NL East

What a difference a month makes.

On Aug. 30, Ronnie Belliard was traded from the Nationals to the Dodgers, who were in the middle of a pennant race and were looking to shore up their middle infield. In the five months prior, Belliard was only getting sporadic playing time with the Nationals and when he was playing, he wasn't producing. His .246/5 HR/22 RBI/.296 clip in 187 at-bats with the Nationals made it very clear that Belliard was no longer in the Nationals' long-term plans.

A few weeks back, I profiled why a swap of Eric Byrnes for Luis Castillo would make sense for both the Arizona Diamondbacks and the New York Mets.

Met fans have been clamoring for Omar Minaya to make a splash and sign a big name free agent. I'm not sure that this signing counts, but according to a report by Joel Sherman of the New York Post , Kelvim Escobar is on his way to becoming a New York Met :

About a month ago, I would have completely dismissed any type of Dan Uggla to the Atlanta Braves rumors as just that, rumors.

But, with the Braves still having a hole in left field (a position that many say Uggla could play) and the Marlins seemingly eager to trade their arbitration-eligible second baseman, you have to at least think about it.

Let's first examine what Uggla brings to the table.

For his career, the soon-to-be 30-year-old is a .257 hitter and has slugged at least 27 home runs in each of his first four big league seasons.

Ever since the Washington Nationals settled in the nation's capitol in 2005, the franchise has consistently been the laughing stock of the National League East, and at times even the entire Major Leagues.

After a quick start in 2005 that placed the Nationals first in the NL East at the halfway mark, their downward spiral began, and so did their constant struggles.

The team has never finished higher than fourth in the division and has only won more than 80 games once.

By Caesar Cliffius

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The Atlanta Braves and third baseman Troy Glaus are close to signing a contract. ESPN reported that the only object in the way of signing Glaus is a physical exam. MLB.com is already showing Glaus in a Braves cap on his profile page.

It looks like the Braves have found their right-handed power hitter.

Despite playing only six games in his career at first base, the Braves signed Troy Glaus to a one-year/$2 million contract yesterday:

Free agent corner infielder Troy Glaus and the Atlanta Braves have reached a tentative agreement on a contract, a baseball source told ESPN.com on Wednesday.

The New York Mets had a year to forget in 2009.

The team was inept in playing the game on a daily basis not to mention they dealt with litany of injuries. Then, they watched their hated rivals facing each other in the World Series, and the Yankees capped off the Mets' troubled season by winning the championship.

In a week from now, the year will be over, but it does not mean the misery will end next season.

The Mets will do okay as long as they don't have injury issues. With that said, they are no better than the Phillies, Braves and the Marlins.