Welcome back to another Episode of Passion for the Pastime. This week we will begin to look at each individual division throughout baseball, and what better place to start than the most competitive division in MLB, the NL East. After all they do have the Defending World Series Champions, Washington Nationals. The Nats still boast one of the best starting rotations in all of baseball. Their offense, however, took a huge hit when they lost their star third baseman, Anthony Rendon, when he left for the Southern California Sunshine when he signed with the Angels. Fortunately for the Nats, they weren't the only team that lost a star third baseman. Division Rival, Atlanta Braves lost Josh Donaldson to the Minnesota Twins, so two of the top teams in the NL East took a blow to their offenses. What do the Braves have that the Nationals don't have? Ronald Acuna and Ozzie Albies, oh and Freddie Freeman. The Baby Braves look to make the postseason again, but this time, not have as quick of an exit. Two teams that missed out on the Postseason last year, but are still very much a threat in the NL East are the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets will look to health as a key for this seasons success, as they have many of the same pieces returning. The Phillies missed out on signing Rendon as well, but they added the former New York Met, Zach Wheeler, to get their starting rotation on par with the rest of the Division. The Marlins, well are the Marlins and are just along for the ride, but they have some pieces that could be on some contenders come trade deadline. That's the NL East in a nutshell and its going to be a hell of a battle for the crown. Enjoy!
