NL East

December 15th is a historical date.  In 1794, the United States Bill of Rights became law.  In 1933, the 21st Amendment went into effect, legalizing alcohol.  Russians landed on Venus in 1970. And now, in the year 2010, Cliff Lee re-signed with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The signing will obviously not impact our society in such way as the Bill of Rights or the 21st Amendment once did.  And it is doubtful that December 15th will be named a national holiday.  However, this is still a historic occasion for the City of Philadelphia.

I’ll be honest. I don’t watch postseason trades. I find them as futile as foreplay after forty or light beer chasers. But when I read that the phenomenal uniform philler-outer, Jayson Werth, had been signed by a division rival, I burned my bra in defiance.

Then I just had to buy a new one. That’s when I made an important discovery:

Not everything expands when it’s cold.

In this era of disclaimers, stipulations, and legal litigation, let me make one thing vividly clear:

If you’re a New York Mets fan, you might want to commit this name to memory for future reference: Cesar Puello.

As the hot stove quiets down after the major signings and trades have taken place (Cl. Lee-Phi., A. Gonzalez-Bos., C. Crawford-Bos., D. Uggla-Atl, etc.), the 2011 teams have started to take shape.  While more changes could be on the horizon, the following slides will show how I see the lineup, rotation, bench, and bullpen to look come springtime.

Begin Slideshow

With ace Johan Santana out until at least the All-Star break with shoulder surgery, the New York Mets are desperately in need of starting pitching.

As it stands now, the Mets' rotation consists of Mike Pelfrey, R.A. Dickey and Jon Niese.

Pelfrey was excellent for the first half of last season but struggled down the stretch. Dickey was one of the few bright spots in another mediocre year for the Mets. Niese looked solid at times but is still young and still maturing.

At one point in history, the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates had a steaming hot rivalry not all that unlike the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox rivalry that has spanned baseball history.

Philadelphia Phillies fans were devastated when they heard the news, especially the fact that it was so sudden.

It can also be said that it was shocking to see our everyday right fielder, Jayson Werth, be traded to a team within our own division.

Well, like normal, Philadelphia fans panicked immediately, just like every time when something like this happens.

It's hard to admit, but as a Phillies fan myself, it's true.

But let me be the first to tell you that there isn't too much to worry about.

The various winter leagues don’t have much longer to run, so I thought it a good idea to take a look and see how some of the Nationals are performing this year.

A few of them completed their off seasons in the Arizona Fall League and are noted:

Roger Bernadina is batting just .208/.333/.250, but he has played in just seven games so I don’t think his numbers tell very much.

The reacquisition of Cliff Lee this week was the latest in a series of moves the Philadelphia Phillies have made this offseason that brought former players back to the fold.

Ryne Sandberg, Juan Samuel, and Mickey Morandini, all retired players, have returned after long absences from the team.

New York Mets pitcher Oliver Perez continued to struggle with his command in his fifth start of the winter with the Tomateros de Culiacan.

The 29-year-old left-hander walked six and yielded two runs on three hits while striking out five over six innings, as the Tomateros defeated the Naranjeros de Hermosillo, 13-2.