* – indicates new to team

1. New York Mets

Their patience paid off and the benefits should continue for the foreseeable future.

2. Washington Nationals

Hiring Dusty Baker should light a fire, but they need some more re-tooling on the roster.

3. Miami Marlins

The same question remains; Will owner Jeffrey Loria get out of the way of his new manager?

4. Philadelphia Phillies

There are a lot of pieces in place to bring the Phillies back from the cellar.

5. Atlanta Braves

They probably have another two years of ‘planning’ left before they start contending.

Player to Watch: OF Giancarlo Stanton Miami Marlins

With Don Mattingly as his manager and Barry Bonds as his hitting coach, this could be a special year for Stanton. He has to stay healthy though which has been an issue the last two years.

Best Acquisition: OF Yoenis Cespedes New York Mets (re-signed)

He had to go back to New York. If the Mets let him sign elsewhere, then the lineup would be a huge question mark again. With him coming back, he solidifies the lineup.

New Kid on the Block: SS J.P. Crawford Philadelphia Phillies

He will most likely be held back until June, but the Philly faithful will be wanting him sooner if he continues to put up gaudy numbers in the minors during the months of April and May.

Mets Lineup

1. RF Curtis Granderson

2. 2B Neil Walker*

3. 3B David Wright

4. CF Yoenis Cespedes

5. 1B Lucas Duda

6. C Travis d’Arnaud

7. LF Michael Conforto

8. SS Asdrubal Cabrera*

Bench

INF Wilmer Flores

OF Juan Lagares

OF Alejandro De Aza*

Rotation

1. Matt Harvey

2. Jacob deGrom

3. Noah Syndergaard

4. Steven Matz

5. Bartolo Colon

Setup

Addison Reed

Closer

Jeurys Familia

Manager

Terry Collins

Nationals Lineup

1. CF Ben Revere*

2. 3B Anthony Rendon

3. RF Bryce Harper

4. 1B Ryan Zimmerman

5. 2B Daniel Murphy*

6. LF Jayson Werth

7. C Wilson Ramos

8. SS Danny Espinosa

Bench

OF Michael Taylor

INF Stephen Drew*

1B/OF Clint Robinson

Rotation

1. Max Scherzer

2. Stephen Strasburg

3. Gio Gonzalez

4. Tanner Roark

5. Joe Ross

Setup

Felipe Rivero

Closer

Jonathan Papelbon

Manager

Dusty Baker*

Marlins Lineup

1. 2B Dee Gordon

2. 3B Martin Prado

3. LF Christian Yelich

4. RF Giancarlo Stanton

5. 1B Justin Bour

6. CF Marcell Ozuna

7. C J.T. Realmuto

8. SS Adeiny Hechavarria

Bench

OF Ichiro Suzuki

INF Derek Dietrich

OF Cole Gillespie

Rotation

1. Jose Fernandez

2. Wei-Yin Chen*

3. Jarred Cosart

4. Tom Koehler

5. Adam Conley

Setup

Mike Dunn

Closer

A.J. Ramos

Manager

Don Mattingly*

Phillies Lineup

1. SS Freddy Galvis

2. CF Odubel Herrera

3. LF Darin Ruf

4. 1B Ryan Howard

5. 3B Maikel Franco

6. RF Cody Asche

7. C Cameron Rupp

8. 2B Cesar Hernandez

Bench

INF Andres Blanco

OF Peter Bourjos*

C Carlos Ruiz

Rotation

1. Jeremy Hellickson*

2. Aaron Nola

3. Charlie Morton*

4. Jerad Eickhoff

5. Vince Velasquez*

Setup

Dalier Hinojosa

Closer

David Hernandez*

Manager

Pete Mackanin

Braves Lineup

1. CF Ender Inciarte*

2. SS Erick Aybar*

3. RF Nick Markakis

4. 1B Freddie Freeman

5. LF Hector Olivera

6. C A.J. Pierzynski

7. 3B Adonis Garcia

8. 2B Jace Peterson

Bench

OF Michael Bourn

C Tyler Flowers*

1B/OF Nick Swisher*

Rotation

1. Julio Teheran

2. Matt Wisler

3. Bud Norris*

4. Manny Banuelos

5. Williams Perez

Setup

Jim Johnson*

Closer

Jason Grilli

Manager

Fredi Gonzalez