NL East

With the Philadelphia Phillies picking up Cliff Lee in a deal that shocked all of baseball last month, there has been a lot of talk about the how good the Phillies current rotation is, which ranks probably within the best five rotations in baseball history. The 2011 Phillies rotation compares to the rotations of the Atlanta Braves from the mid-1990s, the 1971 Orioles with Jim Palmer, and the 1966 Dodgers with Sandy Koufax.

Bryce Harper seems like a dream player out of a video game.  His numbers are unbelievable and he doesn't look to be stopping anytime soon.  After being drafted number one by the Nationals in 2010, Harper has a lot of expectations to live up to as he begins his path to the big leagues.  Harper hopes to make the Nationals roster and make his major league debut as soon as he can, and here's ten reasons why he will in 2011. 

Earlier today, New York Mets GM Sandy Alderson sat down with ESPN's Adam Rubin and addressed several of the issues surrounding the team heading into 2011.

Rubin is an excellent Mets writer and definitely asked the questions fans are most concerned about. Alderson, to his credit, answered all of them fairly well, but left a lot to the interpretation of the fans.

As we approach the 2011 season, it seems as though several teams in the NL East have significantly improved this offseason.

The Phillies brought back Cliff Lee to set up one of the best pitching staffs, at least on paper, in recent history.

The Braves added Dan Uggla to solidify the middle of their order.

The Nationals signed Jayson Werth, Adam LaRoche, and Rick Ankiel in an attempt to improve their offense.

The numerous ways that the Philadelphia Phillies are affected by the signing of free agent left hander, Cliff Lee, are well documented.

In fact, so much has been made about Lee and the rest of the Phillies' rotation has basically overshadowed what the signing means for the rest of the league, and in comparison, the division, outside the fact that many experts believe the Phillies are the favorites to win it. We must also examine, however, the decisions that teams will have to face to react to this signing.

As spring training draws closer and baseball aficionados dream of pitchers and catchers reporting, one begins to salivate as he or she await another season of 162 games.

During this long stretch into the spring, fans begin to dissect their rosters, and debate potential trades, signings, and call-ups. Due to the fact that it is impossible to compare pitchers to outfielders to infielders, the players will be listed in no order and by team.

Washington Nationals

Craig Kimbrel took Braves Nation by storm in his first stint with the Braves in 2010, and looks to be the closer going forward in 2011.

Kimbrel, 22, possesses great closer-like stuff. An upper-90s fastball to go along with a plus slider, and Kimbrel has all the potential in the world to be a perennial All-Star as a closer. He’s been a top prospect for the Braves the last few years, and 2011 could very well be his breakout year.

Can someone please tell the Washington Nationals they need starting pitching? Do they not realize that their No. 1 starter is Livan Hernandez?

The Mets just signed Chris Capuano and Taylor Bucholz to add some more depth to the pitching rotation. Both of these are solid signings and may pay off in big ways.

Capuano is only a few years removed from an 18-win season, and Bucholz has shown he can be a valuable seventh, or even eighth inning reliever.

“Every year players come out of nowhere to become success stories. Look no further than R.A. Dickey. He signed a minor-league deal last January, became a fixture in the starting rotation in May, and finished the season with 11 victories and a 2.84 ERA. I believe some of our offseason acquisitions can be this year’s version of R.A.”

New York Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson stated this in an e-mail to fans earlier today, and he could very well be projecting the future.