PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBSNewYork/AP) — For years, the NL East has been soft as a bunt single.
Not anymore.
Even before Bryce Harper decided to stay inside the division, four of the five teams spent this offseason swinging for the fences. In addition to defending champion Atlanta, the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals all have enough firepower to potentially contend for the playoffs.
“This is probably going to be the stiffest competition in a division race in my career,” Nationals ace Max Scherzer said at spring training.
It’s certainly a noticeable transformation.