With the Phillies getting Roy Halladay and the Mets getting Jason Bay, my friends have been asking me if I'm nervous about the Braves contending in the East. My answer is no. I don't think Bay makes that team a contender. I just can't take the Mets seriously when Omar Minaya is their GM. I don't think he makes good moves. I have no faith in Jose Reyes and David Wright has yet to figure out how to be a franchise player. He puts too much pressure on himself and can't put a team on his shoulders when necessary.
I would be more worried about the Phillies if they had Halladay and Lee. I know Roy is a premiere pitcher in the game, but I don't see the offense being as good. Not bad. Just not as good. I don't see Ibanez repeating his 2009 performance. Same with Jayson Werth. Back to the rotation. I'm losing confidence in Cole Hamels almost daily. Joe Blanton intimidates nobody. J.A. Happ is promising. I gotta give them that. However, I just think Atlanta is going to have it this year. It's Bobby Cox's last year, and I think the team is going to play with some urgency. Atlanta won't bash the ball around the yard like Philly will, but I see them being more scrappy and steady throughout the year. Time will tell.
