NL East

Back in late January, in the midst of this most brutal winter, a love affair with baseball came full circle. I walked into the Holiday Inn in Arlington, Va., and attended my first meeting as a member of the Society for American Baseball Research, or SABR, known for its fanatical devotees and pioneering statistical methods.

It was recently reported by the Washington Post that Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos is likely headed for surgery on his left hand that could keep him out for four to eight weeks.

The New York Mets have had little reason to be optimistic for the past few years, but this year has the potential be different.

Baseball is back, and that's a reason to be excited in itself. 

The Braves didn't get off to the start they were hoping for with a 2-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Opening Day on Monday afternoon.

Despite that loss, there is plenty of reason to be excited about the 2014 season if you are a Braves fan.

The team returns a young and talented core that won the National League East last season.

Hey, the Miami Marlins are 1-0 and are in the first place in the National League East.

At this rate, they will go 162-0 and win the World Series.

Too much, too soon?

The Mets' 2014 season is just days away from beginning, and the team is hoping to have a winning record for the first time since 2008. After making various moves, there is certainly reason to believe that this could finally happen.

Here are five big reasons why the Mets could have a winning record this season.

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While 2015 and the return of Matt Harvey will likely be the realistic time to start discussing playoff odds for the New York Mets, this team has plenty of exciting individuals that should keep fans watching throughout the season.

Through the rest of this slideshow, I have made five bold predictions about the Mets 2014 season. Some of these predictions you might agree with, while others you may find absurd, but that is what makes them bold predictions.

Spring training is almost done, and this means that roster cuts and adjustments have either been made or need to be made in order to come up with the best possible 25-man roster for Opening Day.

This time of year can be very rewarding for those who make the Opening Day roster or very disappointing for those who are either optioned to the minor leagues or released.

Here are three big winners and three big losers for the New York Mets' spring training this year.

Spring training is nearly over for the Philadelphia Phillies.

When spring training began, Alex Wood was simply trying to put himself in position to make the Atlanta Braves rotation. With Opening Day on the horizon, the 23-year-old has survived a war of attrition to become a central figure on manager Fredi Gonzalez's staff.

In Atlanta, pitching has gone from a strength to a major concern.