Baseball Preview-NL East

1. Philadelphia Phillies (2008 World Champions)-Somehow, this team got better after being the best in 2008. They added RBI beast Raul Ibanez to man left field this season, but dont get your hopes to high on him as he ages big time. They have 5 quality starters and they have a lineup that is solid from 1-8. They should be a favorite to win again in 2009, but i think they will fall short in Ocober this year. They put up a fight but fall short to the Dodgers.
   
2. New York Mets-Even with the additions of Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz to the bullpen, the Mets still have holes in the 'pen that will hurt them. They can't pitch these guys every day, so the Mets are limtied with options after Putz and K-Rod. They have a solid offense and their rotation looks to be solid. But when push comes to shove, the Mets only know how to choke when it counts the most. They miss the division and Wild Card.
   
3. Atlanta Braves-The Braves came out and added SP Derek Lowe to a rotation that is still suffering since the Maddux-Smoltz-Glavine era ended. They posess some good young pitchers and good young hitters and are a team of the future in this division. But they too like the teams below them, will fall short of the big guns above them. Look for the Braves to be a Wild Card contender until September.
   
4. Florida Marlins-Another team with young stars and a bright future. But there are some holes and some players who have to prove themselves. They are lead by sluggers Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla who lead the fish attack, but they continue to lack the starting pitching to contend in this division. They put up a fight but not even close enough to the big shooters.
   
5. Washington Nationals-There is too much pop at the top of this division for Washington to succeed this season. They have many young players, many of whom, have to still prove their MLB worthiness. They did land Adam Dunn in the offseason to add some home runs and some strikeouts to the lineups. Bottom line is they have a young core, but talent and experience are lacking big time.