National League 2001 Preview.(baseball)

With a healthy Mark McGwire and added pitching depth, the Cardinals look like the team to beat in the National League

IN THE GAME OF BASEBALL, IT'S often a case of the rich getting richer when it comes to signing premier flee agents. That was not the case in the National League over the winter, however.

The defending league champion New York Mets tried desperately to retain their staff ace, left-hander Mike Hampton, only to lose him to the Colorado Rockies. The Mets also failed to bring in a top-notch offensive player, leaving them to fend with the lineup they used to claim the wild card last year.

The Atlanta Braves, accustomed to having their way in procuring blue-chip personnel, also fired blanks over the winter. They, too, were in the bidding for Hampton. The Braves also took their shot at the top prize of the winter, shortstop Alex Rodriguez, only to fall out of the running when they refused to include a no-trade clause.

Manny Ramirez, the other big bat on the loose, turned his back on N.L clubs, also, and went instead to the Boston Red Sox. Free-agent ace Mike Mussina decided that remaining in the American League was best for him as well, bolting Baltimore to sign with the already-powerful New York Yankees.

The team with the most victories in 2000, the San Francisco Giants, also failed to improve their roster. In fact, the Giants appeared to slip back a bit with the loss of free-agent outfielder Ellis Burks, who batted .344 with 24 homers and 96 RBI a year ago.

The one playoff team that could make an honest case for moving forward was St. Louis, which acquired starter Dustin Hermanson and a much-needed left-handed reliever, Steve Kline, from Montreal. Factor in the return of a healthy Mark McGwire, who sat out the second half with an ailing knee last season, and the Cardinals just might be the team to beat in the National League.