Breaking down the National League storylines for 2016

As the Nationals enter their 12th season in Washington, they'll have a new manager, Dusty Baker, who is trying to get over the same hurdle as the team itself.
Baker, at 66 the second-oldest manager in the majors behind the Mets' Terry Collins, is trying to win his first World Series ring as a manager. He came close in 2002 when his Giants lost the World Series in seven games to the Angels after leading three games to two.

The Nationals lost in the National League Division Series in 2012 to St. Louis and 2014 to San Francisco. Last year, they lost the NL East by seven games to the Mets.
Baker replaces Matt Williams and his experience - this is his 21st season as a manager - might be just what the Nationals need, considering they were third in the NL last season with 703 runs and sixth in ERA at 3.62.

The NL East looks like a two-team race between the Mets and Nationals, although maybe the Marlins surprise? Certainly not the rebuilding Phillies or Braves.
In the NL Central, the Cubs are the frenzied favorite, but there will likely be a three-team race with the Cardinals and Pirates. The Pirates, though, have rotation issues.
Cincinnati and Milwaukee are rebuilding.

The NL West, too, is wide open with the restocked Diamondbacks, Giants and Dodgers battling. San Diego and Colorado? Probably not.

Here are NL storylines:

ARIZONA: The Diamondbacks, under manager Chip Hale, had the second-best run production in the National League in 2015. This season, they added free agent pitcher Zack Greinke and traded for Shelby Miller to lead their rotation with the hopes of taking advantage of one of the most dangerous lineups in NL. . ... The Diamondbacks have two players - 1B Paul Goldschmidt and OF A.J. Pollock - that each have a chance to win a third Silver Slugger. Pollock hit .315-20-76 last season and Goldschmidt .321-33-110, along with 118 walks. ... The D-Backs have the most under-rated hitter in the NL, David Peralta, who has hit .301 with an .842 OPS in 237 big-league games. Last season, Peralta hit .312 with 26 doubles, 10 triples and 16 home runs. ... As good as Greinke (1.66 ERA last season with the Dodgers) and Miller (3.02 ERA with the Braves) the rotation has questions after the No. 3 starter, LHP Patrick Corbin, who pitched 208 innings in 2014 and had a 3.60 ERA in 16 starts last year. Corbin's slider has been devastating this spring. ... RHP Rubby De La Rosa struggles with command; although he cut his ERA by a run in the second half last season. Former Nats prospect, LHP Robbie Ray, is talented but unproven in the No. 5 slot.

ATLANTA: The rebuilding Braves have cleaned out their roster of experienced players and replenished their system with prospects. ... Former Orioles RF Nick Markakis, 32, who ranked fourth in the NL last season with 181 hits, hit three home runs last season, but the Braves figure he'll be back in double digits after a regular offseason workout routine that wasn't slowed by his neck injury. ... Markakis and 1B Freddie Freeman, 26, will be the Braves' most experienced hitters. Freeman hit 18 home runs in each of the last two seasons, but he's coming off a difficult second half from last year, when his average went from .299 in the first half to .241 in the second. ... The Braves' new center fielder is Ender Inciarte, who has excellent range. Inciarte came to Atlanta from Arizona in the Shelby Miller trade. ... The Braves traded shortstop Andrelton Simmons to the Angels for SS Erick Aybar and pitching prospects. Aybar is a strong defensive player, but not as talented as Simmons. Aybar hit .270 with 15 stolen bases for the Angels last season. ... RHP Julio Teheran is the most experienced pitcher leading a staff of talented prospects competing for jobs.

CHICAGO: The Cubs, who made the postseason in 2015, have a buzzing vibe of confidence, almost with the idea that if they don't win their first World Series since 1908, the season will be a bust. The Cubs were last in the World Series in 1945. They won back-to-back titles in 1907 and 1908. ... Manager Joe Maddon has an excellent mix of youth and experience. The young core includes 3B Kris Bryant (.274-26-99), OF Kyle Schwarber (.246-16-43), OF Jorge Soler (.265-10) and SS Addison Russell (.242-13). The experienced players include CF Dexter Fowler, who had a .346 on-base percentage and 17 home runs last season, RF Jason Heyward, 2B Ben Zobrist and 1B Anthony Rizzo, who hit .278-31-101 as an NL MVP candidate last season. ... RHP Jake Arrieta, 30, the 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner with 22 wins and a 1.77 ERA, and LHP Jon Lester (3.34 ERA) lead the rotation, which has added RHP John Lackey, who had the lowest ERA of his career (2.77 in 33 starts) last season for the Cardinals. Can Lackey have a similar season at 37? ... The rest of the rotation has RHPs Kyle Hendricks (3.95) and Jason Hammel (3.74).

CINCINNATI: After making the postseason three times since 2010, the Reds' window for making the playoffs closed last season with 98 losses. Now the Reds' season will be a success if they can develop young pitching and keep from losing 100 games. ... The Reds traded LHP Aroldis Chapman to the Yankees and 3B Todd Frazier to the White Sox. RHP J.J. Hoover, who has given up 62 walks and 20 home runs in his last 127 innings over two seasons, replaces Chapman. Frazier's replacement is Eugenio Suarez, who hit 13 home runs in 97 games last season. ... The right side is familiar with 1B Joey Votto, 2B Brandon Phillips and RF Jay Bruce. Bruce can be a productive player when healthy. Votto is a superstar on a rebuilding team. The Nationals tried to trade for Phillips, but he nixed the trade, even though he could have played for a contender and former manager Baker. What was Phillips thinking? ... The Reds offense will be helped by the health of SS Zack Cosart, who went out in June with a knee injury, and C Devin Mesoraco, 27, who was limited to five games in 2015 because of a hip injury. Mesoraco hit .273 in 2014. ... As RHP Homer Bailey, the Reds' big-money pitcher recovers from elbow surgery, RHP Anthony DeSclafani is the Reds' most consistent starter. He made 31 starts as a rookie last season. Bailey is expected to join the rotation in May.

COLORADO: The Rockies haven't had a winning record since 2010, the year they finished nine games out in the division lead. ... Their outfield still has RF Carlos Gonzalez and CF Charlie Blackmon, two versatile hitters. Gonzalez, 30, who the Rockies were trying to trade for a steep price in the offseason, hit .271-40-97 last season, while Blackmon hit .287 with 17 home runs and 43 steals. The left fielder is Gerardo Parra, who hit .237 in 55 games for the Orioles last season. ... 3B Nolan Arenado is a superstar known by hardly any fans outside of Denver. He led the NL with 42 home runs and 132 RBIs last season. He was an All-Star who finished eighth in the NL MVP voting. His defense might be the best in the league at third. ... The Rockies had the highest ERA (5.04) in the NL last season, which included a league-high 5.27 for starters. ... LHP Jorge De La Rosa, 33, led the Rockies last season with a 4.17 ERA and 149 innings. That's the epitome of the Rockies' pitching problems and why it is going to be a long season for manager Walt Weiss.

LOS ANGELES: The Dodgers are without Greinke, but ace LHP Clayton Kershaw is still around. He has a chance to be the fifth pitcher to win four Cy Young Awards, and if he has an ERA of 2.25 or less, he'll be the first pitcher since Hall of Fame LHP Sandy Koufax (1963-66) to have four consecutive seasons of a sub-2.25 ERA. ... The rotation will be without LHP Brett Anderson, who threw 180 innings last season and is out with a back injury. The Dodgers hope depth can be the answer in the rotation. They've added LHP Scott Kazmir, with an excellent slider, and Japanese star RHP Kenta Maeda, a four-pitch pitcher with excellent command, and they are banking on the healthy returns of LHP Hyun-Jim Ryu (shoulder) and RHP Brandon McCarthy (elbow) sometime in the first half. ... The big project is CF Joc Pederson, whose first-half power surge last season made him an All-Star (.230 with 20 home runs), but he disappeared in the second half (.178, six homers). ... Another project will be to keep RF Yasiel Puig, healthy, focused and disciplined. The Dodgers also have to find playing time for OFs Carl Crawford, Scott Van Slyke and Enrique Hernandez. ... The Dodgers' most consistent hitter is 1B Adrian Gonzalez, 33, who hit .275-28-90 last season, and their most exciting young player is 21-year-old SS Corey Seager, who hit .337 in 27 games in 2015. Seager is the favorite to be the NL's top rookie.

MIAMI: After last season, when they were a trendy pick to make postseason and then didn't contend, the Marlins believe they can improve as long as they are healthy. They'll have RHP Jose Fernandez and RF Giancarlo Stanton in the lineup together for the first time since June 2014. ... Stanton was having a monster season last year, hitting 27 home runs with 64 RBI in 74 games before being sidelined with a hamate bone injury. Fernandez is coming back from Tommy John surgery. ... Fernandez had 79 strikeouts and a 2.92 ERA in 64 2/3 innings last season. He'll be limited to 180 innings. ... With Stanton's return, the Marlins have the potential to have the best overall outfield in the NL. They need CF Marcell Ozuna (.259) to play up to potential. LF Christian Yelich hit .300 last year. ... The Marlins signed 2B Dee Gordon, the NL's batting champion (.333) and stolen base king (58) to a five-year, $50 million contract in the offseason ... LHP Wei-Yin Chen, the former Oriole who pitched four seasons in Baltimore and was given an $80 million contract, will be the Marlins' No. 2 starter behind Fernandez. The No. 3 starter is RHP Tom Koehler, who led the Marlins with 187 1/3 innings last season. ... The new manager is Don Mattingly, the former Yankees first baseman who managed the Dodgers last season, and the new batting coach is the Barry Bonds, the controversial home run hitter who, legitimately or not, holds the single-season and career record for home runs. ... At 42, OF Ichiro Suzuki is taking aim at 3,000 career hits. He needs 65. He'll be a backup.

MILWAUKEE: The Brewers made it to the National League Championship Series in 2011, but have had four losing seasons since, including last year's 94 losses. ... The rebuilding is full-throttle and, after trading OF Carlos Gomez, RHP Mike Fiers and SS Jean Segura, the next players on the block are OF Ryan Braun, 32, who is signed at $21 million a year through 2020, and C Jonathan Lucroy, 29, who had a .326 on-base percentage last season and is a strong defensive catcher. He's owed $10 million for this year and next. ... Braun, who hit .280 with 23 home runs last season, is the Brewers' biggest power threat, but they added all-or-nothing 1B Chris Carter, who hit .199 with 24 home runs last season for Houston. ... The Brewers are banking on a young rotation growing, including opening day starter RHP Wily Peralta, 26, who was bothered by an oblique injury last season, his ERA rising from 3.53 to 4.80. The other kids in the rotation are RHP Jimmy Nelson, who was at 4.11 in his first full season in 2015 and RHP Taylor Jungmann, 26, who had a 3.77 ERA in 21 starts last season, and RHP Chase Anderson, who had a 4.18 ERA in two seasons for Arizona. ... The Brewers would love to trade RHP Matt Garza, but he's coming off the worst season of his career.

NEW YORK: After losing to Kansas City in the World Series last season, the Mets are determined to get back to the Fall Classic and win a title for the first time since 1986, the year they beat Boston. ... But how will the young team - especially the rotation - handle the expectations of winning a second consecutive division title? A year ago, OF Michael Conforto, RHP Noah Syndergaard and LHP Steven Matz - keys to winning in 2015 - were in the minor leagues. ... And how will Yoenis Cespedes, who hit 17 home runs for the Mets after coming over in a trade from Detroit, handle center field with Conforto in left? ... How much will the Mets get out of 3B David Wright and RF Curtis Granderson? Wright's back is an issue and the Mets are being careful to keep him off the disabled list. ... The new second baseman is Neil Walker, who replaces postseason hitting hero Daniel Murphy, now a National. Walker is holding the position for Dilson Herrera, the Mets' long-term answer. ... Last season, RHP Matt Harvey, coming back from elbow surgery, pitched 216 innings, 37 more than planned, last season. RHP Noah Syndergaard was 65 innings over his limit an RHP Jacob de Grom 37 innings over.

PHILADELPHIA: The Phillies won five consecutive NL East titles from 2007-2011, but after that, they've fallen off the map. Since then, their smallest deficit is 17 games. Last year, the Phillies had 63 wins and the worst record in the NL. ... The manager is Pete Mackanin, who replaced Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg. Mackanin was signed through 2017. ... The Phillies have the experience of RHPs Jeremy Hellickson and Charlie Morton, but the real success of this season depends on how the prospects grow, especially RHPs Aaron Nola, 22, drafted as the seventh pick by the Phillies in the 2014, and Jerad Eickhoff, 25, acquired in a trade last season from Texas. Nola had a 3.59 ERA and six wins in 13 starts last season while Eickhoff was at 2.65 in eight starts. Eichoff also had 49 strikeouts and 13 walks in 51 innings. ...How miserable is 1B Ryan Howard, 36, given that he's still in Philadelphia? He's owed $48 million for this year and next and the Phillies are trying to trade him. Howard hit .229 with 23 home runs last season.

PITTSBURGH: The Pirates won 98 games last season and went into the postseason for the third consecutive season as a wild card. This season, with the Cardinals and Cubs in the division, it's not going to be easy for the Pirates to win a division title. ... RHP Gerrit Cole and LHP Francisco Liriano lead the Pirates' rotation. Cole, who finished fourth in the NL Cy Young voting last season after going 19-8 with a 2.60 ERA, missed becoming the team's first 20-game winner since 1991. Liriano is a lefty who struggled with the Twins and White Sox before living up to potential in Pittsburgh. ... The Pirates replaced RHPs A.J. Burnett (retired) and J.A. Happ (Toronto) with LHP Jon Niese and RHP Ryan Vogelsong. ... With 1B Pedro Alverez becoming an Oriole, the Pirates hope that converted catcher John Jaso, 32, can play the position, even though he's had five innings of experience at that position during his career. ... The Pirates are banking on an early return of 3B Jung Ho Kang, who hit .287 with 15 home runs as a rookie last season before he went out with a broken leg. Until he returns, David Freese, formerly of the Cardinals and Angels, will be at third. ... The Pirates outfield is solid with Starling Marte (.288-19-81) Andrew McCutchen (.292-23-96) and Gregory Polanco (.256-9-52) from left to right. Polanco showed improvement last season, hitting .237 in the first half, .276 in the second. ... RHP Marl Melancon, who saved 51 of 53 tries last season, is the closer. ... RHP Jaimeson Taillon, who has been slowed by Tommy John and a hernia, is expected to start in the minors and be ready for the Pirates by late June.

ST. LOUIS: After winning 100 games last season despite a long list of injuries, the Cardinals are taking aim at their fourth consecutive NL Central title and fifth consecutive postseason appearance. ... The Cardinals start the season without SS Jhonny Peralta, out with an injured left thumb. Peralta hit .269-17-146 over the last two seasons combined. ... RHP Adam Wainwright, the Cardinals' modern-day version of Bob Gibson, is back after missing virtually all of last season with an Achilles injury. Wainwright (2.98 ERA in 1,569 1/3 career innings) is the opening day starter. ... The Cardinals rotation will be without Lackey (signed by the Cubs) and RHPs Lance Lynn (elbow surgery). Lackey led the team with 33 starts while Lynn had 31. With Wainwright's return, plus the addition of free-agent RHP Mike Leake (3.56 ERA in 21 starts for the 2015 Reds), and the Cardinals rotation should be fine. The rotation also has RHPs Michael Wacha (17-7, 3.38 last season) and Carlos Martinez (14-7, 3.01). ... The Cardinals are banking on the healthy return of C Yadier Molina, the glue that holds the pitching staff together. He's been rehabilitating a broken thumb. Also, the Cardinals will be better with the health of OFs Matt Holliday (73 games played in 2015), Jon Jay (79) and 1B Matt Adams (60 games). ... Jason Heyward, who went to the Cubs, is gone in the outfield, but the Cardinals think that Stephen Piscotty, who hit .305 last season, and Randal Grichuk, who hit .276 with 17 home runs last season, will continue to develop. ... The closer is RHP Trevor Rosenthal, who had 48 saves and a 2.10 ERA last season.

SAN DIEGO: The Padres, who haven't had a winning season since posting 90 victories in 2010, were expected to contend in 2015, but they turned into a disaster with 74 wins. ... The Padres rotation is going to make it difficult to play, especially if RHP Andrew Cashner gets his sinker fixed. Cashner had a breakout season in 2014, but slipped to 6-16, 4.34 last season. The big three includes RHP James Shields (13-7, 3.91) and RHP Tyson Ross, who was 10-12 with a 3.26 ERA last season. ... The Padres hope that putting Wil Myers at first base will keep him healthy. He's been in left and center fields, but has played only 87 and 60 games in his two seasons with the Padres. ... Myers and CF Matt Kemp will be big bats in the middle of the order. Kemp hit .265-23-100 last season, including 15 home runs after the All-Star break. ... The new SS is Alexi Ramirez, a .250 hitter and the new left fielder is Jon Jay, who hit .303 and .210 in each of the last two seasons for the Cardinals. ... All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel was traded to Boston, so that means RHP Fernando Rodney, 38, will be the closer. He was a combined 16-for-23 in save chances last season for Seattle and the Chicago Cubs.

SAN FRANCISCO: It is 2016, and given that the Giants win every other year, is it safe to say that the Giants will win the World Series? The Giants have invested $220 million on two starting pitchers and improved their defense. But going into the season, their rotation is still a question. ... LHP Madison Bumgarner is a legitimate No. 1 starter. He was 18-9 with a 2.93 ERA with 234 strikeouts and 39 walks last season. ... The Giants are banking that RHPs Jeff Samardzija (11-13, 4.96 with last season with the White Sox) and Johnny Cueto (4.76 ERA in two months with Kansas City) can bounce back from inconsistent seasons. ... They also believe that RHP Jake Peavy, who threw 110 innings last season, can get back to 180 innings with health. And what do the Giants get from RHPs Matt Cain and Chris Heston? Injuries have limited Cain, 31, to 18 starts in the last two seasons. Cain hasn't started 30 games since 2012. Heston, who threw a no-hitter last season, was a 27-year-old in his first season and slowed with a 4.91 ERA in the second half. ... Former National Denard Span, who had injuries and a .365 on-base percentage last year in 61 games, is the center fielder, giving the Giants what could be the strongest defense up the middle with SS Brandon Crawford, 2B Joe Panik and C Buster Posey. ... The addition of Span means Angel Pagan moves to left field. Hunter Pence, the Giants' sparkplug and MVP, is in right field.

WASHINGTON: Baker has managed three others teams - the Giants, Cubs and Reds - and has the same winning percentage as Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda. ... The Nationals have a new center fielder, Ben Revere, and a new second baseman, Daniel Murphy, a postseason power-hitting hero for the 2015 Mets. Their left-handed bats will give balance to a right-handed heavy lineup and their ability to make contact will help the Nationals cut down on their 1,344 strikeouts from a year ago, second-most in the NL. Revere struck out 64 times combined with the Phillies and Blue Jays last season and Murphy had 56 strikeouts with the Mets. ... Danny Espinosa, the super utility guy whose defensive range is among the best, will play shortstop, but for how long? The Nationals say that prospect Trea Turner, a speed guy, is the shortstop of the future. ... RHP Max Scherzer, LHP Gio Gonzalez and RHP Stephen Strasburg are the first three in the rotation with RHPs Tanner Roark and Joe Ross in the final two slots. ... The Nationals, who finished seven games behind the first-place Mets in the NL East last season, should contend again this season, but it's also a transition year. RHP Jordan Zimmermann (Detroit) and SS Ian Desmond (Texas) are gone, and the Nationals' storylines will include the development of their top prospects, including Turner, OF Michael A. Taylor and RHP Lucas Giolito. ... What will it take for RF Bryce Harper, 23, a unanimous NL MVP last season, to win a second consecutive award? If so, he'll join Ernie Banks, Joe Morgan, Mike Schmidt, Dale Murphy, Barry Bonds and Albert Pujols as the only NL players to win back-to-back awards. Bonds won four consecutive from 2001-2005.