Baseball preview: National League capsules, odds, stats and storylines

Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. Odds are via SugarHouse.com.

American League capsules

Manager: Brian Snitker (fourth season).

2018: 90-72, first place, lost to Dodgers in Division Series.

Key additions: 3B Josh Donaldson, C Brian McCann.

Key subtraction: RHP Anibal Sanchez.

Three things: Atlanta will start the season without All-Star starter Mike Foltynewicz (elbow) for at least the first month. Foltynewicz made six starts against the Phillies last season and did not give up more than two runs in any of them. ... Rolling the dice with 3B Josh Donaldson, who was signed to a one-year deal for $23 million after playing just 52 games last season. Donaldson, 33, won the 2015 AL MVP award with Toronto. ... Former Phillies pitching coach Rick Kranitz has the same job with Atlanta. The Braves led the National League in walks last season, an average of nearly four per game.

Key number: 1.028. The second-half OPS for rookie-of-the-year left fielder Ronald Acuna Jr., who will start the season hitting cleanup. He did not bat fourth at all last season.

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Manager: Gabe Kapler (second season).

2018: 80-82, third place.

Key additions: OF Bryce Harper, C J.T. Realmuto, SS Jean Segura, LF Andrew McCutchen, RHP David Robertson.

Key subtractions: 1B Carlos Santana, C Jorge Alfaro, INF J.P. Crawford.

Three things: This is the biggest offseason haul in Phillies history. Kind of reminds you of the 1987 class of Lance Parrish, Mike Easler and Tom Hume (#sarcasm). The Phillies added four everyday players and bolstered their bullpen with Robertson, who will be part of the crew that closes games. ... All eyes are on Harper, but getting McCutchen also is key. It allows young slugger Rhys Hoskins to move back to first base. ... Biggest question is starting pitching and whether they have enough.

Key number: 14. Career home runs Harper has hit at Citizens Bank Park, his most outside of Washington.

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Manager: Dave Martinez (second season).

2018: 82-80, second place.

Key additions: LHP Patrick Corbin, RHP Anibal Sanchez, C Yan Gomes, 2B Brian Dozier, RHP Kyle Barraclough, RHP Trevor Rosenthal.

Key subtractions: OF Bryce Harper, C Matt Wieters, RHP Tanner Roark.

Three things: OK, so they lost the biggest free agent, but they added Patrick Corbin to a rotation anchored by Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg. That’s a pretty good top three. ... "With my speed and my hard-hit-ball percentage,” shortstop Trae Turner told the Washington Post in the spring, “there’s no reason I shouldn’t hit .300.” Turner hit .271 last year in his first full season. He hit .342 in 73 games in 2016. ... Rosenthal and Barraclough will join closer Doolittle in a solid back of the bullpen.

Key number: 22. Age of rookie center fielder Victor Robles. Juan Soto, 20, last year’s runner-up for NL rookie of the year, is the left fielder. Adam Eaton (30) takes over in right for Harper.

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Manager: Mickey Callaway (second season).

2018: 77-85, fourth place.

Key additions: GM Brodie Van Wagenen, 2B Robinson Cano, RHP Edwin Diaz, INF Jed Lowrie, C Wilson Ramos, RHP Jeurys Familia.

Key subtractions: RF-1B Jay Bruce, INF Wilmer Flores, 3B David Wright.

Three things: Turned to former player agent Brodie Van Wagenen as general manager, and about the only thing he hasn’t added is a left-handed Statue of Liberty. ... Upgraded the bullpen by reacquiring Familia and getting Diaz in a deal with Seattle that brought Robinson Cano back to the Big Apple. Cano, 36, spent nine years with the Yankees. ... Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom reportedly has agreed to a five-year, $137.5 million contract. Van Wagenen, by the way, is his former agent.

Key number: 57. Number of saves Diaz had for Seattle last season. The Mets team had 41.

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Manager: Don Mattingly (fourth season).

2018: 63-98, fifth place.

Key additions: C Jorge Alfaro, INF Neil Walker, OF Curtis Granderson.

Key subtractions: C J.T. Realmuto, INF-OF Derek Dietrich, RHP Kyle Barraclough.

Three things: Brian Anderson, who had a decent rookie year (.273-11-65), will be the everyday third baseman. Anderson told the Miami Herald that he lost about 12 pounds during the season, so he focused on conditioning in the offseason. ... The closest thing the Marlins have to an ace is Jose Urena, who has held Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins to 4-for-21 (.190) with no homers and 10 strikeouts combined. ... Former Phillies catcher Jorge Alfaro missed several games in the spring with knee inflammation after he banged his knee on a railing while chasing a pop foul and tumbled into the dugout. Alfaro was unfazed that he was injured during an exhibition game. “I wanted to show everyone that all of us are going to give 100 percent,” he told the Miami Herald. “I wanted to show everybody that we are here to compete and win. We are going out to win every day.”

Key number: 108. Team record for losses, a mark set in 1998 that could be in jeopardy given how strong the division is this year.

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Manager: Craig Counsell (fifth season).

2018: 96-67, first place, lost to Dodgers in NLCS.

Key additions: C Yasmani Grandal.

Key subtractions: 3B Mike Moustakas, LHP Wade Miley, OF Domingo Santana.

Three things: The Brewers haven’t made the playoffs in consecutive seasons in nearly 40 years (1981-82). ... Added power-hitting catcher Yasmani Grandal with a one-year, $16 million deal that includes a mutual (and extremely low) $2.25 million option for 2020. Grandal, who averaged 24 homers over the last three seasons with the Dodgers, reportedly turned down a four-year offer from the Mets for $60M. Yikes. ... Reigning MVP Christian Yelich and the Brewers will make their only visit to Philadelphia from May 13-16. Yelich is a .333 hitter at Citizens Bank Park.

Key number: 49. Number of seasons Bob Uecker has been a broadcaster for the Brewers. He’s so beloved by the players that they voted to give him a share of their playoff bonus last season. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Uecker donated the $123,000 to charity.

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Manager: Mike Shildt (first full season).

2018: 88-74, third place.

Key additions: 1B Paul Goldschmidt, LHP Andrew Miller.

Key subtractions: RHP Luke Weaver, RHP Bud Norris.

Three things: The Cardinals went 41-28 (.594) after Shildt replaced Mike Matheny as manager and yet made up only a half-game in the division standings. ... Goldschmidt (.290-33-83 last year with Arizona) gives Shildt heavy pop in the middle of the lineup. The five-year, $130 million extension he got last week is the largest in Cardinals history. The previous was Matt Holliday’s seven-year, $120 mil in 2010. ... Miller (lefty) hasn’t closed regularly in four years. Second-year righty Jordan Hicks also is expected to finish some games.

Key number: $68 million. Value of the four-year contract Miles Mikolas signed in February. Mikolas, who played in Japan from 2015-17, went 18-4 last season for the Cards and will start on opening day. Before last season, he was 4-6 in the majors from 2012-14.

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Manager: Joe Maddon (fifth season).

2018: 95-68, second place, lost to Colorado in wild-card game.

Key additions: None.

Key subtractions: 2B Daniel Murphy.

Three things: Manager Joe Maddon does not have a contract after this season. ... Yu Darvish is looking to rebound after an injury-riddled first season in Chicago. He made eight starts (1-3, 4.95 ERA) and $25 millon in salary. “I don’t want [to hear] ‘booooo’ anymore," Darvish told the Daily Herald. “I want [to hear] ‘Yuuuuu.’” ... Opening-day starter Jon Lester had a 10.57 ERA in spring training, which might or might not mean a darn thing.

Key number: 2.36. ERA in 12 starts down the stretch for Cole Hamels after he was acquired from Texas. Hamels turned 35 in December.

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Manager: David Bell (first season).

2018: 67-95, fifth place.

Key additions: Manager David Bell, OF Yasiel Puig, OF Matt Kemp, LHP Alex Wood, RHP Sonny Gray, RHP Tanner Roark.

Key subtractions: RHP Homer Bailey, CF Billy Hamilton, RHP Matt Harvey.

Three things: The Reds hired Bell after finishing last in the Central for the fourth consecutive season. Bell, who played for the Phillies from 2003-06, has never managed. ... The Reds experimented with reliever Michael Lorenzen also playing center field, where he played at Cal State Fullerton. “It’s all new to us," Bell said. "I’ve never been close to a pitcher who can do these things.” ... Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp, acquired from the Dodgers, are free agents after 2019 and could get flipped to a contender at some point.

Key number: 4.51. Sonny Gray’s ERA in two forgettable seasons with the Yankees. (It was 3.42 in 114 games with Oakland prior.) The trade to Cincinnati reunited him with college pitching coach Derek Johnson and could be the best thing to help Gray forget about New York.

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Manager: Clint Hurdle (ninth season).

2018: 82-79, fourth place.

Key additions: OF Lonnie Chisenhall, LHP Francisco Liriano, RHP Jordan Lyles, SS Erik Gonzalez.

Key subtractions: 2B Josh Harrison, SS Jordy Mercer, RHP Ivan Nova.

Three things: The Pirates did well to win 82 games last season and came into 2019 wanting more. “This club has a feel that we can be a postseason team, that we can be a team that can advance deep in the postseason," general manager Neal Huntington said at the start of spring. ... Jameson Taillon, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 draft, went 14-10, 3.20 ERA for the first 10-win season of his winding career. The first pick in 2010 was Bryce Harper. The third was Manny Machado. ... All-Star closer Felipe Vazquez acknowledged what most of us already know. “Most great closers are crazy. Look at [Craig] Kimbrel,” he said. “He’s crazy. He pitches with no fear. If you’re crazy, you can be good for the ninth inning. That’s how I want to be. I’ve learned that I can’t let up on anybody.”

Key number: 177. Number of strikeouts Vazquez has over the last two seasons (145 1/3 innings).

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Manager: Bud Black (third season).

2018: 91-72, second place, wild card, lost to Milwaukee in Division Series.

Key additions: 1B Daniel Murphy.

Key subtractions: 2B DJ LeMahieu, RHP Adam Ottavino, OF Carlos Gonzalez.

Three things: Adding Murphy will upgrade the offense, which hit a franchise-low .256 last year. (How does a lineup with Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado in Colorado hit that low?). Murphy will play first base regularly for the first time in 10 years. ... Ian Desmond will move from first base to center field, and Blackmon will move from center to right. Desmond was an all-star center fielder for the Rangers in 2016. ... Arenado celebrated his eight-year, $260 million contract he signed in February by hitting nearly .400 during the spring. He was knocking the cover off the ball.

Key number: 4th. Where Kyle Freeland finished in last year’s Cy Young voting, behind Messers deGrom, Scherzer and Nola. Freeland, 25, was 17-7, 2.85.

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Manager: Dave Roberts (fourth season).

2018: 92-71, first place, lost to Boston in World Series.

Key additions: CF A.J. Pollock, RHP Joe Kelly, C Russell Martin.

Key subtractions: SS Manny Machado, OF Matt Kemp, OF Yasiel Puig, C Yasmani Grandal, LHP Alex Wood, RHP Ryan Madson, 2B Chase Utley.

Three things: Have won six division titles and been to the World Series the last two years, but still carry a 31-year championship drought. ... Failed to sign Bryce Harper or re-sign Manny Machado and traded talented (but flighty) Yasiel Puig and aging Matt Kemp. ... Catcher Yasmani Grandal, who had a nightmare postseason (.138, one RBI; horrid defense), will be replaced by Russell Martin, who played his first five seasons with the Dodgers. ... The only Dodgers pitcher left who worked with Martin is Clayton Kershaw, who spent the spring working through shoulder discomfort.

Key number: 1. The Dodgers’ average margin for the first five division titles during this run was eight games ahead. Last year, they edged out Colorado by one game.

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Manager: Torey Lovullo (third season).

2018: 82-80, third place.

Key additions: OF Adam Jones, INF Wilmer Flores, RHP Luke Weaver.

Key subtractions: 1B Paul Goldschmidt, CF A.J. Pollock, LHP Patrick Corbin.

Three things: Five-time All-Star Adam Jones signed in mid-March. ... Watched a lot of talent walk out the door, so hovering around .500 again will be admirable. ... Former Villanova football star Matt Szczur is with his third organization in four years. He’ll start in the minors, but could be in the mix to help replace rightfielder Steven Souza Jr., who suffered an awful season-ending knee injury on Monday.

Key number: 30. Home runs hit by LF David Peralta last year. His previous career high was 17.

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Manager: Andy Green (fourth season).

2018: 66-96, fifth place.

Key additions: 3B Manny Machado, 2B Ian Kinsler.

Key subtractions: SS Freddy Galvis, LHP Clayton Richard.

Three things: The addition of Machado has the Padres thinking October. “When you take our worst position [third base] and turn it into our best position, that’d make any team better. It definitely accelerates our plan," said versatile Wil Myers, one of seven players to start at third last season. "This is the time now. We’re not a young team anymore, with our eye on the future. It’s a different feeling, for sure. It’s exciting. And everybody feels it.” ... It was a mild surprise when top shortstop prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. made the opening-day roster. ... The Padres could have four lefties in their rotation.

Key number: 2006. The last time San Diego made the playoffs.

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Manager: Bruce Bochy (13th season).

2018: 73-89, fourth place.

Key additions: LHP Drew Pomeranz, LHP-RHP Pat Venditte.

Key subtractions: OF Hunter Pence, OF Gregor Blanco.

Three things: Headline in the San Francisco Chronicle from March 3: “The Giants didn’t get Bryce Harper, but neither did the Dodgers.” ... Missing out on Harper was one thing, but the ugly video of CEO Larry Baer’s altercation with his wife was another. ... Manager Bruce Bochy is calling it quits after this season. Bochy has managed for 24 years, including the last 12 in San Francisco, where he has won three World Series. He’s at 1,926 career wins, and it’d be nice if the Giants could get him to 2,000. The bookies project their win total to be right around 74.

Key number: 937. Six-time All-Star Buster Posey is making his way back from labrum surgery. Counting postseason, Posey has caught 937 career games.