Philadelphia Phillies
Record: 93-69
Finish: 1st out of 5
Runs Scored: 820
Runs Allowed: 709
Improvements:
- The Philadelphia Phillies made the biggest splash this offseason by adding one of the best pitchers in baseball. Roy Halladay was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays in a three-team deal that sent Cliff Lee over to the Mariners. Halladay will solidify an already powerful rotation.
- Danys Baez was acquired from the Baltimore Orioles to add another quality arm to the bullpen.
- Placido Polanco was added to play third base for the Phillies after they parted ways with Pedro Feliz. Polanco is a guy that handles the bat extremely well, doesn’t strike out much, and loves to hit behind runners. He will fit nicely into the top of this already potent lineup
Departures:
- The Phillies traded away Cliff Lee when they acquired Halladay from the Blue Jays. Lee had one of the best performances in playoff history last season for the Phillies during their magical run that ended in a World Series loss to the New York Yankees.
- Pedro Feliz decided to pack his bags and hit the road for a 1 year/ $4.5 million deal with the Houston Astros.
Question Marks:
- Raul Ibanez had a career year last season for the Phillies, belting a career high 34 home runs and driving in 93. If Ibanez replicates his production from last season, the Phillies are in good shape to make another run at a World Championship.
- Brad Lidge may not be ready for the start of the season after undergoing his second surgery in three months. Last year, Lidge had 31 saves in 42 opportunities. When the Phillies won the World Series two seasons ago, Lidge was an MVP candidate and did not blow a save all season. Difference Makers: Cole Hamels needs to have a bounce-back year for the Phillies in 2010.
- Last season Hamels went 10-11 with a 3.67 ERA. If Hamels can find the same stuff that he had in 2007 and 2008, the Phillies can have the best 1-2 punch in all of baseball at the top of their rotation.
- If Lidge is unable to get healthy and revert back to his old form, the Phillies will have to pass the torch of closer over to Ryan Madson. Last season Madson had 10 saves in 16 opportunities for the Phillies.
Difference Makers:
- Cole Hamels needs to have a bounce-back year for the Phillies in 2010. Last season Hamels went 10-11 with a 3.67 ERA. If Hamels can find the same stuff that he had in 2007 and 2008, the Phillies can have the best 1-2 punch in all of baseball at the top of their rotation.
- If Lidge is unable to get healthy and revert back to his old form, the Phillies will have no choice but to pass the torch of the closer over to Ryan Madson. Last season Madson had 10 saves in 16 opportunities for the Phillies.
Florida Marlins
Record: 87-75
Finish: 2nd out of 5
Runs Scored: 772
Runs Allowed: 766
Improvements:
- The Florida Marlins and star pitcher Josh Johnson reached an agreement this offseason: a four-year, $39 million dollar contract extension. This is a giant step in the right direction as Johnson will lead their young staff going into the 2010 season.
Departures:
- The Marlins traded outfielder Jeremy Hermida to the Boston Red Sox in November for left-handers Hunter Jones and Jose Alvarez.
- First baseman Nick Johnson is now the new DH for the World Champion Yankees. Jorge Cantu will be the Marlins starting first baseman in 2010.
- RHP Matt Lindstrom was acquired by the Houston Astros in exchange for Robert Bono and SS prospect Luis Bryan.
Question Marks:
- The Marlins were trying to trade second baseman Dan Uggla in the offseason due to a very poor performance in 2009. Uggla hit just .243 and struck out 150 times. On the other hand, Uggla hit 31 home runs for the team, but they would like to see him turn into a more complete hitter, limiting his strikeouts and increasing his average. Uggla’s power numbers are a very important part of this team’s offensive success, and he needs to continue those numbers while trying to bolster his average and on-base percentage.
- This is going to be a huge year for young Cameron Maybin, as he will be the Marlins’ full-time center fielder. Last season he only played in 54 games. The sky is the limit for young Maybin, and if he has a big year, the Marlins can definitely compete in the NL East.
Difference Makers:
- As usual, the Marlins will rely heavily on All-Star shortstop Hanley Ramirez. This offense will only go as far as Ramirez will take them. In his first season as the Marlins three-hole hitter, Ramirez hit a career high .342 with 24 home runs and 106 RBI.
- Ricky Nolasco will have to improve on a very successful 2009 season and team up with ace Josh Johnson at the top of this rotation to form a very solid 1-2 punch for the Marlins. Last season Nolasco went 13-9 with a 4.43 ERA.
Atlanta Braves
Record: 86-76
Finish: 3rd out of 5
Runs Scored: 735
Runs Allowed: 641
Improvements:
- The Braves added Troy Glaus this offseason to fill their open void at first base. Glaus missed the majority of last season due to shoulder surgery. Glaus has played third base for most of his career, but the Braves need him to fill the open void that Adam LaRoche left when he became a free agent
- Melky Cabrera was acquired from the New York Yankees in the Javier Vazquez deal this winter. Cabrera, Nat McLouth and Matt Diaz will join forces in the Atlanta outfield this season.
- After losing Rafael Soriano to the Tampa Bay Rays, the Braves will turn to Billy Wagner to be their closer. Wagner missed last year and is recovering from Tommy John surgery
Departures:
- Javier Vazquez: Last season Vazquez had a Cy Young-worthy season pitching to a 2.87 ERA and winning 15 games for the Braves. Tommy Hansen will look to fill his void in his first full year in the big leagues. This is going to be a major loss for the Atlanta Braves
Question Marks:
- Tim Hudson missed a lot of time last season due to an elbow injury and must bounce back in a strong way to help out Derek Lowe at the top of Atlanta’s rotation. If Hudson stays healthy, he, Lowe and Jair Jurrgens can be a very nice 1-2-3 punch combo. In November the Braves signed Hudson to a three-year extension worth $28 million dollars.
- Will Derek Lowe be traded at the trading deadline? There were multiple rumors this winter about the Braves trying to move Lowe before the start of the season, but they moved Vazquez instead. Lowe had a 6.65 ERA in his last nine starts of 2009 and is looking to prove to the world that he is better than that, and worth all the money Atlanta gave him.
- Tommy Hanson is one of the bright young stars of this league. After all of his innings pitcher last season, can the young phenom build on his ‘09 campaign and have a successful first full season in the “bigs”?
Difference Makers:
-Jurrjens is the difference maker for this Atlanta ball club. Last season, he won 14 games and pitched to a 2.60 ERA. If the young 24-year-old right-hander has another season like he did in ’09, the Braves will be a tough team to beat in the NL East.
- Billy Wagner is stepping in as Atlanta’s closer this year after missing the last year-and-a-half due to Tommy John Surgery. If Wagner is unable to get the job done, the Braves could be in serious trouble and will have to turn to newly acquired Takashi Saito to fill his void.
New York Mets
Record: 70-92
Finish: 4th out of 5
Runs Scored: 671
Runs Allowed: 757
Improvements:
- Heading into this offseason the New York Mets main priority was to bolster their offense and add a power hitting left fielder to solidify the middle of their order, and the addition of Jason Bay will help solve the Mets biggest problems in 2009. The Mets were dead last in the league in home runs last season and will look for Bay to add the much needed power to their struggling offense.
Departures:
- The Mets decided to part ways with slugging first baseman Carlos Delgado after missing the majority of the 2009 season. They will now turn to young Daniel Murphy to try and fill the void at first base.
- The Mets did not pick up the option for J.J. Putz this offseason after missing the majority of his only season with the Mets. The Mets will turn to newly acquired Kelvim Escobar to set the table.
- Tim Redding and Livan Hernandez will not be back this season with the Mets. They will look for Mike Pelfrey to have a bounce-back season, as well as Oliver Perez and John Maine to fill the voids in their starting rotation
Question Marks:
- This is a very important year for Jose Reyes, as he will look to lead this team back to postseason play. Along with many others, Reyes missed most of the ‘09 season due to injury and must come back strong, as he will be the catalyst for this team’s offensive success.
- Outside of Johan Santana, the Mets do not have another consistent starting pitcher that they can rely on. John Maine and Oliver Perez are both coming off injury-plagued seasons and Mike Pelfrey took a step back as far as his production in 2009.
- Francisco Rodriguez’s numbers were lost in a down year last year where he achieved 35 saves in 42 opportunities. But he matched a career high of seven blown saves, his ERA increased by a run and a half and his losses doubled.
Difference Makers:
- The homegrown talent: Jose Reyes, David Wright, and Mike Pelfrey all had subpar performances in 2009 and will be an integral part of this team’s success in 2010.
- The Mets need Reyes to reestablish himself as the table setter for the team.
- If Wright’s power numbers can revert back similiarly to where they were in 2007 and 2008, the Mets would then have several long ball threats in Bay, Beltran, and Wright.
- Mike Pelfrey will look to emerge as this team’s clear-cut number two starting pitcher. Pelfrey is a big righty that throws hard and the Mets need consistency in their starting rotation behind Johan Santana.
Washington Nationals
Record: 59-103
Finish: 5th out of 5
Runs Scored: 710
Runs Allowed: 874
Improvements:
- Jason Marquis was added this winter to help out a very young rotation with a lot of potential and upside. Last season with the Rockies, Marquis had one of his best seasons when he won 15 games and made the All-Star Team.
- Ivan Rodriguez will step in this season to handle a very young, inexperienced rotation. He will really help pitchers like Jordan Zimmerman, Scott Olsen and perhaps Steven Stasburg develop into better big league pitchers.
- Matt Capps was added to fill the void of closer for this Nationals ball club. Last season he had 27 saves in 32 opportunities for the Pirates.
- Chin Ming Wang and Livan Hernandez were also added to the Nationals pitching mix to serve as insurance plans for their very young starting rotation.
Departures:
- The Nationals lost second baseman Ronnie Belliard to the Los Angeles Dodgers this winter. Last season for the Nationals, Belliard hit .287
Question Marks:
- Ryan Zimmerman had a career year last season offensively. He hit a career high 33 home runs and drove in 106 runs. Many believe the Nationals can win 80-plus games this season if Zimmerman can replicate last year’s performance and lead this team offensively.
- Will Stephen Strasburg be ready this season to pitch in the big leagues? If he moves quickly through their minor league system, the Nationals will have one of the brightest young rotations in all of baseball with John Lannan, Jordan Zimmerman, Scott Olsen and Strasburg.
- Ivan Rodriguez was brought in to handle a very young inexperienced rotation. Offensively, he is a huge question mark and any production they can get from him at the plate will be a huge plus for this ball club.
Difference Makers:
- John Lannan will sit atop this Nationals Rotation at the beginning of the 2010 season. He must improve on a very successful year in 2009 when he won nine games and pitched to a 3.88 ERA.
- Jason Marquis was brought into D.C. to have a very similar year to the one he had with the Rockies. If he can remain healthy and pitch the way he did last season, he will help anchor a very young, raw rotation. Marquis will use his veteran leadership to show this young team what it takes to make it to postseason play.
