Philadelphia Phillies:
Manager: Charlie Manuel - 1st season
Last Season: 89-73 1st place
Training Site: Clearwater, FL.
Park: Bright House Networks Field
He's Here: RHP Brad Lidge, 3B Pedro Feliz, OF Geoff Jenkins, OF So Iguchi, INF Eric Bruntlett, RHP Chad Durbin
He's Outta Here: OF Aaron Rowand, OF Michael Bourn, 2B Tadahito Iguchi, RHP Geoff Geary, INF Abraham Nunez, RHP Jon Lieber, RHP Freddy Garcia
Outlook: The Phillies finally got a taste of the postseason, ending a 14-year drought by winning the NL East on the final day of the of the regular season. But Philadephia was swept in the division series by the Rockies. All-Star CF Rowand's loss might be bigger in the clubhouse than on the field.
New York Mets:
Manager: Willie Randolph - 4th season
Last Season: 88-74 2nd place
Training Site: Port St. Lucie, FL.
Park: Tradition Field
He's Here: LHP Johan Santana, C Brian Schneider, RF Ryan Church, OF Angel Pagan, RHP Matt Wise, RHP Ruddy Lugo, RHP Brian Stokes, RHP Steven Register, LHP Ricardo Rincon
He's Outta Here: LHP Tom Glavine, C Paul Lo Duca, RF Shawn Green, RHP Guillermo Mota, OF Lastings Milledge, RHP Aaron Sele, OF Carlos Gomez, RHP Phil Humber, OF David Newhan, C Sandy Alomar, 1B Jeff Conine, C Mike DiFelice, LHP Dave Williams
Outlook: It took nearly all the off-season for the Mets to make a big splash, but they landed the biggest pitching prize on the market. New York got Santana from the Twins for four prospects and signed the 2-time Cy Young Award winner to a $137.5 million, 6-year deal, a record for a pitcher. Now, the Mets have the durable ace they sorely lacked while chasing a pennant the past two years. The addition of Santana makes them an NL favorite and helps them move beyond last September's embarrassing collapse, when New York squandered a seven-game NL East lead with 17 to play and missed the playoffs.
Atlanta Braves:
Manager: Bobby Cox - 19th season
Last Season: 84-78 3rd place
Training Site: Kissimmee, FL.
Park: The Ballpark at Disney's Wide World of Sports
He's Here: LHP Tom Glavine, CF Mark Kotsay, RHP Jair Jurrjens, LHP Will Ohman, OF Josh Anderson, C Javy Lopez, INF Omar Infante
He's Outta Here: CF Andruw Jones, SS Egar Renteria, INF Willy Aybar, OF Willie Harris, RHP Jose Ascanio, RHP Oscar Villarreal, RHP Chad Paronto
Outlook: The Braves, 3rd in their division for the second straight year, tried to fix the rotation. Glavine is back and the team hopes for 200 IP and double digit wins from him behind John Smoltz and Tim Hudson. The team might not have to rely on Mike Hampton's comeback if Jarrjens, acquired from the Tigers for Renteria, makes the rotation, possibly pushing Chuck James to the fifth spot.
Washington Nationals:
Manager: Manny Acta - 2nd season
Last Season: 73-89 4th place
Training Site: Viera, FL.
Park: Space Coast Stadium
He's Here: C Paul Lo Duca, C Johnny Estrada, INF Aaron Boone, OF Lastings Milledge, Of Elijah Dukes, OF Rob Markowiak, Of Willie Harris, RHP Tyler Clippard
He's Outta Here: C Brian Schneider, OF Ryan Church, 1B/c Robert Fick, OF Nook Logan, INF Tony Batista, INF D'Angelo Jimenez, RHP Jason Simontacchi, RHP Jonathan Albaladejo
Outlook: Milledge could bring excitement to the the lineup, but otherwise the Nationals didn't add much this off-season. Their most expensive acquisition, Lo Duca, had nearly identical offensive stats as Schneider in 2007, and is sidelined for at least the start of spring training after a left knee operation.
Florida Marlins:
Manager: Fredi Gonzalez - 2nd season
Last Season: 71-91 5th place
Training Site: Jupiter, FL.
Park: Roger Dean Stadium
He's Here: LHP Andrew Miller, CF Cameron Maybin, OF Luis Gonzalez, C Mike Rabelo, LHP Mark Hendrickson, INF Dallas McPherson, INF Jose Castillo, INF Jorge Cantu
He's Outta Here: 3B Miguel Cabrera, LHP Dontrelle Willis, 1B Aaron Boone, RHP Armando Benitez, OF Joe Borchard, Of Reggie Abercrombie
Outlook:The Marlins must rebuild after yet another payroll purge, this one sending the teams's two most popular players - Cabrera, and Willis - packing to Detroit. Florida received six players in return, including top prospects Miller and Maybin. The Marlins hope the 22-year-old Miller is ready to jon a rotation that ranked last in the majors in ERA in 2007 after being ravaged by injuries.
Spring Training:At A Glance
AL East: At A Glance.
NL West: At A Glance