The NL East is considered by many to be the powerhouse of the National league and they currently have two great National League teams, two emerging NL teams and the New York Mets. All of the teams have interesting off season stories attached to them and will be very involved in the free agent class as well as trade rumors.
Atlanta Braves
The Braves were the NL version of the Red Sox with an epic collapse in September that kept them from the playoffs. The Braves have been at the center of a lot of trade rumors as they have been shopping Martin Prado and Jair Jurrjens as they seek to take advantage of their swath of young talented pitchers. The Braves will be looking for Jason Heyward to bounce back big time and for Chipper Jones to have one more good season before he finally retires. I don't think the braves will be looking to sign any big time free agents as the real reason for their collapse was that they overworked their bullpen so everybody was spent by the end of the season. The Braves want a lot for Jurrjens and that was why their deal with the Royals fell through, but if they do move him that means that untested pitchers will have to take on two rotation spots as the Braves have already traded Derrek Lowe. Perhaps the Braves could bring back Javy Vazquez if he chooses to keep playing but I do not think they will be able to get the players they want for Jurrjens. This team will likely be in the thick of the playoff hunt and will have a lot of rookies and second year players on the team but they did make it work last year with a similar situation.
Washington Nationals
The Nationals came very close to finishing above .500 for the first time since the move from Quebec and finished the year 80-81. The Nationals have a strong crop of talented players that are almost ready for the big leauges and strong crop of young players already with the team. Some people think the Nationals will make a run at Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols but despite likely being active on the free agent market I doubt they will pursue these first baseman. Jose Reyes and C.J Wilson are possibilities but I think that the Nationals will likely end up trading for a starter or signing Edwin Jackson as this will be the first time they do not have a protected draft pick. If they do not sign a pitcher then their crop of young players could mean that they trade for a starter and a good fit would likely be Wandy Rodriguez of the Astros. The biggest need for the Nationals however is Center field and their were rumors during the season about them targeting B.J Upton or Denard Span and I think its very likely they will target B.J Upton again this winter. Adam LaRoche will also be coming back from his shoulder surgery last season and if he can play to near his career norms then he will could prove to be a very important trade piece as the Nationals will look to move Morse to first to clear the way for Bryce Harper in the outfield. If things go well for the Nationals then they could be looking at a playoff spot either in 2012 or 2013.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies were nearly universally picked to win the world series this season but ever since they won the world series in 2008 they have bolstered their rotation and still fallen short each time. In 2009 they added Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez, in 2010 they added Roy Halliday and Roy Oswalt. Then in 2011 they added Cliff Lee and had Vance Worley emerge and yet they have gotten progressively farther away from the world series each year. The Phillies won 104 games last year and even with Ryan Howard missing the beginning of the season they should be favored to win the division. Their deal with Ryan Maddson appears to have fallen through and while they still may work out a deal the Phillies could also target Papelbon. The Phillies will look to again march their team to the postseason on their rotation and will likely retain Jimmy Rollins despite a need for them to go younger.
Miami Marlins
The Marlins are moving in to a new stadium in 2012 and will officially switch over to the Miami Marlins name. The Marlins are looking to spend and become a consistent contender and they do have some talented young players as well. The Marlins have been talking to several top free agents and could be the strongest suitors for Prince Fielder or Jose Reyes. They also will be in the market for a starter and I think that if the Rangers don't view Wilson in their future plans then the Marlins could be the best suitors. If the Marlins make the right moves then they could wind up being a contender not just this season but in the future. The real reasons behind these moves however is to repair the teams image after years of isolating the South Florida fan base despite two world series since 1997. This off season is probably more important to the Marlins than any team in the NL and possibly all of baseball, but the Marlins will have to pony up the cash and they will need to be the right moves as the wrong ones could leave the team with a lot of big contracts that they can not afford.
New York Mets
The Mets are a total mess and there is almost no chance for them to retain Jose Reyes and David Wright has been coming up in trade rumors. The financial situation was supposed to be solved before the season was even finished but its still a mess and the biggest move for them this offseason will likely be that they have moved the fences in at Citi Field. In the end I think the Mets will keep Wright for at least the beginning of the season and will look to add some low level players to the rotation like Jason Marquis or Rich Harden to add to a rotation headlined by a hopefully healthy Johan Santanna and R.A Dickey. The Mets have no chance of competing in 2012 unless the ownership financial situation is solved very shortly and are looking like they are several yeas away from being able to field a competitive team. The Mets also have to hope that Ike Davis come back healthy after playing in only 36 games last season.
Unlike last seaon the field appears to be more wide open for whom will win the division and Miami, Atlant, Washington and Philly are all going to be active this winter to try and get an edge in the playoff hunt. On an interesting note since 1993 the Phillies or Braves have won every NL East title except in 2006 when the Mets won, however during that time the Marlins have won two world series while the Braves and Phillies have each won one.
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