Their first season in brand new Citi Field certainly didn't go as hoped for the New York Mets. They were bitten early and often by the injury bug, forcing them to constantly field an inferior team which lacked efficiency in many areas. But they're not concerned with that now, but rather looking towards the 2010 campaign as they prepare for the season down in Port St. Lucie.
It wasn't a very productive offseason as Omar Minaya failed to address many aspects of his club, mainly the starting rotation. And as usual, there was a bit of controversy surrounding the way they handles Carlos Beltran and his decision to have knee surgery. But with the additions they did make, namely Jason Bay, Ryota Igarashi, Kelvim Escobar, and Rod Barajas (among others), they're hoping to field a competitive team in the very much improved NL East.
Hoping to have the likes of Jose Reyes and David Wright healthy for a full season will surely help them improve on their abysmal season last year, as will the middle of the order presence of Jason Bay. But to compete with the Phillies, Braves, Marlins, and Nationals (yes, the Nationals), their starting pitching is going to have to really perform. Whether or not they can do it with the staff they have now has yet to be seen, but I suspect they might need to add an arm or two down the line after striking out on both Joel Piniero (Angels) and Jason Marquis (Nationals) during the offseason.
In my opinion, I feel that if they key players can stay healthy, and the rotation can pitch decently behind Santana that the Mets could remain competitive down to the end, especially if they add another arm or a key bat. Whether that will be enough to propel them past the Phillies or into wild card contention remains a huge question that fortunately, we have a whole season to answer. Right not though, Mets fans are just excited to get the bitter taste that 2009 left out of their mouth, because with another year comes another opportunity, and hopefully the Mets can capitalize for once.
Phillies: The Phillies had a dominating year in the east. Although only winning by 6 games, the Phils basically led wire to wire. Also, the Phillies were NL Champs for the 2nd consecutive year. First lets talk additions, the Phillies big acquisition was of course, Roy Halladay. Halladay has been one of the most dominant pitchers in the American League over the past years with a career record of 148-76 and a 3.15 ERA since his breakout 2003 season. The Halladay trade sent Cliff Lee to the Mariners. The Phillies also added Placido Polanco, a former Phillie, with a 3 year, 18 million dollar contract. They also signed former Mets catcher, Brian Schneider. Besides these moves, the Phils really didn't make much noise this offseason. A bunch of minor league contracts were signed, that's about it. But no major losses, besides Cliff Lee.
Marlins: The Marlins once again had a progressively better year. They finished 2nd in the east, 6 games behind the Phillies, and 5 games out of the wild card. No big acquisitions for them, but there were a lot of losses over the offseason. The Marlins lost Alfredo Amezega, Jeremy Hermida, Ross Gload, Matt Lindstrom, and a few others. The Marlins added a bunch of minor leaguers.
Braves: Ever since the Braves run of 14 straight NL East titles came to an end, the team has struggled. They finished last year 7 games out of first, better than 2008, but not where they want to be. The Braves added Billy Wagner, who came over from Boston after being traded from the Mets. They also acquired Outfielder Melky Cabrera from the Yankees. The Braves lost Ryan Church, Javier Vasquez, and Adam LaRoche among many other minor losses.
Mets: Well, it was another terrible year for the Mets. After the collapses of 2007 and 2008, the Mets continued to decline. The Mets had a horrendous 70-92 finish, landing them in fourth place in the National League East. The story of 2009 was the injuries. After Carlos Delgado went down in April, it was all downhill from there. It seemed like there was no end to it. Beltran went down, Reyes went down, Wright went down for a few weeks, Schneider got hurt for a while, Santana went down, K-Rod went down, J.J. Putz went down, and those are just the major ones. The Mets major acquisition was Jason Bay, from the Red Sox. Bay was added to help the Mets get some power in their lineup, as they had just 95 home runs last year, last in the league. The Mets added a few minor catchers (Henry Blanco, Chris Coste, Rod Barajas). They also signed Gary Matthews Jr. from the Angels. The Mets neglected to resign starting first baseman Carlos Delgado. This turned out to be a good move for them, as Delgado had hip surgery and will now miss four months of the year.
Nationals: Well, when you talk Nationals baseball, there's never much positive to talk about. The perennial cellar dwellers once again came in last place, this time, with the worst record in baseball. The Nationals continued to bring in mostly smaller names this offseason. Washington brought in people like Willy Taveras, former all star catcher Ivan Rodriguez, reliever Matt Capps, and infielder Eric Bruntlett. They recently signed former Yankees ace Chein-Ming Wang, who has been battling injuries these past two years (torn muscle in his foot in 2008, more serious arthroscopic shoulder surgery in 2009). Wang had just 1 win in his short 2009 campaign, but the Nationals are hoping he can return to his 2006 and 2007 form when he won 19 games each year.
Now for the predictions, keep in mind I'm a Mets fan, so I may be a little biased, but I'll try my best to be as fair as I can. I'll list them in order, and explain why I put them there.
1st Place: Phillies (94-68)
As much as this pains me, there's no doubt about it. The Phillies have dominated the east these past 2 years, and won back to back National League titles. The Phillies just play with this heart that no other team in the East has. The only thing I could see being a problem is their bullpen. With Rollins, Howard, Utley, Halladay, Victorino, Jayson Werth, and Raul Ibanez, the Phillies are going to be a power in the NL for years and years to come.
2nd Place: Mets (89-73)
Here's where the slight bias comes in. Yes, this could be seen as a little outlandish but if the Mets can stay healthy, I truly think this is an achievable spot. The addition of Jason Bay will undoubtedly give the Mets more power, and when Reyes is on his A game, he is a force to be reckoned with. The Mets have a shaky rotation headed by ace Johan Santana, but followed by the likes of John Maine and Mike Pelfrey, who haven't completely proven themselves yet. But just like the Phillies, the bullpen could be an issue.
3rd Place: Marlins (87-75)
The Marlins have been progressing over the years, and finished last year second behind the Phillies. The Marlins have a good young team, that I believe will be a power in the coming years. Hanley Ramirez is one of today's premier young players, perennially hitting over 300 with more than 30 home runs. The Marlins pitching could be a question, but Josh Johnson anchors a young, talented rotation.
4th Place: Braves (84-78)
I don't really see the Braves getting anywhere this year. After last year's 3rd place finish with the depleted Mets out of the picture, I think they'll drop back down to fourth this year. The additions of Billy Wagner and Melky Cabrera will undoubtably help them, but not enough to garner a better finish. With Adam LaRoche, Javier Vasquez, and Ryan Church gone, I think the Braves are in for another sub-par year.
5th Place: Nationals (79-83)
The Nationals are improving, they have brought in free agents to help them, and I believe they although still not moving from last, will have a much better season than previous years. Improvements include Chein-Ming Wang, Willy Taveras and Ivan Rodriguez. Like all the other teams in the East, pitching will be a problem, but not too major to give them a worse record.
There it is, my predictions for 2010. I look forward to writing about the NL East all year for you, and seeing how this turns out. Well, I guess there's only one thing to say now, and that's, Play Ball!
