NL East offseason preview: Do Nats look for a third baseman or a second baseman?

Now that the San Francisco Giants have wrapped up their third World Series championship in five years, here's a look ahead to what will be going on this winter with the National League East: Atlanta: The Braves will try to rebound from their first losing record in six seasons. The first order of business for the new boss, John Hart, is to trade slumping outfielder B.J. Upton, who is still owed $46 million over three years. After hitting .251 with runners in scoring position last season, the Braves need to fix their offense. They might try to trade their two corner outfielders, Justin Upton and/or Jason Heyward, who are each eligible for free agency after 2015. Third baseman Chris Johnson contended for a batting title in 2013, but slumped in 2014. The Braves aren't sure who will play second as Tommy La Stella, Phil Gosselin and Jose Peraza are candidates. Power-hitting catcher Evan Gattis could go in a trade or he could wind up in left field as Christian Bethancourt takes over behind the plate. The bullpen is strong. The rotation is led by Julio Teheran, Mike Minor and Alex Wood. The Tommy John guys, Brandon Beachy and Kris Medlen, aren't expected back until at least May, and, given both are going through their second surgery, the Braves aren't sure about either. Miami: The Marlins had a 15-win improvement in 2014 and finished with 77 victories. And if they hadn't lost pitcher Jose Fernandez (elbow) and Giancarlo Stanton (jaw), they might have made even more of a playoff push. By all accounts, the Marlins are going to spend money to complement their roster. Their outfield of Stanton, Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich is strong. Their bullpen is filled with power arms. Fernandez will be back to join a rotation that has Henderson Alvarez, Jarred Cosart and Nathan Eovaldi. The Marlins will be looking for help on the right side of the infield while they try to improve the team's ability to hit for contact. New York: The Mets had 79 wins in 2014 and would have had more if they could have won against the Nationals, who beat them in 15 of 19 games. The Mets are looking up. Their bullpen is improved and Matt Harvey, out with Tommy John surgery, should be ready opening day to join a rotation that already has Zack Wheeler and Jacob deGrom, a rookie with a breakout season in 2014. The Mets will be looking for a left fielder and a shortstop, although Wilmer Flores is an option at short. And, of course, they want more pitching. The Mets also like what they see in center fielder Juan Lagares. Lucas Duda is a solid first baseman while Daniel Murphy is an All-Star at second. If David Wright and Curtis Granderson can return to their hitting form, the Mets could take a big step next season. Philadelphia: The window has closed for contention and the Phillies' interim president, Pat Gillick, says the team isn't expected to win until 2017 or 2018. In other words, expect a rebuilding project that could see a number of players traded: Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Jimmy Rollins, Carlos Ruiz, Jonathan Papelbon and Marlon Byrd are all on the block. Howard still has $60 million left on his contract, so that's going to be a tough trade unless the Phillies eat a good chunk of the money. Ben Revere (.306) was the only regular who averaged better than .300 in 2014 and Domonic Brown, who had a breakout season in 2013, is a mystery, given he slumped. Washington: The Nationals' biggest move will be to let first baseman Adam LaRoche go so that third baseman Ryan Zimmerman can move across the diamond. Their biggest question is to figure out who will play second base. After coming from Cleveland in a trade, Asdrubal Cabrera played well, and the Nationals would like to keep the pending free agent. When Cabrera arrived in D.C., he said he wanted to be a shortstop, but says now he likes second base. There are teams, however, that need shortstops. It could be that the Nationals sign a free agent third baseman (Pablo Sandoval or Chase Headley) or trade for Adrian Beltre of the Rangers and move Anthony Rendon to second base. Rendon is excellent defensively at either position. Outfielder Denard Span's $9 option will be picked up. Outfield prospects Michael A. Taylor and Steven Souza Jr. are knocking on the door. The Nationals already have Nate McLouth as a backup outfielder, so it will be interesting to see what the team does with those guys. Generally, the Nationals roster will be virtually the same as last year.