NL East

The Philadelphia Phillies shocked the entire baseball world when they signed Cliff Lee last month to a $120 million contract. Ever since the fans in Philadelphia have been anxiously awaiting the start of the season. With the addition of Cliff Lee to their already-stellar rotation already consisting of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels, the Phillies will be practically unstoppable and their opposition has the possibility of facing at least two of these four aces every series.

The New York Mets starting rotation is not going to be what anyone had hoped for when last season ended.

With a lot of controversy already going on in the Mets front office, the team's ace starting pitcher (Johan Santana) will not be ready to pitch for a while. That opens up a huge spot in the starting rotation, and any number of guys could make the cut come April 1.

We know who three of the Mets starters will be, but which other two will fill out the rotation, and what other guys could we see starting games for the Mets this season?

Sandy Alderson was named the New York Mets' new general manager early in the offseason.  Alderson has a big challenge ahead of him, as the Mets have bad contracts at many positions, not to mention Omar Minaya's mess.

The Mets have recently been big spenders in the offseason, but due to financial constraints, they couldn't make any big signings this year.  Alderson watched top-notch free agents fly off the market while he was forced to go searching in the bargain bin.

Will we have another year of the pitcher? Which guy will rule his team and help carry them to the playoffs? 

It's never too early to start thinking of baseball. Football is just about to end so everyone should start gearing up for spring training. In 2010 we saw a dominance of pitchers. There were six no hitters last year, and two of them were perfect games. It should have been seven but someone blew the call. 

With all of the hype about the Phillies starting rotation, we all want to know how they are going to fair together.  This collective unit has been deemed the best in baseball, and with that title, they will need to live up to the hype.  Anything short of magnificent will be a let down for baseball fans.

By Todd Farino, www.thecloserreport.com

Mike Minor was the seventh overall pick in the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft. He quickly rose through the minors and made his first major league start with the Atlanta Braves exactly 14 months after being drafted.

With only 11 days until pitchers and catchers report to camp, many baseball fanatics are ready to start the season. The National League East has been a very interesting race the past four seasons. In 2007, the Mets blew a huge lead in the division to the Phillies. In 2008, it was yet again the Mets blowing a late season lead to the Phillies. The past two years, it has been all Phillies winning the division by five games in 2009, and six games in 2010. Here's how the division will unfold in 2011.

The New York Mets of 2011 could be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline.

They probably won’t have their ace, Johan Santana until the All-Star Break, so the question becomes whether Mike Pelfrey, Chris Young, Jon Niese and RA Dickey can keep the team afloat until then.

If they can’t keep the Mets in contention, there could be a firesale in New York with a ton of pieces that would help clubs in the playoff hunt. Among them is shortstop Jose Reyes, who is owed $11 million in the last year of a four-year, $23 million deal.

MLB/Phillies Countdown: 11 (Frigid) Days Until Pitchers and Catchers Report

To Phillies fans stuck in and around the improbably frozen tundra of the City of Brotherly Love, any warm glow emanating from baseball's hot stove is a most welcome thing.