NL East Offseason Ranking: #4 Philadelphia Phillies

Yesterday I talked about the Miami Marlins and why I believe that they will finish last in the division. Today, I'm talking about the team that I believe will barely beat the Marlins out in that race for last place.

Howard hasn't been healthy in a few years.
He has to be for the team to succeed.

The Philadelphia Phillies were pretty much the main team in the East in the mid 2000's. They won division titles from 2007-2011, and won a World Series in 2008 while going back and losing in 2009. But baseball is cruel and time moves on. For Philadelphia, time has really been one of their main opponents.Ryan Howard in now 35, as is Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins is 36. In baseball terms, these guys are on their last legs. Can the three turn this year into a winner and produce? Yes, they have that ability but Howard hasn't played a full season since 2011 (yes that was 3 years ago) and Utley hasn't since 2009 (unless you count missing 30 games last season).If this team is going to succeed at all, these guys have to be healthy.

As far as the offense goes, they will need Dominic Brown to have a season unlike any other season. Even if Ryan Howard hits 35 home runs, while him and Utley have 100 RBI each, they will be pitched around in order to get to the guys not named Howard, Rollins, Brown, Utley. They did sign Marlon Byrd to a 2 year contract, and if he hits like he did in New York last year, that could be the guy that can change the lineup on it's feet.

Jonathan Papelbon may have complained
his way straight out of Philly

Ah, the pitching. This is going to be fun. This Philadelphia Phillies pitching rotation in 2013 was simply amazing. They finished 9th in all of baseball with 91 quality starts (well over half of the 162 games played). It is worth noting that they will have to do without Roy Halladay, who was better than any other pitcher in the 2000's. They still will have Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, and Kyle Kendrick. Those three guys all have the stuff to win 15 games, which is more than most other teams in the division have.

 However, the teams ERA, batting average against, and WHIP were 27th, 27th, and 26th in the league, respectfully. It get's as simple as this, they have a..how do you say this..bad bullpen. And guess what? They are attempting to get rid of their best piece in that bullpen, Jonathan Papelbon. He has been outspoken against the fans of Philly and it seems like they are willing to let him go, and even pay part of his contract for him to just not be there anymore. That would leave Antonio Bastardo and John Lannan as the two guys in the bullpen that would have to carry the load.

Word is, if the Phillies aren't in contention come mid-summer, that a Miami Marlins fire sale could happen here. Think of the names, Howard, Utley, Rollins, Lee, Hamels, Brown. Those names could be on the market come June or July. However, the news burst yesterday that the team just signed a TV deal with Comcast that will pay them over 2 billion dollars until the contract ends. Yes, 2 billion. I'd say even with a fire sale this year, they will be able to rebuild somewhat like the Yankees of the 1990's.

Offseason Rankings: NL East #5 Miami Marlins

So far, outside of the New York Mets, no NL East team has made that big of a splash this offseason. Let's be honest, this division is not as good as some people give it credit for. I've been a NL East fan since I can remember, but I just don't see how they will compete in the big picture. The top 2 of this division are easy to choose, but the bottom 3 are tougher to separate.

The Miami Marlins are going to be the bottom feeders of this division, as they have for the past few seasons. In the 2013 season, the Marlins were 30th in the league in runs (tied for least runs scored in a whole season in history), batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. Let's just say that their offense was one of the worst offenses in MLB history in 2013. Add to that fact that they lost Logan Morrison to the Seattle Mariners, then it can be assumed that those number may still suffer next season even if Giancarlo Stanton hits 40 home runs. Very little can be expected from this team with a lineup that looks like this:

Stanton will have to carry the offense

C     Jarrod Saltalamacchia
1B   Garrett Jones
2B   Donovan Solano/Rafael Furcal
SS   Adeiny Hechavarria
3B   Casey McGehee
OF   Giancarlo Stanton
OF   Christian Yelich
OF   Brian Bogusevic

Yeah, you see those names. This offense is doomed.

 In this offseason, so far, they have went out and picked up a good catcher from the World Champion Boston Red Sox, Jarrod Saltalamacchia. He adds a good arm behind the plate, and experience from a World Series team. I can't imagine how it will be for him going from a World Series title to the worst team in the NL East.

They also went out and nabbed Pittsburgh Pirate Garrett Jones, who is a lifetime .254 hitter with 103 home runs in just over 5 seasons in the major leagues. He is not a guy that will be able to carry this lineup, or be a top 3 or 4 threat there. Not a guy that is going to help much at all.

Then there was Rafael Furcal. Former rookie of the year, former fastest guy in the division with the Braves, and has won 2 World Series titles with the St. Louis Cardinals. Coming off of Tommy John surgery at 36 years old, I see Furcal playing more second base than making the long throws from his normal shortstop position. With his age, he isn't going to have the same speed that he had in his hay-day, but he will bring in experience that they are losing in free agency with Placido Polanco and Juan Pierre. Even with the guys that are coming in, I don't see this offense helping out the pitching staff, which is better for this team that the offense.

In the NL East, their pitching staff did strike out the least amount of batters than the rest of the division, had the lowest amount of quality starts, and the 4th highest WHIP (walks+hits per inning) out of the 5 East teams. I do expect Jose Fernandez to be a stellar performer in this rotation throughout the 2014 season. Their second best starting pitcher, Ricky Nolasco is gone to Minnesota, and they also lost starter Wade LeBlanc to the Angels. The Marlins do not have the star power nor the winning reputation to pick up any star pitchers to help the staff pick up their awful offense.