At a glance: National League East

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

Prediction: 1st

Outlook: No team is a bigger favorite to win its division than the Phillies are for the NL East. Even if the totality of their offseason moves don't inspire confidence - particularly the three-year commitment to Placido Polanco and the trade of Cliff Lee to Seattle - the addition of ace Roy Halladay should ensure the club's forward progress. Their lineup compares favorably to those of most AL teams, and Cole Hamels looks primed for a huge year behind Halladay. The bullpen brings the most questions with it.

In the spotlight: Definitely Halladay. After all of these years of challenging the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays, how easy will he find the rest of the NL?

Final word: Call it a NL three-peat for the Phillies, and then a repeat of last year's World Series foe and result. These are good times for the City of Brotherly Love.

2009: 93-69, First place, NL champions.

Manager: Charlie Manuel, sixth season, 447-363, .552; eight seasons overall, 667-553, .547, two pennants, one World Series title.

GM: Ruben Amaro Jr.

Last playoff appearance: Last season, lost to Yankees in World Series, 4-2.

Projected lineup

SS Jimmy Rollins
3B Placido Polanco
2B Chase Utley
1B Ryan Howard
RF Jayson Werth
LF Raul Ibañez
CF Shane Victorino
C Carlos Ruiz

Projected rotation

RH Roy Halladay
LH Cole Hamels
RH Joe Blanton
LH J.A. Happ
LH Jamie Moyer

ATLANTA BRAVES

Prediction: 2nd

Outlook: It used to be that you believed the Braves would find their way back to the playoffs, because they were the Braves. Now, you tend to think the opposite. You sense that their offseason moves simply won't work out. GM Frank Wren followed up an 86-win campaign by dealing his best pitcher (Javier Vazquez) and paying 100 cents on the dollar on such question marks as Troy Glaus, Takashi Saito and Billy Wagner. Nevertheless, the starting rotation is still a strength, and if rookie Jason Heyward plays up to the hype surrounding him, the Braves could be a serious playoff contender.

In the spotlight: Manager Bobby Cox is wrapping up his remarkable career. He is sure to get much fan love as the season winds down.

Final word: The pitching staff ensures a competitive team, but ultimately, these guys aren't good enough to make the playoffs.

2009: 86-76, Third place.

Manager: Bobby Cox, 21st season of current tenure, 25th with Braves overall, 2,058-1,638, .557; 28 seasons overall, 2,413-1,930, .556, five pennants, one World Series title.

GM: Frank Wren.

Last playoff appearance: 2005.

Projected lineup

CF Nate McClouth
2B Martin Prado
3B Chipper Jones
1B Troy Glaus
C Brian McCann
SS Yunel Escobar
RF Jason Heyward
LF Matt Diaz

Projected rotation

RH Tim Hudson
RH Derek Lowe
RH Jair Jurrjens
RH Tommy Hudson
RH Kenshin Kawakami

FLORIDA MARLINS

Prediction: 3rd

Outlook: The Marlins' biggest news of the winter occurred when Major League Baseball and the Players Association jointly fingered Florida for pocketing too many of its revenues, a highly embarrassing development. The Marlins responded to the scolding by committing four years and $39 million to ace Josh Johnson. There's still markedly little depth. The back of the rotation is underwhelming, and the team needs another corner infielder after Jorge Cantu.

In the spotlight: Manager Fredi Gonzalez had the love and support of his superiors after replacing Joe Girardi for the 2007 season, but last fall, owner Jeffrey Loria spoke with Bobby Valentine about the job. Gonzalez could be a fall guy if the Marlins start slowly.

Final word: Looks like a typical Marlins team: Good enough to contend, but not deep enough to finish the mission.

2009: 87-75, Second place.

Manager: Fredi Gonzalez, fourth season, 242-243, .499.

GM: Michael Hill.

Last playoff appearance: 2003.

Projected lineup

LF Chris Coghlan
CF Cameron Maybin
SS Hanley Ramirez
3B Jorge Cantu
2B Dan Uggla
C John Baker
RF Cody Ross
1B Gaby Sanchez

Projected rotation

RH Josh Johnson
RH Ricky Nolasco
RH Chris Volstad
RH Anibal Sanchez
LH Nate Robertson

NEW YORK METS

Projected: 4th place

RUNNING THINGS
2009: 70-92, Fourth place.
Manager: Jerry Manuel, second full season, 125-130, .490 (eight seasons overall, 625-601, .510).
GM: Omar Minaya, sixth full season.
Last playoff appearance: 2006.

Projected lineup

SS Jose Reyes
2B Luis Castillo
3B David Wright
LF Jason Bay
1B Daniel Murphy
Rf Jeff Francoeur
CF Angel Pagan
C Rod Barajas

Projected rotation

LH Johan Santana
RH Mike Pelfrey
LH Oliver Perez
RH John Maine
LH Jon Niese

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

Predictions: 5th

Outlook: A poor spring training has doused the expectations of the club and the fan base. While they may be better than the Nationals teams of the previous four seasons, this is still a club that has more holes than any other team in the division, including the Mets. The starting rotation is extremely suspect, even with newcomer Jason Marquis, and the offense ranks in the middle of the pack, with new catcher Ivan Rodriguez not likely to help much. If you're a baseball team in Washington, it's not good if people are wondering, "Why can't you ever get things done? You know, like Congress?"

In the spotlight: Stephen Strasburg will start the season in the minor leagues, but the top overall pick of last year's amateur draft figures to make his big-league debut sooner than later.

Final word: It'll be a third straight last-place finish, and fifth in six years since moving from Montreal. They need better players. That's all.

2009: 59-103, Last place.

Manager: Jim Riggleman, first full season, 33-42, .440; 10 seasons overall, 555-694, .444.

GM: Mike Rizzo.

Last playoff appearance: None.

Projected lineup

CF Nyjer Morgan
SS Ian Desmond
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Adam Dunn
LF Josh Willingham
RF Willie Harris
2B Adam Kennedy
C Ivan Rodriguez

Projected rotation

RH Jason Marquis
LH John Lannan
RH Craig Stammen
RH Livan Hernandez
RH Garrett Mock