The New York Mets won the Johan Santana sweepstakes and the Arizona Diamondbacks acquired Dan Haren from Oakland. Tom Glavine went back to Atlanta and Kosuke Fukudome landed in Chicago.

After all that and more, Jimmy Rollins still likes his Phillies.

"There isn't a team in this division or the National League that's better than us," the NL MVP said. "After 162 games, we'll be looking to win the next 11."

There was no shortage of bravado in the National League as opening day approached this year. Last season, Rollins boldly declared Philadelphia was the team to beat in the East and backed up his words, leading the Phillies on a late charge that netted them the division title.

This spring it seemed like everyone was trying to follow Rollins' example.

"Let me tell you this: Without Santana, we felt as a team that we have a chance to win in our division. With him now, I have no doubt that we're going to win in our division," Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran said. "So this year, to Jimmy Rollins — we are the team to beat!"

New York was awful down the stretch last year, blowing a seven-game lead in the East with 17 to play. The historic collapse led to a winter of difficult questions that only subsided when the Mets sent four prospects to the Twins for Santana.

The acquisition of the two-time Cy Young Award winner erased much of the sting from last season and gave New York one of the deepest rotations in baseball.

The brash Rollins and normally subdued Beltran weren't the only players predicting big things this spring.

"I think we are going to win the World Series. I really do," Cubs right-hander Ryan Dempster said.

Dempster's prediction might have been the most outrageous boast of the year — this season marks the 100th anniversary of the Cubs' last World Series winner.

A year ago in spring training, it was Carlos Zambrano guaranteeing the Cubs would win the World Series. They ended up winning the NL Central and were swept by the Diamondbacks in the first round of the playoffs.

Chicago returns mostly intact and added Fukudome, a prized Japanese free agent who signed a $48 million, four-year contract to be the Cubs' right fielder. Chicago also has the benefit of playing in one of the weakest divisions in baseball.

The Mets, Phillies and Braves could take the division race to the wire in the improved East, and the West could be even more brutal.

Arizona got Haren from the Athletics in December to set up a nice 1-2 punch at the top of its rotation with Brandon Webb. The youthful Diamondbacks also have budding star Chris Young and top prospect Justin Upton.

They won the West last season and were swept in the NL championship series by Colorado, which was relatively quiet this winter after storming to the pennant last year. Then again, the Rockies have Matt Holliday, Troy Tulowitzki and several other emerging stars. So maybe they didn't have to do much.

Mix in the Los Angeles Dodgers with new manager Joe Torre and new center fielder Andruw Jones, and the San Diego Padres and Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy, and the West is loaded.