Baseball is back, they're saying. For how long, we don't know. The regular season begins in three short weeks. 60 games. No All-Star Game or Home Run Derby, so Pete Alonso won't defend his title 'til next year. Some traditional rivalries within leagues are on hold (i.e. Cubs-Mets) because each team with play 40 games within their own division, and 20 against the opposite division.
Thank you, COVID-19.
We'll restart with the NL East, since we took a look at the AL East back in March, and will revisit it later.
The World Series champion Washington Nationals were the latest team to exorcise ghosts of the past, dating back to the Senators and the Nats' former iteration as the Montreal Expos. Apparently, all it took was a late season comeback and surge to get to the top after everyone seemed to give up on them. Shoot, they're more popular than President Donald Trump, who was booed out of Nationals Park in October.
Ah, but as it is inevitable in this business, there is change. Anthony Rendon is gone (Angels), opening 3rd base for Carter Kieboom. The last original Nat, Ryan Zimmerman, and reliever Joe Ross will sit out the season for health reasons (COVID-19), so the champs have to fill the void at 1st base, as Zimmerman's backup last year, Matt Adams, is gone (Mets), leaving Kieboom to do some really heavy lifting on the offensive side to complement emerging star Juan Soto. The starting rotation (Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin, et al) remains intact, but the real pitching question is if Sean Doolittle can reclaim his closer's job.
The Atlanta Braves had the NL's best record, then got Buschwhacked by St. Louis. Josh Donaldson turned out to be a one year rental (Minnesota), meaning Johan Camargo & Austin (Bus) Riley will platoon at 3rd. Marcell Ozuna was a 1 year rental in St. Louis, and returns to the NL East, having left Miami only because the people who help Derek Jeter run the Marlins are cheaper than a hedge fund. What may turn the tide for the Braves is the addition of the King, Felix Hernandez (Seattle), whose first big league home run was against the Mets' Johan Santana, and it was, fittingly, a grand slam. But, with a DH this season, Hernandez will have to wait to repeat at the plate, and, of course, Santana's long gone to retirement.
Speaking of the Mets, new manager Luis Rojas will be under constant scrutiny from tabloid media, in print and on radio, in New York because, well, New York. Noah Syndergaard is out 'til next year due to Tommy John surgery, leaving defending Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom fronting a rotation that also has lost Zack Wheeler (Philadelphia), but has Steven Matz and Marcus Stroman. Rojas has to hope that 2019 was an aberration for Edwin Diaz, and not a sign of being another Ed Whitson, who famously flamed out with the Yankees back in the 80's. There's a chance Yoenis Cespedes will return, shoring up an outfield that lost super sub Juan Lagares (San Diego) in the offseason. It was reported earlier this week that the Mets picked up Jared Hughes (Philadelphia) and Melky Cabrera, the former Yankee-turned-journeyman who was busted for PED's a few years back, but keeps finding work because he's a left handed bat off the bench. It's like left-handed relievers. There's enough to go around.
Joe Girardi returns to the NL East as well, this time as the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, who, arguably, choked away any chance at the postseason last year. Well, they have Bryce Harper. What did you expect? Girardi reunites with shortstop Didi Gregorius (Yankees), and either Gregorius or Jean Segura will find a new position with Cesar Hernandez gone. Not only that, but 3rd baseman Mikael Franco (Kansas City) is gone, too. Harper can't do the heavy lifting by himself, and his juvenile attitude on strikeouts is the stuff of YouTube videos. Zack Wheeler is not the answer to the rotation's problems, and there was a reason he was a #4 or #5 starter with the talent-heavy Mets.
The only solution Miami will have on Opening Day at home is getting "Aquaman" star and Rocket Mortgage pitchman Jason Momoa to throw out the first ball, since apparently that didn't happen last year. Either that, or Jeter will have to come out of retirement. Joking aside, the Little Brothers of South Florida are doomed.
Projected order of finish:
1. Atlanta.
2. Mets.
3. Washington.
4. Philadelphia.
5. Miami.
Of course, I could be wrong.
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