NL East

Surprise, surprise. Carlos Beltran is hurt once again.

After he resumes baseball activities sometime in the next few days, who knows how long it will take the New York Mets' new right fielder to get in baseball shape?

While part of me was hoping Beltran would finally return to the field healthy and productive, the other part of me knew it was probably too good to be true.

The Philadelphia Phillies announced earlier today that they have inked manager Charlie Manuel to a two-year extension that will keep him at the helm through the 2013 season.

While the exact terms have not been released, both mlb.com and phillynews.com expect Manuel to earn between $7 million and $8 million for the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

On December 15th, 2010, the Philadelphia Phillies signed Cliff Lee and in the minds of baseball enthusiasts all around the world, Lee's signature was the kiss of death for the division rival Atlanta Braves.

However, a lot has changed since December 15th—most importantly, Chase Utley's knee.

Center-fielder Carlos Beltran made a late season entrance for the New York Mets last year. Most of his season was missed due to surgery on his right knee, one that was not cleared by the Mets. 

After having someone perform surgery on your one knee, you're more likely to favor the other one in hopes of not re-injuring it again, right?

Well, that was Beltran's thinking, but that move came back to bite him in the rear.

After thumb surgery in July of 2010, Chase Utley was limited to only 115 games last season.

This is a bit of a concern because, prior to becoming a significant part of the Phillies in 2005, Utley had only played in 137 games through his first two seasons.

From 2005 though 2009, Chase averaged 150 games per year, so a 35-game drop in 2010 definitely shouldn't go unnoticed.

In Spanish, the word Espinosa means thorny. A rose is thorny. Danny Espinosa is much like a rose. He can be a thing or beauty for his fantasy owners, or he can be downright painful.

With spring training starting to get into full swing, we are learning more and more about the players each day. As a result, I believe it is time to give you my projections for the 2011 Mets.

On Monday, Craig gave his projections for the Mets' Opening Day roster. You will see a lot of similarity between the picks, but you will also see differences when it comes down to some of the last spots on the roster.

Spring Training Stock Watch:

The Atlanta Braves currently have a 7-4-1 record this spring and appear to be rounding into shape for Opening Day. Chipper is back at third, Uggla is in town and Freddie and Jason are providing plenty of excitement.

When the Phillies added former Astros' ace Roy Oswalt at the trade deadline last season, many believed the deal would tilt the National League's balance of power in favor of Philadelphia.

Oswalt proceeded to pitch quite well; unfortunately for the Phillies and their faithful, the San Francisco Giants went on an improbable and impressive run to a World Series title behind their outstanding rotation and standout closer Brian Wilson.

The Braves look to be on the right track with their performances in spring training so far.

Saturday's 6-4 win over the Mets flirted with a no-no for five innings. Derek Lowe looked on the right track with an outstanding outing.

Chipper Jones looked to be on the right track as well with a key homer in the game and suffering no knee pain at all.