We're on to the National League. The NL has crowned four World Series champions in the past five years. Unfortunately for the NL East, none of those champions have been from their division, but they do have two World Series championships in the past 12 years (Florida Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies).
Coincidentally, those are the two teams that will begin our analysis. The Miami Marlins finished with a 77-85 record and the Phillies finished with a 73-89 record, which were both good enough to rank at the bottom of the NL East. Let's take a look at Philadelphia's needs.
Philadelphia Phillies (73-89), Last in NL East
The Phillies' aging roster needs help and they need it fast. General manager Ruben Amaro failed to make a trade at the deadline and send one of his countless veterans (Cole Hamels, Jonathan Papelbon, Marlon Byrd, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Cliff Lee, etc.) to another destination in exchange for some younger talent (or literally just anybody else). Now they have so many issues it's nearly impossible for the front office to solve them in the offseason and before the 2015 trade deadline. They've slowly started their rebuilding process with third baseman Cody Asche, but that's about it. They only have four starting pitchers that have big league experience under contract for next season, and with Domonic Brown's decline, they're in desperate need of a power-hitting outfielder. That's their absolute first need.
Outfielder: The Phillies could have their problems solved with this issue relatively quickly if they pull the trigger on Cuban defector Yasmany Tomas. The 23-year-old slugger is expected to land a contract in the $100 million range, but there are many other teams interested in his services. The Phillies are reportedly a front runner, but not much has developed since Tomas has been holding private workouts for a number of teams. Another option is trading for an outfielder, specifically with the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox have a surplus of outfielders and want to get rid of Yoenis Cespedes, who could be a great option for the Phillies if they can't land Tomas. Cespedes can play the corner outfield positions and he'll provide a power-bat as well as solid major league experience. Boston will most likely seek to get starter Cole Hamels in some way, so the Phillies will have to ensure they acquire the right value for the left-hander in the event of a trade. They have options in free agency, but there's nobody who's particularly young. Melky Cabrera, Nelson Cruz, Nick Markakis, Torii Hunter, Alex Rios, Nori Aoki, Michael Morse and others are available, but they might not be worth the money since Philadelphia needs to get rid of their big contracts before they give any more out.
The Entire Infield: First baseman Ryan Howard, second baseman Chase Utley and shortstop Jimmy Rollins are all at least 34 years old and still carry big annual salaries. They're locked in with Howard, who is owed $50 million through 2016 with a team option for 2017; Utley is owed $10 million next season and $15 million in 2016, 2017 and 2018 if he makes 500 plate appearances each year and; Rollins is owed $11 million for 2015. My guess is that they try to shop Howard as best they can, gauge Utley's performance in 2015 to see if they'll let him reach 500 at-bats, and let Rollins walk after the 2015 season. They have no first baseman in their prospect pipeline, so if they trade Howard they'll likely use Darin Ruf, but Howard will likely remain there otherwise because there are few appealing first baseman free agents besides Billy Butler and Adam LaRoche, but they'll be fairly costly as well. As for second base, there are also no appealing free agents (besides Cuban defectors Jose Fernandez and Yoan Moncada) and prospect Jesmuel Valentin isn't due for a major league appearance until 2016, so they might stick with Utley in the meantime. If they can work out a trade for Red Sox second baseman/outfielder prospect Mookie Betts then they can play him in the outfield for this season and he can relieve Utley at second next year. Same goes for shortstop; they'll probably let Rollins finish out the year and seek other options to work in at midseason or by next offseason. Not many definitive options here.
Starting Pitcher: Here's another huge issue. Hamels is gauging trade interest from a number of teams, Cliff Lee seems to be on his way out with elbow issues and David Buchanan is the team's No. 3 starter (6-8 with a 3.75 ERA in 20 starts). After nine solid starts with the Phillies, Jerome Williams earned himself a one-year, $2.5 million contract for next season. That's all they have signed for 2015. A.J. Burnett declined his player option because he wants to play for a contender, which leaves them with an incomplete starting rotation. It was reported that the Phillies are looking to go after starting pitchers Josh Johnson and Chad Billingsley, who they can likely get on the cheap because the two underwent elbow surgery last season. They have starters Jesse Biddle, Ethan Martin and Adam Morgan in the farm system, but it's not so clear how ready they are for MLB action. Otherwise, a number of affordable pitchers are on the free agent market, including Brett Anderson, Jason Hammel, Justin Masterson, Jake Peavy, Ryan Vogelsong, Chris Young and more.
Miami Marlins (77-85), 4th in NL East
The Marlins surprised many in 2014, but they still have some work to do. They're a very young team and are perhaps in need of a veteran presence, especially on their pitching staff. The team is reportedly talking with Giancarlo Stanton about a contract extension, which will go against their low-budget ways because the young outfielder is expected to land a deal in the $200 million range. It was also a possibility that Miami would pursue Pablo Sandoval in free agency, but not much has developed since early October. It was mentioned that the team would use Sandoval at first base if they were to acquire him and leave Casey McGehee at third base (he led the league in fielding percentage). But since signing Sandoval is no guarantee, the team has three needs, all of which can be filled with a veteran player. Let's take a look.
Starting Pitcher: This actually isn't a pressing need, but I strongly believe having an experienced veteran on the staff can do wonders for the youngsters. Jose Fernandez (22), Henderson Alvarez (24), Nathan Eovaldi (24), Tom Koehler (28) and Jarred Cosart (24) all have very little major league experience despite piecing together solid campaigns in 2014. Fernandez, the staff's ace, underwent Tommy John surgery during the season and is no guarantee to return to form in 2015. He only made eight starts before missing the rest of the season and the team's starters logged a 4.04 ERA, which was good enough for 23rd in the MLB. However, that's not too bad for a very young staff, but a veteran would help the maturation of these potential young stars. If they're apparently willing to spend money, it wouldn't be a bad idea for them to attract some of the big name pitchers in free agency, but it'll be difficult to land them because those players are likely looking to play for teams that are contending right now. A number of other cost-effective options remain, including Edinson Volquez, Francisco Liriano, Brandon McCarthy, Ervin Santana, Chris Young, Gavin Floyd, A.J. Burnett and others.
First Baseman: Right now they have Garrett Jones at first with Justin Bour, a prospect who finished the year with Miami, backing him up. But if the team is looking at Sandoval as a potential option at first base, these two would be quickly out of the picture. First base is an important position, especially in the National League, where a power-hitter is needed because of the lack of a designated hitter. If Miami is looking for another option at first, Victor Martinez, Billy Butler, Michael Cuddyer and Adam LaRoche are also available. All of these options bring significant power numbers to the table, which would quickly boost a lineup headlined by Giancarlo Stanton. This, of course, is if they're willing to spend.
Second Baseman: This is a clear need, it's just a matter of what the Marlins decide to do. The best option would be to chase after the latest Cuban defectors: second basemen Jose Fernandez and Yoan Moncada. Fernandez is 26 and is considered MLB-ready because of his plate discipline and on-base skills. Moncada is only 19, but he's a switch-hitting middle infielder who has power. These two men plan to defect and seek MLB contracts, but it's unknown when they'll be cleared by the United States government. If it's sooner rather than later, the better signing would obviously be Fernandez because he can contribute immediately. Moncada would perhaps have to undergo some more development, but the Marlins won't have time for that if they want to make their splash in the immediate future. Other free agents that could work include Jed Lowrie and Kang Jung Ho (Korea). They can also look to trade for a player, with Ben Zobrist, Brock Holt and Gordon Beckham being possibilities.
And that's about it for Miami. The outfield is set with young talent and the bullpen was solid last year. It'll be interesting to see how they come out playing in 2015.
Stay tuned. We have the New York Mets, Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals coming up tomorrow.
