The National League (NL) will be very competitive this year, as it seems top loaded with talent. There are some teams that are powerhouses all around, as well as teams that are very strong in some areas (New York Mets’ starting rotation) while lacking in others (New York Mets’ offense). In the end, it may come down to a question of whether the strengths of a team mask their weaknesses. However, come playoff time, the teams who are strong all around will shine.
NL East: Washington Nationals
The Nationals will be an exciting team to watch this year, with one of the best lineups in baseball, featuring a full season from Trea Turner, another season from Daniel Murphy and hopefully a bounceback year from Bryce Harper to complement offseason pickups Adam Eaton and Matt Wieters.
One thing the Nationals have that not many other teams can boast of is a pitching staff that can match their hitters in caliber. Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg are arguably the best one-two punch in baseball, and when you add in Tanner Roark, Gio González and Joe Ross, it will make every game against the Nationals difficult.
With all this being said, the New York Mets are one of the only teams that can match the rotation of the Nationals. If their hitters can play well enough to support the pitching staff, they could make another playoff push. The Miami Marlins, Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves will all be looking to build their young players for future years instead of playing for this year.
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
I am really going out on a limb with this pick, but the defending champions and the deepest team in baseball that lost nothing of importance during the offseason will probably still be a very good team. On a serious note, however, it is just crazy to look at the Chicago Cubs lineup and not think of them as the favorites to repeat.
They lost Dexter Fowler, Aroldis Chapman and Jason Hammel, but they gained Wade Davis and Koji Uehara in addition to having Kyle Schwarber for a full season, barring any injuries. That leaves the only weakness for the Cubs in their fifth starter spot, which is not a very big weakness, and does not even matter come playoff time.
The teams battling for second will be the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals as usual. These two teams are very experienced and every year one or both of them manage to secure a wild card spot. Pulling up the rear will be the rebuilding Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers.
NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers
While the Dodgers do not have the same stellar pitching of the Cubs, their rotation is tried and true, led by arguably the best pitcher in baseball, Clayton Kershaw. Their bats are not to be laughed at either, as they boast solid hitters from top to bottom, led by superstar Corey Seager.
While the Dodgers are the favorites, the San Francisco Giants keep finding the right pieces to put themselves in a great place to succeed. It seems like this division always comes down to these two teams, and no one would be surprised if that happened again.
One very popular sleeper this year is the Colorado Rockies. They made some solid moves this offseason to fix their bullpen. With Coors Field as home and an offense full of great hitters, they will definitely be fun to watch if nothing else. Rounding out the league are the Arizona Diamondbacks, who actually could be an above .500 team with A. J. Pollock back and the hope that Zack Greinke rebounds from an abysmal 2016.
The San Diego Padres boast probably the worst starting rotation in baseball but have some young talent on offense, led by Wil Myers. Those young players will not be able to pick up the slack of the pitching staff, however, so the Padres are expected to finish last in the Division.
