New York Mets

Mets manager Terry Collins has given us a glimpse into how he plans to use his players in 2011.

The Mets are looking forward to finally having a lineup that includes a healthy Jose Reyes, who says he expects to put up MVP-like numbers, Jason Bay and Carlos Beltran. All three are looking to come back from injuries that kept them out for parts of the 2010 season.

The Metropolitans were seventh in team ERA (3.73) in 2010. Impressive right? You bet. But in fantasy terms, the Mets starting pitchers are merely irrelevant.

As for Johan Santana, who will likely miss the first half of the season recovering from shoulder surgery, it will be tough to determine what ADP (average draft position) is suitable.

If the Mets want to retain their shortstop past the 2011 season, they may have to start negotiating soon.

Jose Reyes, who will become a free agent for the first time in his career at the end of this season, addressed the issue at a Citi Field Kids charity event on Wednesday.

"I don't want to talk about my contract during the season," Reyes said. "I want to focus on doing my thing, trying to help this team win a lot of ballgames."

With about six weeks remaining until spring training begins, it's time to start looking at how the 2011 Mets roster will shape up.

The Mets didn't really make any big moves this offseason, however, they brought some veterans in to help out in different places.

Let's take a look at the infield the Mets will have to start the season. Depending on whether or not the team is competing, any of these guys could always be traded at the deadline in somewhat of a rebuilding season.

Picture this scene; it’s late July, and the Mets are sitting in last place with no hope of reversing their fortunes.  In other words, it’s become yet another lost summer in Queens.

Fortunately for the Mets, patrolling Center Field is a healthy and all-star caliber slugger named Carlos Beltran.  His hefty salary has become an albatross to the Mets’ payroll, and Sandy Alderson is actively shopping him, gauging the interest level of current playoff contenders.

Earlier in the week, it was announced that the Mets had signed Willie Harris to a minor league deal. It had appeared that he had a pretty clear path to making the Mets roster.

That, however, is no longer the case. According to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, an organizational source has confirmed that the Mets have signed outfielder Scott Hairston to a minor league deal.

Throughout the offseason, some of the moves GM Sandy Alderson made were in attempt to bolster the Mets starting staff.  He's acquired pitchers Chris Capuano, and more recently, Chris Young.  Here's a look at what the Mets starting rotation might look like in the 2011 season.

1. Johan Santana (LHP)

Finally, the Mets have signed Chris Young to a one-year deal. Rumors of the Mets' interest had been circulating for much of the offseason, but the deal is now done.

So, the addition of Young begs the question: what should we expect the pitching rotation to look like?

In my last post, I gave my predictions on how the roster may be shaped, including the pitching rotation. It seems as though, at least for the fifth starter's spot, spring training will determine the final order.

Our 2011 fantasy baseball projections will be released one-by-one until the top 100 players have been revealed. These rankings consider past achievements, current performance and expected future results based on standard 5×5 H2H settings.

Injuries and a pitcher-friendly Citi Field have plagued the Mets bats over the last two seasons, including David Wright’s.

Searching high and low for a fifth starter this offseason, the Mets have signed free agent pitcher Chris Young to a one-year deal, pending a physical.

With a base salary of just $1 million, which could increase to as high as $2.5 million if he reaches certain milestones, Young is the definition of a low risk, high reward pitcher, something the Mets have been focusing on.

Issues with injury have kept Young from fulfilling the potential most saw during his 2006 and 2007 campaigns (20-13, 3.29 ERA).