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The NL West is hard to rank. I think the Padres may repeat as NL West champs. They kept Giles, have pretty decent starting pitching and great relief pitching. Not world beaters, but it may not take much again in the West. The Dodgers are the unknown there, with a better offense, but who know where the pitching will come from? On paper, the Mets and Cards look better than the Astros, but games aren't played on paper. I do like the Mets, though; this could be like their 2000 team which went to the WS. I think the Phillies will be very tough, but the final outcome will depend upon how their pitching holds up. The Braves are hard to predict. I have my doubts about them, but based upon their history I can't count them out. The Cubs are hard to predict. Their season could range from "disaster" to "playoffs." I lean toward "disaster" because I think Lee had his career year and I'm not enthralled by their off-season moves. But the Cubs have enough pitching potential that you can't rule out the possibility of a pitcher-driven playoff drive.