NL East

The Philadelphia Phillies have not had a losing season since 2002, when they finished 80-81. The last ten seasons have provided the faithful fan base in Philadelphia with more things to cheer about than to jeer about. Unfortunately though, the end is near. 

It wasn't the farcical Mayan Apocalypse that dashed the hopes of Phillies fans everywhere. No. It was the mismanagement of a roster and farm system that will cause the destruction of arguably the best decade of baseball in this franchise's history. 

The Miami Marlins' talent exodus reached laughable heights this offseason, but even with Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle playing above the border, there's still one reason to tune on the Marlins every night: Giancarlo Stanton. 

The Philadelphia Phillies have an outfield full of talented yet inexperienced players, and many fans want to see the club sign or trade for a proven veteran in order to balance the roster.

But would this be a smart move?

From the inception of the franchise in 1962 until July of 2004, third base was a revolving door for the New York Mets.

That all changed on July 21 of that year when a Virginia native got the call up from Triple-A Norfolk.

The soft-spoken Wright took control of the hot corner and never looked back, becoming the face of the franchise along with fellow left-side infielder Jose Reyes.

Will Justin Upton be traded or won't he be traded? That is the question.

Chase Utley has been a Philadelphia Phillie since 2003. Utley was 24 when he made his debut with the Phillies, and over the next ten seasons fans would get to see one of the best second basemen to ever lace up his cleats.

Utley plays the game like everyone should. Hard, fast and with grit. 

At the MLB Free Agent Bar and Night Club, it is 1:50 a.m. The bartender rang the bell for last call 20 minutes ago, and the "ugly lights" just came up. For Ruben Amaro Jr. and the Philadelphia Phillies, there is still time to leave with someone...but the clock is ticking.

Most of the really prime targets have gone home with someone else.

This was an offseason where the New York Mets needed to upgrade at several positions.

It is January 1, however, and they have only managed to lose a 20-game winner in R.A. Dickey. Could their lack of infusion of talent actually benefit them in the future?

A case can be made that the Mets were best suited to not acquire one of the top-tiered free agents in order to provide the most roster flexibility entering 2014.

A left fielder, a leadoff hitter and replacing Chipper Jones are the biggest challenges facing the Atlanta Braves in 2013.

A year after losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in the one-game playoff, the Braves are looking to win their first playoff series since 2001.

However, there are some issues that still have to be worked out.

Here's a look at the eight biggest questions facing the Braves in 2013.

The Marlins, whether they be Florida or Miami, are not known for keeping their quality players for long periods of time. Every four or five years, the team has a total purging of their well known and well paid players and young unknown talents are ushered in.