We have come down to the two final divisions in our preview series. Today we turn to the NL East with repeat participants Chris Needham of the Washington Nationals blog, Capitol Punishment and Dave Studeman of The Hardball Times . Previous division discussions can be found below. NL Central AL Central AL West NL West Sully: The two-team race seems to be a theme this year. In both Central divisions it seems that two teams have emerged. The Boston-New York duopoly of the American League East sure seems in tact. The NL West probably figures to be a three-team battle and the AL West looks a bit more unpredictable now that Kelvim Escobar will be shelved for the year. So what about the NL East?  read more »

We're bringing out the big guns for the American League Central. We hope you enjoyed the AL West and NL West previews and trust you will find today's roundtable discussion with two of our favorite writers informative and entertaining. Rob Neyer , a senior writer at ESPN.com and the author of six books (including the soon-to-be-released Big Book of Baseball Legends ), is on the very, very short list of parties most responsible for advancing statistical performance analysis into the mainstream. Often referred to as a "Bill James disciple" resulting from his time working for the so-called godfather of sabermetrics, Rob ascended to his current position of influence by championing a constant message and winning over a legion of loyal readers.  read more »

BY ADAM RONIS It has taken longer than expected but Mark Teixeria, a perrenial second half player, is starting to get going. He went 3-for-4 with three home runs and four RBIs. He has 13 homers and 55 RBIs. I would trade for him now. Brian McCann hit his 14th homer and is batting .310. Tim Hudson threw seven scoreless innings and allowed four hits, walked four and struck out two to improve to 8-5 with a 2.96 ERA. Mike Gonzalez allowed three hits and two earned runs in one inning. His velocity is down, but the Braves don't have many options to close right now. Jeff Clement should get time at catcher for the Mariners. He went 2-for-3 with a homer and should be owned in leagues that start two catchers and AL-only leagues.  read more »

Johan Santana nearly wound up pitching for the Boston Red Sox this spring instead of against them. The two-time Cy Young Award winner shut down the World Series champions Monday, and the New York Mets got Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado back from injuries in a 1-1 tie with Boston that was called after 10 innings.  read more »

Previous Team Analyses: TB TOR BOS BAL NYY CHC HOU STL PIT CIN MIL LAA OAK TEX SEA The New York Mets began 2008 with a bang, acquiring the best player on the market to fulfill their need for a true ace. They're primed to dominate the NL East again, with studs Jose Reyes and David Wright anchoring the lineup. They gave up most of their prospects to get Santana, meaning that it's now or never. This team is good enough to make it now. Lineup: SS Jose Reyes 2B Luis Castillo 3B David Wright CF Carlos Beltran 1B Carlos Delgado LF Moises Alou RF Ryan Church C Brian Schneider Rotation: Johan Santana Pedro Martinez John Maine Oliver Perez Orlando Hernandez Closer: Billy Wagner Alou probably will not see the field before May after being injured with a sports hernia. In his absence, look for primary backup Endy Chavez to pick up at-bats. Chavez, however, is a defensive specialist without much fantasy relevance. If Angel Pagan wins the job, or if the Mets somehow pull off a deal for Xavier Nady, then LF for the Mets will become relevant again. Until that happens, though, consider left field a hole in this lineup. I discussed Santana here last week, but to summarize: Now that he gets to face pitchers, look for his strikeout totals to jump up. I think he can push 300 at season's end, and with the run support he's guaranteed to get, 20 wins are a lock. He's an absolute stud. Speaking of studs... Reyes and Wright are both outstanding. I consider the two interchangeable in picks 2, 3, and 4 depending on who is available and what type of team you like to build. I've drafted with Reyes from number two, which allowed me to choose more power hitters knowing I had an early advantage in steals and runs. I also enjoy drafting with Wright, though, because I like having third base filled early, and I can usually pair him with Teixeira and one of Carlos Lee/Lance Berkman/Vlad Guerrero, which fills out all of my big positions in the first three rounds. It's easy to go sleeper hunting later knowing I have these positions filled. I'm not as big on Beltran as some others. I can't say exactly why - he's a five category producer in a big-time lineup, but I guess it's the low average. Nonetheless, if he's available in the middle of the second round, he'll definitely be a productive part of your lineup. John Maine burned out last year after a fantastic four months. He only pitched 90 big league innings in 2006, though, so the fact that this was his first full year could account for some of his struggles. Maine pitched a beautiful game that appeared to bring the Mets out of their slide at the end of last year - I love him in big games. Of course, this doesn't translate into fantasy production, but to me, it indicates that he can pitch and I would honestly like him on my fantasy team. He'll certainly provide wins, but I expect he will contribute across the board for a full season in 2008. Other players: I like Billy Wagner, especially if you miss out on K-Rod and Nathan. He'll have the saves and the stats to anchor a fantasy bullpen. I don't particularly like Carlos Delgado to have a bounce-back season at 35. I wish the Mets would have a bigger name first baseman, but it looks like they're committed to Carlos in the middle of their lineup. Pedro will be okay but probably suffer one DL stint this year; he can still pitch but is no longer the overpowering ace he was in the 90s. The Mets are loaded for 2008 and beyond, and Reyes, Wright, and Santana will all be first round fantasy picks for years to come. The rest of the lineup can fill out fantasy rosters; never underestimate the importance of being on a winning team when you're taking a guy to round out your team. Sorry Jimmy Rollins, but the Mets are the team to beat in the NL East in 2008.  read more »

Saturday's hero Carlos Beltran and concussion-comebacker Ryan Church each blasted 2-run home runs in a 5-run 3rd inning as the Mets took out the Dodgers, 6-1, Sunday night at Shea. Johan Santana worked 7-2/3 ace-like innings.

Well, this is my first shot at running a theme normally commandeered by Pete, but it's an issue that I find important. At this point in the season, you should start looking at your early round picks and asking whether you need to cut bait or keep fishing. For owners of Alex Rodriguez, Alfonso Soriano, or Carlos Beltran (or all three, in the case of my team in my favorite league...) there's definitely been reason for concern. Since A-Rod is hurt and really unsellable for decent value, we will focus on the other two, whose injuries have seemed to catch up to them this season.  read more »

Kelly Johnson couldn't talk his way into the lineup before the game. He was as persuasive as possible when given a chance during the game. Johnson's pinch-hit grand slam broke open a close game and the Atlanta Braves overcame a rare call reversal by the umpires and beat the New York Mets 11-5 on Saturday.  read more »

Ryan Church and David Wright each homered, Carlos Beltran had three doubles and the New York Mets pounded out 17 hits in a 13-0 rout of the Florida Marlins on Wednesday night. Church had three hits and drove in three runs, and every Mets starting position player had at least one hit and scored at [...]

Ryan Church and David Wright each homered, Carlos Beltran had three doubles and the New York Mets pounded out 17 hits in a 13-0 rout of the Florida Marlins on Wednesday night. Church had three hits and drove in three runs, and every Mets starting position player had at least one hit and scored at [...]