It’s April 1st and baseball is right around the corner. Well, real baseball anyways. Not spring training or the poorly planned World Baseball Classic. This Sunday marks the first game as the defending World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies square off against Derek Lowe and the revamped Atlanta Braves.

Today we’re going to take a look at the teams in the NL and what they are bringing to the table in the 2009 MLB Season. I have no doubt that I left some things out when discussing each team, but this isn’t meant to be an in depth look at each team, but more of a quick look and some predictions at the end.

NL EAST

Philadelphia Phillies – The Phillies are the defending champs and head into this season looking just as strong, if not stronger. They lost outfielder Pat Burrell to the AL Champion Tampa Bay Rays, but replace him with former Seattle Mariner Raul Ibanez. Last year with Seattle, Ibanez hit .293, 23 home runs and 110 RBI’s. I expect those numbers to actually be better this year now that he has some talent surrounding him. The real question is how Cole Hamels will hold up this season and how the Phillies as a team will bounce back after a championship season.

New York Mets – The Mets suffered a second straight epic collapse near the end of the season to miss the playoffs, thanks in large part to their horrible bullpen. During the off-season the Mets did their best to correct that problem but signing K-Rod from the Angels, fresh off his record setting season, and traded for J.J. Putz to serve as the set-up man. On paper this should finally solve their problems, but that is why they play the games.

Atlanta Braves – After missing the post-season once again, the Braves decided to make several changes this off-season. They signed Derek Lowe to anchor the rotation and acquired Kenshin Kawakami (Japan) and Javier Vazquez (White Sox). Combine that with youngster Jair Jurrens and Tom Glavine in the fifth spot, and the Braves have a pretty solid rotation set-up. If they can get production out of some more up and coming young players, I expect Atlanta to challenge for the division that they once owned.

Florida Marlins – Florida is stocked with plenty of young talent, but I don’t think it will be enough to make them playoff worthy. Fantasy stars Dan Uggla and Hanley Ramirez will do their best to carry the lineup, but they will require more help from their supporting cast, which they most likely won’t get.

Washington Nationals – The biggest news coming from the Nations this off-season was the signing of left fielder Adam Dunn. Other than that, they look like a solid shot to finish in the basement once again. If you’re making a wager on the amount of Adam Dunn home runs vs. Nationals wins, I’d take the wins, but not by much.

NL CENTRAL

Chicago Cubs – The Cubs celebrated their 100th season last year by dominating the regular season and coming out flatter than a month old open bottle of Coke in the playoffs. To their fan’s credit though, they continue to follow their team like no other. The Cubs return another strong roster this season and have the services of pitcher Rich Harden for the entire season, instead of half the season like last year. If he can stay healthy for the duration of the season, I see the Cubs making another post-season appearance.

Houston Astros – Excuse me while I crack up at the thought of Houston signing Mike Hampton. If there has ever been a player guilty of holding a franchise hostage and stealing money from them, Hampton would be that guy. I imagine Hampton going into his contract negotiations with Atlanta years ago with a ski mask and a gun, which makes me seriously question why the Astros have signed the guy. The Astros look like they always do to me. A team that has some pieces, will struggle for the bulk of the season, and make noise in September but come up just short.

Milwaukee Brewers – The Brewers lost out on C.C. Sabathia this off-season, as if anybody actually expected him to sign in Milwaukee. They still return a pretty solid lineup with Prince Fielder at first base and slugger Ryan Braun in left field. If they can get solid production from their rotation and new closer Trevor Hoffman (who starts the season on the DL), they will be in the discussion in September for the second straight season.

Pittsburgh Pirates – Ooohhhh…the Pirates. Where do I start? In the immortal words of Dennis Green, “They are who we thought they were!” That could very well be the slogan for the Pirates going into ever season. They shoot for .500 as they trade away anybody with potential. I see nothing that will change that this season.

St. Louis Cardinals – The overall make-up of the Cardinals lineup doesn’t impress me, besides slugger Albert Pujols. If he can get some help from Ryan Ludwick, Rick Ankiel and Yadier Molina, the Cardinals could possibly challenge for a wild card spot. Then again, nobody picked Tampa Bay last year so anything can happen once they take the field.

Cincinnati Reds – The Reds have some potential, at least from a fantasy standpoint. Brandon Phillips stars at second base, Jay Bruce is in right field and Francisco Cordero comes in to close the games. They might be a decent team, but I don’t see any post-season in their future.

NL WEST

San Diego Padres – The Padres survived a mini fire sale this off-season when they were openly shopping ace pitcher Jake Peavy. I don’t see how that can possibly help the team and I don’t see how Peavy can be happy pitching for San Diego this season. They also lost the staple of their bullpen, closer Trevor Hoffman, which opens up the spot to Nintendo Wii star Heath Bell. I’d predict a near bottom of the division finish for the Padres if they weren’t in the NL West, however I still don’t see them being very competitive this season.

San Francisco Giants – Much like the Padres, I’m not overly impressed with the Giants roster, but they stand a chance because of the division they are in. They have Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum pitching which gives them a solid chance to make some noise. They signed aging pitcher Randy Johnson as well. If they can get solid production out of him it will definitely help and getting anything out of Barry Zito will be a plus as well.

Colorado Rockies – The Rockies had a disappointing season in 2008 after going to the World Series the prior year. They have a pretty solid lineup featuring the likes of Chris Iannetta, Todd Helton, Garrett Atkins and Troy Tulowitzki. Despite that, if they don’t get major run production from that lineup I’m seeing a middle of the division finish for Colorado.

Los Angeles Dodgers – After all the drama during the off-season, the Dodgers finally locked down Manny Ramirez. Depending on which Manny the Dodgers get, they are my early favorites to win the NL West. Along with Ramirez, the Dodgers lineup consists of Russell Martin, Orlando Hudson, Casey Blake, Benedict Arnold Rafael Furcal, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier. On paper that looks like a lock for the NLCS, but we still have 162 games to go before that is even a discussion.

Arizona Diamondbacks – Arizona was leading the way last season until they fell apart (and the Dodgers acquired Manny Ramirez). I really see Arizona as the only competition with LA for the division, so that should at least make things interesting. They return Brandon Webb and Dan Haren to anchor the rotation which will definitely make some noise during the season.


Predictions
NL East: New York Mets
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers
Wildcard: Atlanta Braves

First Round: Braves over Cubs
First Round: Dodgers over Mets

NL Champion: Los Angeles Dodgers

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