(Photo by Sporting News)

ATLANTA......OR THE LAND OF ONE YEAR CONTRACTS

The Braves have the makings of the top teams in baseball. However, something is missing. It showed in Game 5 of the NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals in a dominating loss at the now called Truist Park. Truist Park? The Braves signed reliever Will Smith and threw one year contracts to Cole Hamels, King Felix and Marcel Ozuna. I see Atlanta in the playoffs, but how far will they go?

MIAMI MARLINS

The Marlins were horrible as expected. It's up to Captain Re2pect (Derek Jeter) and the rest of management to help salvage the mess left behind by Jeffrey Loria. Before doing this, I couldn't name five players on this team. Hopefully, the prospects develop faster than expected.

NEW YORK METS

The drama between GM Brodie Von W..(let's call him BVW) and manager Mickey Callaway was at near comedic levels. With Callaway gone, BVW hired an inexperienced manager in Carlos Beltran. Wait what's that, Beltran resigned without managing a game. Despite the comedy that is Mets management, the team on the field had a reasonable season. They added depth in the off-season which could help them.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

The Phillies threw tons of money at players......and it led to a fourth place division finish. They added Joe Girardi at manager, Didi Georgious and Zack Wheeler for WHAT?! (5 yrs, $118 million). Philadelphia has a lot riding on this spending spree experiment, so this season could be better than a fourth place finish......or not.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

In 2009, D.C.'s baseball team was the worst in the majors. This allowed them to get high draft picks. A decade later, the Nationals sit atop of baseball as World Series champions. One of those high draft picks, Stephen Strasburg, had a solid playoffs and was named World Series MVP and received a fat new contract to boot. The Nats have oodles of depth to contend, despite losing Anthony Rendon.

CHICAGO CUBS

2016 is a distant memory. The Cubs didn't do much to improve the team in the off-season and rumors of trading Kris Bryant ran rampant. Then last season was the coup de grace. A long losing streak to end the campaign sent the Cubs out of the playoffs and manager Joe Maddon to the guillotine. Theo Epstein decided on David Ross for manager. David Ross? Maybe Epstein still thinks it's 2016.

CINCINNATI REDS

Like the White Sox, the Reds excuted a plan to spend money on veterans to mesh with the young talent. Mike Moustakas and Nick Castellanos add power and smart hitting to the lineup and Wade Miley is a solid left-handed asset in the rotation. Cincinnati, on paper, could have the tools to win the division by default.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS

First of all, the club brought back the old glove logo. NOSTALGIA! The Brewers had a season were they were neck-in-neck with the Cubs at the top of the division. Christian Yelich almost clinched a second straight NL MVP, but an injury derailed that. Don't make me mention in the Wild Card game. Despite a lot of change to the roster, the Brew Crew could be a playoff contender.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES

It's a brand new era in the Steel City. President Frank Coonelly, GM Neal Huntington and Manager Clint Hurdle are gone. Also gone is their best player in Starling Marte. Or is it Josh Bell? The Pirates have finally realized that it's time to wipe the slate clean. The prospects in the farm are not ready for the big show. So honestly, this could be a dark few years for the Bucs.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

Every three years or so, the Cardinals show up in the postseason and make some noise. They made that noise in Game 5 of the NLDS. Unfortunately, they were silent after being swept in the NLCS by the Nationals. St. Louis is a favorite to win the division, however, do they have enough to actually win the division?

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

Just when you think the D-Backs were rebuilding, GM Mike Hazen tells you to hold his beer (if he drinks). Signing Madison Bumgarner and trading for Starling Marte makes Arizona an interesting team going into the simulated season. The players will overachieve for Manager Torey Lovullo and the farm system looks promising. So what is holding this team back? Could it be uninspired ownership? (Me giving a death stare after that comment).

COLORADO ROCKIES

A couple of years ago, the Rockies were a playoff contender with upside and a foundational player in Nolan Arenado. Colorado locked up Arenado long-term and he hoped the club could add players to better their World Series chances. Two years have past and Arenado is angry and wants a trade. The Rockies have a dilemma on their hands.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Another dominating regular season. Another disappointing postseason exit. Clayton Kershaw has become a verb due to his playoff meltdowns. The Dodgers added Mookie Betts to an already potent lineup. L.A. is in the driver's seat to a NL pennant. Hopefully, they don't "Kershaw" this opportunity.

SAN DIEGO PADRES

If there is a team in which people look and say "Shouldn't this team be better than what they are?" , it's probably the Padres. I mean, they need more pitching and have talents in Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Eric Hosmer in the lineup. Also they have one of the best farm systems in baseball. The hot seat is on GM A.J. Preller and hiring an inexperienced manager doesn't help his cause.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

Another era has ended. Bruce Bochy and Madison Bumgarner, mainstays to San Francisco's World Series triumphs during the last decade, are gone. It's rebuilding time in the Bay Area and the prospect pool isn't quite ready for primetime yet. Could be a long year for the Giants.

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