NL East

Winning the World Series requires the perfect balance between pitching and hitting.

When the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series in 2008, they did so on the strength of their bullpen, anchored by Brad Lidge, and an offense that went unrivaled in the National League.

When they returned to the World Series in 2009, the balance wasn't perfect. Lidge crumbled, and the bullpen followed suit. The powerful offense wasn't able to keep up with the bullpen's woes.

A year ago, there was a great void at catcher for the Washington Nationals. It was like a black hole, a huge expanse of nothingness with nary a star in sight.

Brian Schneider seemed to be the answer when the team moved from Montreal but did little in his three seasons with Washington.

In 2009, Josh Bard and Wil Nieves got most of the at-bats but combined to hit just .240/.305/.330.

According to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com, former New York Met and current free agent pitcher John Maine's agent Rex Gary has been contacted by NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies along with a few other teams.

Gary has said, "We have spoken to a lot of teams and there is a lot of interest."

I'm about to do something unheard of in sports journalism.  I am going to write an entire article about Marcus Thames.  Yes, that Marcus Thames, the 33-year-old outfielder who hit .288 with 12 HR for the Yankees last year.  The one the Yankees haven't re-signed.

With the Fab Four of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels already locked up in their starting rotation, do the Phillies still need Joe Blanton? 

The righty has two years left on his contract, which will earn him a total of $17 million dollars.

In his two and a half years with the Phillies, Blanton has a combined record of 25-14 with an average 4.36 ERA in 72 starts. For a fifth starter in the rotation, these are pretty good numbers.

Instead of hanging on for one more season, Major League Baseball’s all-time saves leader has decided to retire.

The Mets have decided to do it again. They have signed another pitcher that has missed a full season in the past two years.

This time, the Mets have signed Taylor Tankersley.

He missed all of the 2009 season with an elbow injury. He split the 2010 season between the Triple-A and the majors. He pitched fairly well in the minors with a 3.42 ERA, but he struggled in the majors, posting a 7.50 ERA in 27 games.

“We’re looking for starting pitching, we’re looking for left-handed relief and fourth and fifth outfielder possibilities—I’d say in that order of priority,” said New York Mets GM Sandy Alderson in an interview with ESPN’s Adam Rubin.

The Philadelphia Phillies and their fans are very familiar with Ed Wade and his work.

When Wade assumed the role of General Manager with the Phillies in 1998, he made trades and signings that never sat well with the fans.

During his tenure with the Phillies, he traded franchise cornerstones Curt Schilling and Scott Rolen for little return and made questionable signings on the free agent market, committing multi-year deals to players like Jose Mesa, David Bell, Jim Thome and Jon Lieber.

The Reds yesterday signed Fred Lewis to a one-year deal worth $900,000. This is a great signing for the Reds, but it will force the Mets to turn their attention elsewhere.

The NL Central defending champion Reds will sport an outfield comprised of the young stud Jay Bruce in right, exciting Drew Stubbs in center and fiery Jonny Gomes in left.