The Fan Hub

With the unfortunate exception of the New York Mets, the National League East is shaping up to be one of Major League Baseball’s most intriguing divisions heading into Spring Training.

The Philadelphia Phillies finished last season with baseball’s best record and even without significant changes should still contend for the World Series. They lost Roy Oswalt and Ryan Madson and gained Jonathon Papelbon, but these changes don’t mean much in the grand scheme of things. Even with Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee getting older, they are still two of the game’s best pitchers. They also have a World Series MVP in Cole Hamels and solid young arms with Vance Worley and Kyle Kendrick. They also have enough firepower in their lineup to generate runs, even without injured Ryan Howard.

While the Phillies have not made many drastic changes to their roster, a few other NL East teams have. The Washington Nationals and the new-look Miami Marlins are looking to arrive on the scene as contenders. They have not been relevant for the past several years, but seem to have turned a corner. The Marlins have made wholesale changes to their franchise. They have new uniforms, a new stadium, a new manager, and a much higher payroll. A team that was once known for its frugality has spent big money improving its team this offseason. Their most notable move was signing reigning NL batting champ Jose Reyes away from the Mets on a 6 year $106 million contract. They also bolstered their bullpen by signing established All-Star closer Heath Bell and veteran pitcher Mark Buehrle. The Marlins aren’t quite ready to challenge the Phillies yet, but they have a solid frontline starter in Josh Johnson and a cache of young talent including Mike Stanton, a potential superstar in the making.

The Washington Nationals are another team loaded with young talent. The have a trio of terrific young starters in Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman and Gio Gonzalez. Gonzalez and Zimmerman had great seasons last year and Strasburg, despite missing most of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, is still hailed as the best pitching prospect of the past decade. The Nationals also have plenty of young talented arms in their bullpen. If they can get some run support for their pitchers they should post their first ever winning season, and might even contend for the wildcard.

The Atlanta Braves cannot be left out of the discussion of possible contenders either. In early September they looked to have had the Wild Card spot locked up, but a monumental late season collapse paved the way for the Cardinals’ epic post season run. Their roster for next season is almost identical to the team they fielded a year ago, but their young players are a season older and might be ready to take their games to the next level. One of the biggest keys for the Braves this season will be Jason Heyward he drastically failed to live up to his high expectations last season, and this year Braves fans are hoping to see an improvement. Their team is solid all around they have solid pitching and a decent lineup. The key to the Braves success next season will be whether or not their young players like Heyward and Freddie Freeman can take their game to the next level.

Meanwhile, until the Wilpons sell the team, Roy Halladay retires, and a new generation of prospects come of age, the Mets are not even worth putting into the NL East conversation. Mets fans should look forward to cheap ticket prices, the possible emergence of a few young prospects and not much else.

— John Axelrod