NATIONAL LEAGUE

WEST (In order of predicted finish)

SH SAN DIEGO PADRES

WHO’S NEW: P--Brian Boehringer, Kevin Brown, Mark Langston, Dan Miceli, Ed Vosberg, Donne Wall, Don Wengert. OF--James Mouton. C--Greg Myers. INF--Andy Sheets.

WHO’S GONE: P--Doug Bochtler, Jim Bruske, Tim Worrell. C--John Flaherty. OF--Chris Jones. 1B--Derrek Lee.

STRENGTHS: Brown, among the game’s top starting pitchers, should put the Padres among the league’s elite. Tony Gywnn, who turns 38 in May, is without peer as a hitter and clubhouse leader. He won his eighth batting title and fourth straight--batting .372--and set personal bests with 17 homers and 119 runs batted in. Ken Caminiti started slowly last season but reverted to the form that made him the league’s 1996 MVP. Wally Joyner batted .353 with runners in scoring position.

WEAKNESSES: There aren’t many. Left-handed reliever Vosberg could be out until May. Langston won the fifth spot in the rotation over Pete Smith, but will his arm hold up?

PROJECTED LINEUP: 2B--Quilvio Veras, CF--Steve Finley, RF--Gwynn, 3B--Caminiti, LF--Greg Vaughn, 1B--Joyner, C--Carlos Hernandez, SS--Chris Gomez. SP--Brown, Joey Hamilton, Andy Ashby, Sterling Hitchcock, Langston. RP--Trevor Hoffman, Boehringer, Smith, Wall, Wengert, Miceli, Vosberg.

OUTLOOK: They’re talented, close-knit and confident. Gwynn sets the tone, and he realizes time is running out for him to return to the World Series.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS

WHO’S NEW: P--Jim Bruske, Frank Lankford. OF--Mike Devereaux, Thomas Howard, Trenidad Hubbard, Matt Luke. INF--Jose Vizcaino. INF/OF--Paul Konerko.

WHO’S GONE: P--Tom Candiotti, Todd Worrell. INF--Greg Gagne, Chip Hale, Nelson Liriano, Eddie Murray. OF--Karim Garcia, Brett Butler, Darren Lewis, Otis Nixon.

STRENGTHS: Pitching. The Dodgers finished second to the Atlanta Braves in earned-run average at 3.62 last season. The starting staff still appears to be baseball’s best west of Turner Field. Ramon Martinez’s right shoulder appears to have fully healed. Chan Ho Park had a breakthrough season in 1997. The Dodgers are giddy about the potential of Darren Dreifort, who earned the fifth spot in the rotation. Eric Young is the key to the offense. If he gets on base as often as usual, the power hitters, led by Mike Piazza, should have big seasons.

WEAKNESSES: Eric Karros had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Tuesday. Konerko, a touted rookie, seems ready to step in. The Dodgers are concerned about Hideo Nomo, who pitched poorly in the spring after undergoing off-season surgery on his throwing elbow. The outfield will be thin at the start because Roger Cedeno, expected to start in center, was put on the 15-day disabled list March 22 because of a severe right hamstring strain.

PROJECTED LINEUP: 2B--Young, SS--Vizcaino, C--Piazza, 3B--Zeile, RF--Raul Mondesi, 1B--Konerko, LF--Todd Hollandsworth, CF--Howard. SP--Martinez, Park, Ismael Valdes, Nomo, Dreifort. RP--Antonio Osuna, Scott Radinsky, Mark Guthrie, Darren Hall, Bruske, Lankford.

OUTLOOK: Pitching and power should enable them to earn at least the wild-card berth.

COLORADO ROCKIES

WHO’S NEW: P--Darryl Kile, Chuck McElroy, David Veres. INF--Greg Colbrunn, Mike Lansing. OF--Curtis Goodwin.

WHO’S GONE: P--Darren Holmes, Steve Reed, Bryan Rekar, Bill Swift. INF--Andres Galarraga, Walt Weiss. OF--Quinton McCracken, Harvey Pulliam.

STRENGTHS: Outfielders Ellis Burks, Dante Bichette and Larry Walker dominate games offensively, and are standouts defensively. Lansing is considered among the top players at his position. The starting rotation should do more good than bad. Kile went 19-7 with a 2.57 ERA for the Houston Astros last season, and Pedro Astacio pitched superbly after being acquired from the Dodgers on Aug. 18.

WEAKNESSES: They will miss Galarraga, the clubhouse leader who signed with the Atlanta Braves.

PROJECTED LINEUP: 2B--Lansing, CF--Burks, RF--Walker, LF--Bichette, 1B--Todd Helton, 3B--Vinny Castilla, SS--Neifi Perez, C--Kirt Manwaring. SP--Kile, Astacio, John Thomson, Jamey Wright, Mark Thompson. RP--Jerry Dipoto, Curtis Leskanic, Bruce Ruffin, McElroy, Mike DeJean, Veres.

OUTLOOK: The Rockies have improved their starting pitching, and Lansing should stabilize the infield. But the Padres and Dodgers have more quality pitchers, which will prevent the Rockies from qualifying for the postseason.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

WHO’S NEW: P--Orel Hershiser, Robb Nen, Steve Reed. INF--Charlie Hayes. SS--Rey Sanchez. C--Brent Mayne.

WHO’S GONE: P--Wilson Alvarez, Rod Beck, P--Doug Henry, Roberto Hernandez, Terry Mulholland, Pat Rapp, William VanLandingham. C--Damon Berryhill. OF--Glenallen Hill. INF--Mark Lewis, Jose Vizcaino.

STRENGTHS: Barry Bonds hit .291 with 40 homers and 101 RBIs, and that was considered a sub-par season? Bonds walked a major league-leading 145 times. Jeff Kent hit 29 homers with 121 RBIs. J.T. Snow won his third consecutive Gold Glove at first, and had a personal-best 28 homers with 104 RBIs. Shawn Estes had a breakthrough season, going 19-5 with a 3.18 ERA.

WEAKNESSES: Beyond left-handers Estes and Kirk Rueter, the rotation doesn’t inspire confidence.

PROJECTED LINEUP: CF--Darryl Hamilton, 3B--Bill Mueller, LF--Bonds, 2B--Kent, 1B--Snow, RF--Stan Javier, C--Brian Johnson, SS--Rich Aurilia. SP--Estes, Rueter, Hershiser, Mark Gardner, Danny Darwin. RP--Nen, Julian Tavarez, Reed, Jim Poole, Rich Rodriguez.

OUTLOOK: The consensus is that the Giants have lost too much talent to finish higher than fourth this time.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

WHO’S NEW: Everyone.

STRENGTHS: Owner Jerry Colangelo spent freely to sign big-name free agents such as shortstop Jay Bell, pitcher Andy Benes and pitcher Willie Blair, and gave third baseman Matt Williams a lucrative contract extension after acquiring him in a trade with Cleveland. The Diamondbacks have a decent everyday lineup and three quality starters in Benes, Blair and Brian Anderson.

WEAKNESSES: As is the case with any expansion team, the good players are outnumbered by those who are less talented. Felix Rodriguez will be the closer but hasn’t saved a game since 1995.

PROJECTED LINEUP: CF--Devon White, SS--Bell, RF--Karim Garcia, 3B--Williams, 1B--Travis Lee, LF--Yamil Benitez, C--Jorge Fabregas, 2B--Andy Stankiewicz. SP--Benes, Blair, Anderson, Jeff Suppan, Joel Adamson. RP--Rodriguez, Omar Daal.

OUTLOOK: This bunch is headed for the cellar but might be able to break the Angels’ expansion-best record of 70-91 in 1961.

CENTRAL

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

WHO’S NEW: P--Kent Bottenfield, Jeff Brantley, Kent Mercker. INF--David Howard.

WHO’S GONE: P--Andy Benes, Dennis Eckersley, Tony Fossas. C--Mike Difelice. INF--Dmitri Young.

STRENGTHS: Power and speed. Mark McGwire hit 24 homers in two months with the Cardinals after being acquired from the Oakland Athletics. He hit 58 in all. Ron Gant, Brian Jordan, Ray Lankford and Gary Gaetti could also each hit 20 or more homers. Royce Clayton, Delino DeShields, Jordan and Lankford could steal at least 30 bases. The rotation is the division’s best. Few catchers are as good defensively as Tom Pagnozzi.

WEAKNESSES: Brantley replaces Eckersley, who signed with the Boston Red Sox. He was once a premier closer, but those days are gone. The Cardinal setup men aren’t stars, either. John Mabry, shifted to third with the arrival of McGwire, failed to impress Manager Tony La Russa. Gaetti, who turns 40 in August, also didn’t have a spectacular spring.

PROJECTED LINEUP: 2B--DeShields, SS--Clayton, CF--Lankford, 1B--McGwire, RF--Jordan, LF--Gant, 3B--Gaetti, C--Pagnozzi, SP--Alan Benes, Todd Stottlemyre, Matt Morris, Donovan Osborne, Mercker. RP--Brantley, John Frascatore, Curtis King, Lance Painter, Rigo Beltran.

OUTLOOK: The Cardinals will run away with the championship after failing to live up to La Russa’s prediction of a division title last year.

HOUSTON ASTROS

WHO’S NEW: P--Sean Bergman, Doug Henry, Roger Salkeld, Pete Schourek. OF--Moises Alou, Dave Clark, Carl Everett. INF--Jack Howell.

WHO’S GONE: P--John Hudek, Darryl Kile, Tom Martin, Russ Springer, Donne Wall. OF--Bob Abreu, Chuck Carr, Luis Gonzalez, Thomas Howard, James Mouton.

STRENGTHS: Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell shouldn’t have to carry the offense alone anymore because Alou is among the game’s top run producers. Billy Wagner has the potential to become one of the league’s top closers.

WEAKNESSES: The starting rotation. After Wagner, the bullpen is shaky.

PROJECTED LINEUP: 2B--Biggio, 3B--Sean Berry, 1B--Bagwell, RF--Derek Bell, LF--Alou, CF--Richard Hidalgo, C--Brad Ausmus, SS--Ricky Gutierrez. SP--Shane Reynolds, Mike Hampton, Chris Holt, Freddy Garcia, John Halama. RP--Wagner, Henry, Mike Magnante, Jose Cabrera, Harvey.

OUTLOOK: The Atlanta Braves exposed the Astros, who were too reliant on Biggio and Bagwell, in their divisional series sweep. Houston still lacks the overall firepower to catch the Cardinals.

CHICAGO CUBS

WHO’S NEW: P--Rod Beck, Kurt Miller, Terry Mulholland. INF--Jeff Blauser, Mickey Morandini. OF--Matt Mieske, Henry Rodriguez.

WHO’S GONE: P--Miguel Batista, Kent Bottenfield, Ramon Tatis. INF--Miguel Cairo, Dave Hansen, Ryne Sandberg. OF--Dave Clark, Doug Glanville, Brooks Kieschnick.

STRENGTHS: The Cubs acquired several proven veterans, something their Tribune Co. superiors previously had prevented. Sammy Sosa strikes out too much but is exciting. Mark Grace just keeps on hitting.

WEAKNESSES: They didn’t spend much money on their starting rotation.

PROJECTED LINEUP: CF--Lance Johnson, 2B--Morandini, RF--Sosa, 1B--Grace, LF--Rodriguez, SS--Blauser, 3B--Kevin Orie, C--Scott Servais. SP--Kevin Tapani, Mark Clark, Jeremi Gonzalez, Steve Trachsel, Mulholland. RP--Beck, Terry Adams, Miller, Bob Patterson, Marc Pisciotta.

OUTLOOK: The Cubs have more talent than last season. Now, the pressure is on Manager Jim Riggleman.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS

WHO’S NEW: P--Chad Fox, Rick Greene, Jeff Juden, Mike Myers, Paul Wagner. OF--Marquis Grissom. INF--Bob Hamelin, Santiago Perez.

WHO’S GONE: P--Joel Adamson, Mike Fetters, Bryce Florie, Pete Harnisch, Ron Villone. C--Kelly Stinnett. OF--Gerald Williams.

STRENGTHS: The outfield, anchored by Grissom. After struggling offensively during the regular season, he had an excellent postseason for Cleveland. Doug Jones doesn’t have overpowering stuff, but the saves keep coming.

WEAKNESSES: The top three starters had losing records in 1997. The bullpen has been reconfigured because of trades and the expansion draft.

PROJECTED LINEUP: 2B--Fernando Vina, CF--Grissom, RF--Jeromy Burnitz, 1B--John Jaha, LF--Dave Nilsson, 3B--Jeff Cirillo, SS--Jose Valentin, C--Mike Matheny. SP--Cal Eldred, Scott Karl, Jose Mercedes, Juden, Wagner. RP--Doug Jones, Fox, Myers, Greene, Al Reyes.

OUTLOOK: Brewer management got its wish when the franchise switched leagues in realignment. But despite increasing the payroll from $22 million to $35 million, this still appears to be a mediocre team.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES

WHO’S NEW: P--Steve Cooke, Pete Harnisch, Mark Hutton, David Weathers. OF--Melvin Nieves. INF/OF--Dmitri Young.

WHO’S GONE: P--Ricky Bones, Jeff Brantley, Hector Carrasco, Kevin Jarvis, Kent Mercker, Mike Morgan, Felix Rodriguez, Pete Schourek, John Smiley. INF--Jeff Branson, Terry Pendleton. OF--Curtis Goodwin, Mike Kelly, Ruben Sierra. 1B--Hal Morris. C--Joe Oliver.

STRENGTHS: The bullpen. Jeff Shaw won the league’s top reliever award after saving 42 games with a 2.38 ERA. Stan Belinda and Scott Sullivan are considered excellent setup men.

WEAKNESSES: The Reds won’t go far without Barry Larkin, who might sit out the first month after disc surgery. The starting rotation is the worst in the division.

PROJECTED LINEUP: LF--Chris Stynes, RF--Jon Nunnally, SS--Pokey Reese, 3B--Willie Greene, CF--Reggie Sanders, 1B--Eduardo Perez, C--Eddie Taubensee, 2B--Bret Boone. SP--Dave Burba, Brett Tomko, Mike Remlinger, Harnisch, Weathers. RP--Shaw, Belinda, Sullivan, Cooke, Hutton.

OUTLOOK: The depleted Reds are a mess. Last place is also a strong possibility.

CINCINNATI REDS

WHO’S NEW: P--Terry Burrows, Jeff McCurry, Chris Peters, Jeff Tabaka, Mike Williams. INF/OF--Steve Bieser. INF--Doug Strange.

WHO’S GONE: P--Steve Cooke, John Ericks, Jason Johnson, Matt Ruebel, Clint Sodowsky. INF--Shawon Dunston, Kevin Elster, Joe Randa, Dale Sveum, Eddie Williams.

STRENGTHS: Rich Loiselle was impressive after taking over the closer role in May, saving 29 games with a 3.10 ERA. Jason Schmidt, Jon Lieber, Esteban Loaiza and Francisco Cordova form a promising rotation.

WEAKNESSES: Only two players on the current roster had more than 70 RBIs last season, and only one hit more than 15 homers.

PROJECTED LINEUP: 2B--Tony Womack, CF--Jermaine Allensworth, LF--Al Martin, 1B--Kevin Young, 3B--Freddy Garcia, C--Jason Kendall, RF--Jose Guillen, SS--Kevin Polcovich. SP--Schmidt, Lieber, Loaiza, Cordova, Jose Silva. RP--Loiselle, Marc Wilkins, Tabaka, Peters, McCurry.

OUTLOOK: They shocked the baseball world by competing for the division title until the final days of the season. But cost-conscious officials did little to improve the team.

EAST

ATLANTA BRAVES

WHO’S NEW: P--Dennis Martinez. INF--Andres Galarraga, Walt Weiss. OF--Gerald Williams.

WHO’S GONE: P--Mike Bielecki, Chris Brock, Chad Fox, Terrell Wade, Brad Clontz. INF--Jeff Blauser, Greg Colbrunn, Ed Giovanola, --Mark Lemke, Fred McGriff, Mike Mordecai. OF--Tommy Gregg, Kenny Lofton. C--Greg Myers, Tim Spehr.

STRENGTHS: Their starting rotation is the best. Greg Maddux is considered the game’s top pitcher, and Tom Glavine and John Smoltz aren’t far behind. Denny Neagle, who went 20-5 with a 2.97 ERA in his first full season in Atlanta, completes the Fab Four. Martinez came out of retirement and had an excellent spring. Galarraga has a commanding presence in the clubhouse. Weiss is better defensively than Blauser. Mark Wohlers slipped somewhat last season, going 5-7 with 33 saves and a 3.50 ERA, but still dominates.

WEAKNESSES: The bullpen is a concern. And there isn’t a leadoff hitter on the roster.

PROJECTED LINEUP: CF--Andruw Jones, SS--Weiss, 3B--Chipper Jones, 1B--Galarraga, LF--Ryan Klesko, C--Javy Lopez, RF--Michael Tucker, 2B--Tony Graffanino. SP--Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz, Neagle, Martinez. RP--Wohlers, Alan Embree, Kevin Millwood, Brad Clontz, Mike Cather.

OUTLOOK: The Braves are again the team to beat. They have played in every postseason since 1990, and will qualify early this season.

NEW YORK METS

WHO’S NEW: P--Dennis Cook, John Hudek, Al Leiter, Masato Yoshii. OF--Rich Becker. INF--Craig Paquette.

WHO’S GONE: P--Toby Borland, Joe Crawford, Ricardo Jordan. OF--Carl Everett, Ricardo Jordan, Carlos Mendoza.

STRENGTHS: Their bullpen appears to be the best in the league. John Franco was 5-3 with 36 saves and a 2.55 ERA. Shortstop Rey Ordonez is the league’s most spectacular player defensively.

WEAKNESSES: The starting rotation overachieved last season. Few expect a repeat performance.

PROJECTED LINEUP: CF--Brian McRae, 3B--Edgardo Alfonzo, 1B--John Olerud, RF--Butch Huskey, LF--Bernard Gilkey, 2B--Carlos Baerga, C--Alberto Castillo, SS--Ordonez. SP--Bobby Jones, Rick Reed, Dave Mlicki, Leiter, Yoshii. RP--Franco, Greg McMichael, Mel Rojas, Cook, Hudek.

OUTLOOK: The Mets are still waiting on their much-heralded--and often-injured--pitching trio of Bill Pulsipher, Jason Isringhausen and Paul Wilson. And all-star catcher Todd Hundley, who hit 71 homers the last two seasons, is sidelined indefinitely after elbow surgery. Without him, their chances of earning the wild-card berth are slim.

FLORIDA MARLINS

WHO’S NEW: P--Manny Barrios, P--Chris Clark, Scott Comer, Joe Fontenot, Oscar Henriquez, Steve Hoff, Eric Ludwick, Jesus Martinez, Rafael Medina, Blaine Mull, Mike Vilano. OF--Fletcher Bates. INF--Brandon Cromer, Derrek Lee. C--Randy Knorr.

WHO’S GONE: P--Kevin Brown, Dennis Cook, Al Leiter, Robb Nen, Tony Saunders, Ed Vosberg. INF--Kurt Abbott, Alex Arias, Jeff Conine, Darren Daulton. OF--Moises Alou, Devon White.

STRENGTHS: The everyday lineup has potential. Charles Johnson is the best in the business behind the plate, and any organization would want rookies Lee, Mark Kotsay and Todd Dunwoody.

WEAKNESSES: The starting rotation after Livan Hernandez, and too many inexperienced players. Gary Sheffield reported to spring training with a sore right shoulder, bad back and an even worse attitude.

PROJECTED LINEUP: LF--Cliff Floyd, SS--Edgar Renteria, RF--Sheffield, 3B--Bobby Bonilla, C--Johnson, 1B--Lee, CF--Kotsay, 2B--Craig Counsell. SP--Hernandez, Felix Heredia, Medina, Brian Meadows, Eric Ludwick. RP--Jay Powell, Antonio Alfonseca, Rob Stanifer, Henriquez.

OUTLOOK: The Marlins won the World Series--then management gutted the team. The Marlins will struggle to reach .500.

MONTREAL EXPOS

WHO’S NEW: P--Miguel Batista, Mike Maddux, Carl Pavano, John Nicholson, Jake Westbrook. OF--Derrick May, Terry Jones. INF--Mike Mordecai.

WHO’S GONE: P--Pedro Martinez, Dave Veres. C--Darren Fletcher. INF--Mike Lansing, David Segui, Doug Strange. OF--Henry Rodriguez.

STRENGTHS: Mark Grudzielanek and Vladimir Guerrero, the younger brother of Dodger outfielder Wilton Guerrero, are gifted offensively.

WEAKNESSES: The Expos continue to develop and trade all-star quality talent.

PROJECTED LINEUP: LF--F.P. Santangelo, 2B--Orlando Cabrera, RF--Guerrero, CF--Rondell White, 1B--Brad Fullmer, SS--Grudzielanek, 3B--Shane Andrews, C--Chris Widger. SP--Carlos Perez, Dustin Hermanson, Pavano, Matt Wagner, Marc Valdes. RP--Ugueth Urbina, Shawn Boskie, Anthony Telford.

OUTLOOK: Manager Felipe Alou has kept the Expos competitive in trying circumstances, but this task seems insurmountable.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

WHO’S NEW: OF--Bob Abreu, Doug Glanville. INF--Mark Lewis.

WHO’S GONE: P--Scott Ruffcorn. INF--Mickey Morandini, Kevin Stocker. INF/OF--Mike Robertson. OF--Danny Tartabull.

STRENGTHS: Curt Schilling set a league record for right-handers with 319 strikeouts last season. Scott Rolen, who broke the Dodgers’ stranglehold on the rookie-of-the-year award, is a rising star. Abreu is a major prospect.

WEAKNESSES: They don’t have much power, and the defense will give away too many games.

PROJECTED LINEUP: CF--Glanville, 2B--Lewis, LF--Greg Jefferies, 3B--Rolen, C--Mike Lieberthal, 1B--Rico Brogna, RF--Abreu, SS--Desi Relaford. SP--Schilling, Mark Portugal, Matt Beech, Tyler Green, Garrett Stephenson. RP--Ricky Bottalico, Jerry Spradlin, Mike Grace, Mark Leiter.

OUTLOOK: Bleak.