Philadelphia Phillies 2012: Are the Braves or Marlins the Bigger NL East Threat?

As the end of December rolls around and January 2012 approaches, we are only months away from the start of yet another MLB season. It is hard to believe that already over one month ago, the World Series was awarded and that now, teams are already preparing so that they have their shot to win it all in 2012.

With the Phillies having the National League’s highest payroll, the Marlins moving to a new stadium and bringing stars with them, the Braves keeping much of their core in tact and the Nationals slowly working their way into the playoff conversation, the National League East race has the potential to be extremely tight and one of the best in baseball to follow in the coming season.

Let’s start with the Phillies. Obviously, as the five-time defending champion of the NL East crown, they are the ones being chased in 2012. The Phillies had by most fan’s reasoning a very quiet off season. As opposed to the past two years when Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay were acquired, this year GM Ruben Amaro seemed to look more at role players to add. That being said he did bring in top closer Jonathon Papelbon for a five year, $50M deal to replace the exiting Ryan Madson. The contract made Papelbon the highest paid relief pitcher in baseball history.

Without acquiring the marquee free agents such as they did in the past, Amaro managed to on paper improve the bench and the bullpen, two areas of need. He also brought SS Jimmy Rollins back to the team on a three year deal, with a vesting option for a fourth year. Bringing back Rollins was one of the top priorities on the Phillies off season wish list and having him back in the fold is something that both fans and teammates alike hoped to happen.

Amaro also brought in Ty Wigginton, a utility player with the ability to play most infield positions and Laynce Nix to replace Raul Ibanez in right. Amaro also brought back fan favorite Jim Thome to replace Ross Gload on the bench. None of these moves are blockbuster but at the price Amaro paid for these guys, it could be something that pays off in the end.

Next up are the second place Atlanta Braves. Last year the Braves had a strong shot to challenge the Phillies for the NL East crown, but they suffered key injuries down the stretch. As the Phillies pulled away in their best season as a professional baseball team, the Braves struggled. They remained relevant, however, and if not for losing the final series of the regular season to the Phillies would have made the playoffs as the wild card.

There is no reason to suggest that the Braves won’t be competitive again this season. Their young crop of talent featuring Freddie Freeman and Jason Heyward looks to continue to be effective this year and their back of the bullpen—with set-up man Jhonny Venters and ROY closer Craig Kimbrel—is one of the best in baseball.

One of the major setbacks this offseason for the Braves has been their relative inactivity. They allowed SS Alex Gonzalez to sign with Brewers, indicating that they might be adding another rookie to their already solid core. They also ate a huge portion of Derek Lowe’s contract as they traded him to Cleveland for pitching prospect Chris Jones.

Getting rid of Lowe could be huge for the Braves. He may not have been the best pitcher last season, but something Lowe has been able to do is beat the Phillies. Although last season his record was 1-4 against the team, his sinker and ground ball style of pitching has given the Phils’ strikeout prone hitters problems in the past. In a division where pitching is front and center, getting rid of Lowe may have not been in the Braves interest when it comes to being able to compete with Philly’s top arms, Miami’s talent and the young guns of Washington in Steven Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez.

The newly named and located Miami Marlins made a big splash this offseason. Not only did they display new uniforms and a new stadium, but they seemed to be overloaded with cash to spend. After bringing in former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, the Marlins were rumored to have offers out for two of the market’s biggest free agents. The buzz around the baseball world was that the offers were real and that there was a pretty big chance that Miami could have signed both Jose Reyes and Albert Pujols.

Well, luckily for the rest of the league, the Marlins would have to settle—although I think it is hardly settling—for just Jose Reyes. They also brought in Mark Buehrle to add to an already solid rotation featuring Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco and Anibal Sanchez. If all of these guys are healthy, Miami has their own big three to compete against the arms of Philadelphia. The Marlins also improved their bullpen by signing closer Heath Bell for a pretty reasonable price.

Just these few moves move the Marlins from pretender to contender in 2012. Their lineup is already stacked with talent in Logan Morrison and Mike Stanton and adding Jose Reyes gives the lineup more speed and swagger. It will be a new Miami offense with him at the helm and expect it to be explosive.

Right now, with all of the moves already made and not including any that might still be made, it is clear that the Marlins and not the Braves will be the bigger threat to Philly in 2012. They improved their offense and will have a formidable pitching staff, permitting Johnson will be back and healthy for 2012. If any team will challenge the Phillies for the NL East next season, it will be the Marlins. In fact if they can convince Hanley Ramirez to stay and play third, there is a good shot they will be at the top of the NL East next season.

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