Identity with Berkman and Oswalt gone.
6. Pittsburgh Pirates- This team supports my theory for relegation! Can you even name another Pirate other than Doumitt or McCutcheon. I feel for Pirate fans but not for Pittsburgh fans in general since their other teams are kicking ass.
NL West-
1. San Francisco Giants- Hard to pick against the Defending World Series Champions. They have a great rotation and Kung Fu Panda has come into camp with lots of weight off so hopefully he can regain his form.
2. Colorado Rockies- Kept their core intact. A Full year of Tulo again. This team can be good but need to have a full rotation.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers- Ownership issues muddle the water for this team. They could be good but we will see how first time manager Don Mattignly can handle them.
4. San Diego Padres- Traded their best player but got some great prospects in return. This is a team in rebuilding but they are trying to do it right. Stick with them Padres fans and 3 years from now you will be rewarded. They should trade Health Bell this season and get a few good returns.
5. Arizona Diamondbacks- This is a team who could be good, but lack real cohesion as a unit. Upton will be gone at the trade deadline.
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