NL East

The pessimism around the Philadelphia Phillies, particularly among the team's fans, has probably gone too far.

Sports talk radio in town cannot get anyone interested in talking about the Phillies because there just does not seem to be that much to talk about. The Phillies are an old team that got older in free agency.

The New York Mets are 2-3 in spring training after defeating the Houston Astros 6-2 on March 4. The record holds no bearing on the regular season and expectations are tepid, but fans are excited about the future rotation.

With spring training officially underway, what will the Phillies' starting rotation order look like in the regular season? 

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With spring training well underway throughout Major League Baseball, the evaluative process is already in the works for the Washington Nationals, as they look to put the best 25-man product on the field that they can.

Baseball's first month can set the tone for the entire season. As such, manager Matt Williams must be sure he produces an optimal roster to compete in the competitive National League East.

There is plenty of optimism surrounding the New York Mets heading into the 2014 season, but is there too much at this point in the spring?

John Harper of the New York Daily News reported on February 27 that Mets general manager Sandy Alderson set a goal of 90 wins in a meeting with team executives.

2013 was disappointing for the Philadelphia Phillies, and it is safe to say that I was not the only one waiting for Spring Training to get underway. We are all hoping that this season will be better than last, and how the Phillies perform in Spring Training can give us a pretty good indication of what we might see coming our way this season.

That’s why I’m here to help out. I have put together a list of the important things that have gone down already even though we are only three games into the affair.

The New York Mets will host the split-squad Miami Marlins at Tradition Field Saturday at 1:10 p.m. ET.

Mets starter John Lannan faces Kevin Slowey of the Marlins. Lannan is one of several candidates for the No. 5 spot in the starting rotation.

The New York Mets have finished below .500 in each of the past five seasons and haven't made the playoffs since 2006, but hope springs eternal as a new crop of stars prepares to make an impact in 2014.

For the first time in years, the New York Mets spent significant money on free-agent talent during the offseason. Among the expenditures: Curtis Granderson's four-year, $60 million deal.

The excitement surrounding the new season officially began when the first pitches were thrown out on Monday. The Atlanta Braves still have unanswered questions about their starting rotation, which should be settled in the next few weeks.