Barry Bonds is approaching 755 homers, Craig Biggio is closing in on 3,000 hits and Tom Glavine is nearing 300 wins.

While some of baseball’s oldest stars are set to pursue milestones this season, MVP Ryan Howard and the Philadelphia Phillies are gearing up to chase down the New York Mets in the NL East.

“We’re the team to beat. I can’t put it any other way,” Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins said. “Look at our team and what we’re bringing. Look at the improvements we’ve made.”

Those improvements include adding Freddy Garcia and Adam Eaton to a deep rotation. That’s why right-hander Brett Myers figures Philadelphia has more starting pitching than the Mets, who will be without ace Pedro Martinez until at least midseason following shoulder surgery.

“It’s competitive talk. We think we’re good. They think they’re better. It’s fun,” Myers said.

The Mets still have Glavine, who enters the season with 290 victories. But after coming within one win of the World Series last year, they weren’t so amused by all the one-sided analysis coming out of Philadelphia’s clubhouse.

“The Phillies, they can come out and talk as much as they want,” All-Star third baseman David Wright said in spring training. “Until they prove it on the field, then it’s just talk. As far as throwing out predictions and talking about it, talk is very, very cheap.”

Nobody knows that better than Bonds, who re-signed with San Francisco in the offseason after plenty of haggling over his $15.8 million, one-year contract. Now, he needs 22 home runs to break Hank Aaron’s career record of 755.

“I’ll drag it. I’ll let you guys wait,” he joked. “You know how I do it, the anticipation, the hype, the talk. I’ll let you guys talk about it.”

The 42-year-old slugger is also 159 hits from 3,000 and 70 RBIs shy of 2,000. But what he wants most, he maintains, is his first World Series ring.

First, he and the Giants, with $126 million man Barry Zito pacing the pitching staff, might have to get past their oldest rivals in the NL West – the Los Angeles Dodgers, who added former San Francisco ace Jason Schmidt to the rotation, and brought back No. 3 hitter Nomar Garciaparra. But Greg Maddux jumped from the Dodgers to the San Diego Padres, who have won consecutive division titles.

The 41-year-old Biggio begins his 20th season with Houston needing only 70 hits to become the 27th player to reach 3,000. That achievement probably means a ticket to Cooperstown.

Biggio and the Astros have another goal as well: beating out Albert Pujols, Chris Carpenter and the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals for an NL Central crown.

Other players approaching milestones include pitcher Randy Johnson, back in Arizona after two disappointing seasons with the New York Yankees. He is 20 wins shy of 300.

Also, Padres closer Trevor Hoffman needs 18 saves to reach 500.

A look at the NL in predicted order of finish:

East

New York Mets

After a painful loss to St. Louis in Game 7 of the NLCS last year, the Mets will try to take another step forward. But getting all the way back is difficult to do. The biggest concern is an unsettled rotation. New York is counting on John Maine, Oliver Perez and rookie Mike Pelfrey to provide consistent starts. Glavine and Orlando Hernandez are both 41.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies also boast a formidable lineup with Howard, Rollins and All-Star second baseman Chase Utley. They have scrappy winners, too: Aaron Rowand and Shane Victorino.

Atlanta Braves

The Braves won an unprecedented 14 straight division titles before going 79-83 last season. They upgraded a shaky bullpen by acquiring Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez, but traded power-hitting first baseman Adam LaRoche to get Gonzalez.

Florida Marlins

Joe Girardi was fired after one year in Florida, then selected NL Manager of the Year. He was replaced by Fredi Gonzalez, who inherits an extremely young team that showed great promise last season.

Washington Nationals

Playing in a tough division, this team could easily lose more than 100 games. The rotation is a complete mess behind No. 1 starter John Patterson, who is coming off an arm injury.

Central

St. Louis Cardinals

Even after their rotation was depleted by offseason defections, the Cardinals could win this mediocre division by default. Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen are still around to anchor the lineup. Jason Isringhausen looks healthy again following hip surgery.

Houston Astros

Carlos Lee should add punch to a perennially anemic offense. Signed to a $100 million contract, he teams with Lance Berkman to form a powerful tandem in the middle of the lineup.

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs certainly added talent while spending a fortune in the offseason. But after going 66-96 last year, they have a lot of ground to make up. Carlos Zambrano is a legitimate ace who enters the final year of his contract.

Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers signed NLCS MVP Jeff Suppan to a $42 million deal, hoping he can be part of a steady rotation that also includes Chris Capuano and oft-injured Ben Sheets.

Cincinnati Reds

Ken Griffey Jr. slides from center field to right after he broke his throwing hand in the offseason and missed much of spring training.

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates are excited about the addition of LaRoche. They think he can make a major difference on offense AND defense after he hit .285 with 32 homers and 90 RBIs for Atlanta last season.

West

Los Angeles Dodgers

After winning the wild card last year, the Dodgers look like the team to beat out West in 2007. Center fielder Juan Pierre was a curious signing at $44 million over five years.

San Diego Padres

The Padres led the league in ERA last season (3.87) and should have a strong staff again. The lineup looks lousy, though first baseman Adrian Gonzalez often gets overlooked.

San Francisco Giants

Besides the two Barrys (Bonds and Zito), the Giants feature second baseman Ray Durham and talented young pitcher Matt Cain.

Colorado Rockies

Todd Helton is still in Denver after the Rockies considered trading him to Boston.

Arizona Diamondbacks

The club is loaded with prized prospects, many of whom have arrived in the big leagues.