ATLANTA BRAVES

The buzzsaw known as the Atlanta Braves were stopped by a red-hot Fighting Phils squad in the NLDS. No worries, the Braves went back to work by going to the Oakland A's yard sale to pluck Sean Murphy from them. Alex Anthopoulos is the best GM in baseball due to the fact that he can secure young talent long term.

MIAMI MARLINS

The Marlins have talent on the roster. They have a reigning Cy Young award winner in Sandy Alcantara and a rising superstar in Jazz Chisholm Jr. Their problem is that the fans still are paying for the sins of Jeffrey Loria. Please keep this core intact.

NEW YORK METS

The New York Mets and late season collapses go together like Red Bull and Vodka. Steve Cohen has decided to open the wallet to bring in Justin Verlander, retain Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil and others. The Mets want to go to the top. Cohen has the funds to make it happen.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

After a succession of seasons underachieving with a large payroll, the Phillies broke through to come this close to capturing a title. Philly continued to spend big with the signing of Trea Turner and the upgrade of the bullpen.......something they should have addressed years ago, but now is the time for the Phillies to reach the brass ring.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

2019 seems like a long time ago. The Nats decided to go "full blowup mode" by trading Juan Soto at the deadline to rebuild the farm system for the future. Translation: It's going to be a few dark years of bad baseball for D.C. fans.

CHICAGO CUBS

The North Side baseball club decided that this off-season was the time to strike. Signing Cody Bellinger, Jameson Taillion and inking Dansby Swanson long term have Cubbies fans thinking of 2016. Calm down there, this team still has a long way to go.

CINCINNATI REDS

"Where you gonna go?'

This statement has put Phil Castellini in the "Stupidest Comment Made By A Professional Sports Owner" category of a Hall of Fame. The Reds will continue to rebuild as fans will continue to revolt on ownership's lack of giving a (bleep).

MILWAUKEE BREWERS

The Brew Crew has tripped over themselves in recent years. David Stearns stepped down as POBO and the club basically blamed Corbin Burnes for not making the playoffs. It going to be an interesting season for Milwaukee. By the way, has anyone seen Christian Yelich?

PITTSBURGH PIRATES

AARGH!...The Pirates are in a rebuild and Bryan Reynolds wants the next plane out of the Steel City. On the bright side, they won the #1 overall pick and Cutch is back! Other than that, same ol' suckitude for the Pittsburgh baseball franchise.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

The Cardinals have a foundation set and will probably win the division outright. With MVP Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, a young core and free-agent Willson Contreras replacing the retired Yadier Molina, St. Louis could surprise people with a World Series berth.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

Ok, I get what Mike Hazen is doing. He is building a strong farm system to make the D-Backs' future bright. This could work if you keep the players on instead of trading them for younger prospects six years down the line. This team is middle-of-the-pack at best this season.

COLORADO ROCKIES

Rockies owner Dick Monfort said that the team will play .500 ball this season. Give the guy credit for being positive. Will it happen? Probably not. Oh, and Brendan Rodgers might need shoulder surgery. Might want to retract on that statement, Dick.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Why do you do this to yourselves? In the regular season, the Dodgers dominate the competition on route to another NL West title. The playoffs come and they fall short. Something is holding this team back. (Whispering: It's the manager.) L.A. will dominate again this season. Question is, what happens come playoff time?

SAN DIEGO PADRES

GM A.J. Preller takes his annual place in the hot seat as the Padres spent huge amounts of money for Xavier Boegarts. It's World Series or bust for San Diego. What about extending Juan Soto and getting some pitching help? Makes you wonder?

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

The mystery team of Major League Baseball. Will this club be the 2021 version that had over 100 wins? Or will it be the 2022 version that missed the playoffs? After striking out on Aaron Judge, the Giants signed depth pieces to help the team compete for a playoff berth.

Well, that was your 2023 preview. Now, blast the song "Centerfield" by John Fogerty, open a cold one, and yell "PLAY BALL!"

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