NL East

First: New York Mets

The winner will be decided by the New York pitching staff. The Mets lost a left-handed starter when they traded Glendon Rusch to Milwaukee, but got an even better one when they signed Shawn Estes from San Francisco. Jeff D’Amico, Pedro Astacio, Bruce Chen and Steve Trachsel all have a shot to fill out a rotation built around another lefty, Al Leiter. Hitting should not be an issue for New York. New faces Mo Vaughn, Roberto Alomar and Jeromy Burnitz join perennial All Star C Mike Piazza to form what will be one of the most feared lineups in the National League.

Second: Atlanta Braves

This team just doesn’t seem to go away. The Braves have yet another quality team, adding OF Gary Sheffield to the mix in the off-season to join OF Chipper Jones, C Javy Lopez and OF Andruw Jones. Pitching will once again be solid with Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Kevin Millwood. If P John Smoltz continues to adapt to his role as closer like he did last year, Atlanta will be tough to be late in games.

Third: Florida Marlins

After winning the 1997 World Series, the Marlins traded away almost every marquee player they had. While they suffered through some tough times after that, the young prospects they got in return should start to pay dividends. The rotation is still very tough, but with guys like Ryan Dempster, Brad Penny and A.J. Burnett joined by rookie phenom Josh Beckett, this group could turn into today’s version of the Braves of the late 1990s. Cliff Floyd gives Florida a legitimate All-Star.

Fourth: Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies had a surprising 86-76 record last year, but they might not be able to achieve that this season. Philadelphia has a pretty solid lineup with 3B Scott Rolen, SS Jimmy Rollins, OF Bobby Abreau and C Mike Lieberthal. But manager Larry Bowa, who was lauded for leading the Phillies with his tough-love tactics last season, might meet more resistance from his players if the team struggles early. The pitching staff has some promise but is well below the caliber of the top three teams in the division.

Fifth: Montreal Expos

This could be the easiest team to pick in the NL. It’s a shame that one of the best players in baseball, Vladimir Guerrero, has to pine away in this team with little chances of winning and even fewer fans. Pitchers Javier Vasquez, Carl Pavano and Tony Armas have potential, but with the cloud of contraction hanging over the team (not to mention the fact that it is now owned by MLB), these players likely won’t be traded and will have to suffer through another losing season.

NL Central

First: St. Louis Cardinals

The first season in the post-Mark McGwire era should be successful. The Cardinals are led by a very good pitching staff led by Matt Morris and Darryl Kile. The signing of free agent closer Jason Isringhausen was one of two big off-season acquisitions (the other being former 1B Tino Martinez), but he does have a tendency to blow saves, and that position could still pose problems for St. Louis. OF J.D. Drew and 3B Albert Pujols will ensure solid run support for the Cardinal pitchers.

Second: Chicago Cubs

The lovable losers have a real shot at getting rid of the “loser” tag this season. OF Sammy Sosa remains one of the best in the game, and he is joined by OF Mosies Alou to give Chicago’s lineup some pop. Jon Lieber and Kerry Wood are top-shelf starters and are the nucleus of a solid rotation. The closer could pose problems again, and Tom Gordon suffered yet another injury in spring training and will be out for some time, leaving the job to lefty Jeff Fassero and hard-throwing righty Kyle Farnsworth.

Third: Houston Astros

As long as 1B Jeff Bagwell and 2B Craig Biggio are still in Houston, this team will have a shot at postseason play. Losing Alou will hurt the run support somewhat, but the young outfield trio of Lance Berkman, Richard Hidalgo and Daryle Ward should be able to pick up the slack. The Houston pitching staff is young but full of talent. Roy Oswalt and Wade Miller both excelled last season, and Shane Reynolds has been a No. 1 starter in the past. The Astros also have a quality closer in Billy Wagner.

Fourth: Milwaukee Brewers

Despite a huge attendance boost from last year’s opening of Miller Park and the increased revenue that came with it, Milwaukee didn’t do much this off-season to improve its chances in the tough NL Central. The team took a step in the right direction in trying to add some contact hitters into the line up by dealing Jeromy Burnitz and adding 2B Eric Young and OF Alex Ochoa after leading the league in strikeouts last year. The Brewers added a left-handed starter in Rusch, but the rotation is shaky at best.

Fifth: Cincinnati Reds

With OF Ken Griffey Jr. and hot OF prospect Adam Dunn, there is at least some reason for excitement in Cincinnati, but that won’t be enough to enable the Reds to have a winning season. 1B Sean Casey has talent and should help for a decent offense, but the Reds simply don’t have the pitching to contend.

Sixth: Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates don’t have much going for them. Another bad team playing in a new ballpark last year (PNC Park), Pittsburgh seems destined to once again finish in the bottom two spots in the division. C Jason Kendall and OF Brian Giles are good, but the Pirates have little behind those two. Pitching will be a season-long problem as well.

NL West

First: Arizona Diamondbacks

The defending World Series champions will have their hands full in the West but should emerge on top once again. Led by the toughest one-two combo in the majors in Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, the Diamondback pitching staff could be even better this year. Todd Stottlemyre is coming back from injury, while Brian Anderson and Miguel Batista had confidence-building performances in the World Series. Arizona also signed P Rick Helling from Texas where he was a former No. 1 and if he can return to form, the pitching rotation could make the Diamondbacks the best in the big leagues. They also lost no significant players from last year’s starting lineup, although 3B Matt Williams will have to sit out the first part of the year with a broken leg.

Second: Los Angeles Dodgers

In P Kevin Brown, the Dodgers have one of the top three or four starters in baseball, as long as he can stay healthy. Health is a big cause for concern for the entire pitching staff, as Andy Ashby and Darren Dreifort hope to rebound from season-ending injuries last year. P Kazuhisa Ishii will try to duplicate the level of success Ichiro had last season after coming over from Japan, and P Omar Dahl will get a fresh start after floundering in Philadelphia. Sheffield had tons of talent but was bad for the clubhouse, and replacing him with OF Brian Jordan should improve team morale. C Paul Lo Duca was a surprise last year but must prove it was not a fluke.

Third: San Francisco Giants

When Barry Bonds broke the single-season home run record last year, it overshadowed the fact that the Giants fell short of postseason expectations. San Francisco is once again favored to win the division, and should once again fall short. SS Rich Aruilia and 2B Jeff Kent are among the best in the league at their positions, and playing in hitter-friendly Pac Bell Park will help the Giants score runs. The pitching is expected to be a strong suit as well, with Russ Ortiz, Jason Schmidt and Livan Hernandez, but the only one of them that has shown he can be a dominant force like what Arizona possesses is Hernandez, and that was back in 1997 with the Marlins. Rob Nenn gives the Giants a dominant closer.

Fourth: Colorado Rockies

It will be hard for a team to contend playing in the thin air of Coors Field. OF Larry Walker and 1B Todd Helton are the top guys in a lineup that is full of impressive statistics, but it must be noted that it is aided by playing 81 games a year in Coors. P Mike Hampton has proved that he is a legit No. 1 starter (and not too shabby of a hitter, either), but the bullpen will continue to be overworked as long as the Rockies continue to try to slug out 10-8 games.

Fifth: San Diego Padres

This is a young team building for the future. Former 3B Ryan Kelsko will move to OF to make room for newcomer Sean Burroughs, who is part of the team’s bright future along with 2B D’Angelo Jimenez and SS Ramon Vazquez. The pitching staff is also very green and will likely suffer some difficult growing pains this season. Closer Trevor Hoffman is a great team leader and one of the league’s top closers.

AL Wild Card: Cleveland Indians

NL Wild Card: Atlanta Braves

ALCS: New York Yankees over Boston Red Sox

NLCS: Arizona Diamondbacks over New York Mets

World Series Champs: Diamondbacks over Yankees