Divisional preview: National League East

After winning two of the last three National League East titles, and then losing in October's National League Division Series, the Nationals are on the hot seat of expectations.

They've added $210 million pitcher Max Scherzer to what was already the best rotation in baseball. And with shortstop Ian Desmond and starters Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister eligible for free agency after the season, the Nationals have a sense or urgency.

The Nationals won the division by 17 games last season with a league-high 96 wins.

Is there any one not picking the Nationals to win the division this season?

Who is going to challenge the Nationals?

The Braves will be run-challenged. The Phillies are trying to rebuild. The Mets won 79 games last season and could be in the mid-80s this time, even without pitcher Zack Wheeler.

The Marlins are the most improved team in the division. They have everything: a deep rotation, power arms in the bullpen, a blend of experience and youth, a calm manager, speed, power and defense.

Still, the Nationals are the pick to win the division, followed by the Marlins, Mets, Braves and Phillies.

The details:

Washington: The Nationals rotation is ridiculously good: They could have teammates vying for the strikeouts, innings pitched, wins and ERA titles in the NL. All five - Scherzer, Zimmermann, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez an Fister - could end up with Cy Young votes. Last season, the Nationals rotation led the NL in ERA (3.04) with the second-fewest walks (212) and the second-best strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.05), and then they add Scherzer, an AL Cy Young winner with Detroit. ... The No. 6 guy is Tanner Roark, who came within an eyelash of 200 innings last season with a 2.85 ERA. Assuming no injuries, how do the Nationals keep Roark busy? ... Denard Span (core muscle surgery), Jayson Werth (shoulder surgery) and Anthony Rendon (knee) start the season on the disabled list, so the lineup took an unexpected turn: Yunel Escobar, a shortstop asked to play second, will play third base, a position he hasn't played since 2007 with Atlanta and that was only a couple of dozen games. Tyler Moore, a power-hitting prospect who hasn't gotten much playing time in the last couple of years, will start in left field for Werth. And, believe it or not, Dan Uggla, 35, who has struggled big-time with concussion and eyesight issues in the last four seasons, will get a chance to restart his career by playing second. Uggla's last good season was 2010 for the Marlins, when he hit .287 with a .369 on-base percentage, 33 home runs and 105 RBIs. Prospect Michael Taylor, 24, a speed guy with power as well as 100-plus strikeouts last season, hit .313 with 22 home runs for Double-A Harrisburg last season. He will play center field in place of Span. ... Closer Drew Storen, who has been part of heart-breaking October losses in 2012 and 2014, is going to have to prove to Nationals fans that he can pitch as well in October as he does during the regular season. The durability of Tyler Clippard, now the Oakland closer, will be missed. ... Bryce Harper, 22, had knee and thumb injuries last season, but if he's healthy, he's going to have a monster season. His power hitting in last year's postseason shows what kind of big game player he can be. ... Injuries limited Ryan Zimmerman to 61 games last season, but he might be healthier after moving from third base to first. "I love it, it's going to be fun playing a new position,'' Zimmerman says. ... It's a similar story for Wilson Ramos, a defensively strong, power-hitting catcher when healthy. But Ramos has made five trips to the disabled list since 2012.

Miami: After four consecutive losing seasons, including seasons of 90, 93 and 100 losses, the Marlins have turned themselves into contenders, trying to make the playoffs for the first time since winning the 2003 World Series. ... They had 77 wins last season, even though they lost pitcher Jose Fernandez and outfielder Giancarlo Stanton to injuries. They've added the NL stolen base champ, second baseman Dee Gordon, who had 64 steals for the Dodgers last season, and former Nat Michael Morse, who hit 16 home runs for the Giants last season, to a lineup that has the best-hitting outfield in baseball. Also new is third baseman Martin Prado, an unselfish hitter who will teach the kids the value of productive outs. Gordon's issue is his ability to get on base, but he's developing: Last season, he had 20 bunt singles and 55 infield hits, making him potentially a dangerous leadoff batter. ... The outfield has Christian Yelich (.284-9-54 with 21 steals), Marcell Ozuna (.269-23-85) and Stanton (.288-37-105). Stanton, who is wearing a new helmet designed to protect his jaw, missed the final three weeks of last season after getting hit in the face with a pitch. ... The fourth outfielder is an interesting story because it is Ichiro Suzuki, who is 156 hits short of 3,000 for his career. How does he get into games? Marlins manager Mike Redmond says, "I don't know exactly, but we will see as the season goes.'' ... Fernandez, who was 12-6 with a 2.19 ERA with 187 strikeouts and 58 walks during 2013, is expected back in mid-June from Tommy John surgery. The Marlins added Mat Latos to a young, powerful and deep rotation that includes Henderson Alvarez (2.65 ERA), Jarred Cosart and Tom Koehler (3.81). Latos had 28 wins with ERAs of 3.48 and 3.16 in the last two seasons for Cincinnati. ... Closer Steve Cishek had 39 saves last season.

Atlanta: The Braves, who had a playoff berth as late as Sept. 6 of last season, fell out the picture in the final month and finished with 79 wins. Now they look as if they will fall even lower as they retool for a move to a new ballpark in 2017. ... The Braves averaged 3.54 runs a game last season - the NL average was 3.95 - and then traded three of their best hitters - Jason Heyward, Evan Gattis and Justin Upton - with a focus on replenishing the farm system. That leaves first baseman Freddie Freeman (.288-18-78) as the best hitter and it begs the question: How many pitches will Freeman get to see, assuming no lineup support? ... The Braves were hurt big-time when Brandon Beachy and Kris Medlen were sidelined with a second Tommy John surgery, but the top of the rotation, Julio Teheran and Shelby Miller, is solid. Teheran relies on a fastball-changeup mix, and his fastball has dropped a few ticks this spring. Miller, 22, came from the Cardinals and won 25 games in two seasons for St. Louis with ERAs of 3.06 and 3.74. And, the lefties, Mike Minor and Alex Wood, he of the unconventional windup and 2.95 ERA last season, are strong as well. ... In addition to Freeman, the infield has third baseman Chris Johnson, shortstop Andrelton Simmons and second baseman Alberto Callaspo, who is holding the position for prospect Jose Peraza. ... The outfield has former Oriole Nick Markakis, whose power is going backward since his 20-plus home run seasons of 2007-2008, but he does bring excellent defense and a .358 career on-base percentage. ... Catcher Christian Bethancourt is as good as a prospect can get behind the plate, but needs to develop with his offense. The Braves love his strong arm and soft hands, and they believe he has potential for 15 home runs a season. If Bethancourt pans out, that would keep the Braves from trying to sign the Orioles' potential free agent, Matt Wieters. ... The closer is Craig Kimbrel, who had a 1.61 ERA last season. He's considered the best closer in the game.

New York: After 79 wins last season, the Mets are looking forward to ending a streak of seven consecutive losing seasons, but the road is tougher now that Wheeler, 24, who was 11-11 with a 3.54 ERA and more than a strikeout per inning, is out with Tommy John surgery. Matt Harvey, the 2013 All-Star who missed last season because of elbow surgery, has returned looking sharp in the Grapefruit League. The Mets will be cautious with his approach, hoping for 160-170 innings. The rotation also has Jacob deGrom, who had a 2.69 ERA last season as the NL Rookie of the Year, Jonathon Niese (3.40), Dillion Gee (4.00) and 42-year-old Bartolo Colon (4.09). And, as the season progresses, their top pitching prospect, Noah Syndergaard, who has averaged 10 strikeouts per nine innings in the minor leagues, could make it to New York. ... The promise of the Mets climbing above .500 also relies on the health of third baseman David Wright, 32, a seven-time All-Star, and a consistent season from outfielder Curtis Granderson. Wright is coming back from a shoulder injury that limited him to eight home runs last season. Granderson, in the second year of a $60 million contract, will likely not approach 35 home runs in spacious Citi Field, but the Mets are hoping for more than last season's .227 average. They have Lucas Duda and his 30-home run bat at first base and newcomer Michael Cuddyer, who hit .332 with 10 home runs for Colorado last season, in the outfield. ... Catcher Travis d'Arnaud needs to make strides defensively, but he hit well in the second half of last season - after a trip to the minors - and led NL rookies with 13 home runs.

Philadelphia: After an offseason of trying to trade big-name players so they could get a do-over, the Phillies didn't make improvements and it appears they are heading for the basement. They traded two of their best hitters, Marlon Byrd (Cincinnati) and Jimmy Rollins (Dodgers). Now they are hoping that a healthy Ryan Howard, 35, who has had Achilles and knee issues. The Phillies have offered to pay $50 million of Howard's salary if some team would pick him up in a trade. Howard hit .223-23-95 last season. ... The Phillies also need a bounceback season from outfielders Dominic Brown, a 2013 All-Star who hit .223 last season, and Ben Revere, a potential batting champion. Brown starts the season on the disabled list. ... The Phillies will replace Rollins with Freddy Galvis, but there's concern on whether Galvis can hit. ... The rotation is anchored by All-Star lefty Cole Hamels. The Phillies wouldn't mind trading him, but only at their price. He'll be a hot commodity come July. Another lefty and trade chip, Cliff Lee, is out for the season. The rotation also has Aaron Harang, who did well in Atlanta last season; David Buchanan, a promising prospect with a 3.75 ERA last season; and journeyman Jerome Williams. Chad Billingsley, a former Dodger, will help when he gets off the disabled list in mid-April. .. The closer is Jonathan Papelbon, and how he'll react if the Phillies start slow is a concern. The Phillies almost traded him to Milwaukee, but the deal fell through. If Papelbon is traded, the likely replacement is Ken Giles, who dominated in a setup role as a rookie last season.