Climbing the Ladder with the National League East

Division is Mets’ to win

It’s opening night in the National League, featuring the Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves.

The latter failed to win the division last year for only the second time since the strike-shortened 1994 season.

The big news of the offseason, however, was two-time Cy Young Award-winner Johan Santana joining the already powerful New York Mets. He’ll lead a dominant rotation with four probable 15-game-winners.

The Mets have aging starters in Carlos Delgado, Luis Castillo, Moises Alou, Pedro Martinez and Orlando Hernandez. Keeping them healthy will be important for a deep run in October.

In the last two years the Mets have shown they are among the NL elite, but their 2007 collapse will be difficult to put behind them. The NL East is theirs for the taking, but it will be up to franchise players Jose Reyes and David Wright to make sure they do so.

Benefiting from the Mets’ collapse were the Philadelphia Phillies, who should again give New York a run for their money.

The Phillies’ infield features two MVPs and the consensus-No. 1 second baseman in Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley. The outfield isn’t too shabby, either, with veteran sluggers Pat Burrell and Geoff Jenkins playing the corners, flanking the speedy Shane Victorino.

The Phil’s gave up another speedy center fielder in Michael Bourn but got closer Brad Lidge in exchange. He’ll return from the disabled list in early April to complete a dominant bullpen with Tom Gordon and J.C. Romero.

Looking to regain their former stature are the Braves, who have completed their transition to the next generation. These fresh faces include Brian McCann, Mark Teixeira, Kelly Johnson, Yunel Escobar and Jeff Francoeur.

Tom Glavine was reunited with John Smoltz in the offseason, and those two following ace Tim Hudson will be part of a strong veteran rotation. If they all avoid injury and dropoff due to age, it will be a strong rotation.

The Braves will have a hard time competing with the very talented Mets and Phillies, but they should be competing for the division title in September.

The Braves’ opening night opponent, the Nationals, have little to be excited about this season. Competing in a division with three very good teams leaves them fighting to stay out of the cellar.

The rotation starts with Odalis Perez, who went 8-11 last year with a 5.57 ERA and a 4.2 K/9 ratio, and it gets worse from there. The Nationals are looking at a rotation with a combined 2007 record of 28-37, which falls somewhere below mediocre.

The lineup is nothing about which to brag, either. While many of the hitters show promise, none of them lived up to it in 2007. The starting eight combined for just 99 home runs and 28 stolen bases.

Still fielding a team of prospects since the fire sale following the 2003 World Series Championship, the Marlins aren’t looking to compete this year, either.

The top of the order features a potent one-two punch and double-play combination in Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla, but the lineup gets less impressive from there.

If the Nationals’ rotation is subpar, the Marlins’ rotation is a bogey. The starting five combined to go just 24-36 in 2007. Kevin Gregg and Chad Cordero are quality closers, but it remains to be seen who will get them the ball.

With the Mets’ acquisition of Santana, they are the clear-cut favorite to win the division. The Phillies and the Braves may miss out on the playoffs despite having quality ball clubs. Meanwhile the Nats and the Marlins will duke it out for fourth place.