Opinion

While basically every player on the 25-man roster will have to play well for the New York Mets to be competitive, five players in particular will hold major keys to the team's success in 2011.

In no particular order, Jose Reyes, Jon Niese, Jason Bay, Ike Davis and Frankie Rodriguez will need to bring their A-game to the ballpark every night.

With all of the attention put on the search for a third baseman, the Cleveland Indians might have just as much of a problem at second base this year.

Maybe the hole that is second base is being forgotten because some of the candidates for the third base job (Jayson Nix, Luis Valbuena) are originally second basemen. This compounds the problem, though. Nix and Valbuena probably should not be starters at either position.

This is THE year for the Brewers. Just ask anyone. If they are going to win, it will be in 2011. It is a foregone conclusion that Prince Fielder will be leaving via free agency in 2012. If you're Doug Melvin, you're probably already coming up with a plan of attack for 2012 and beyond. At least I hope so, because that's what good General Managers do.

It may seem odd that an organization loaded with two of baseball's top under-25 superstars, a young but effective starting rotation, an everyday lineup capable of wearing down opposing pitchers while playing stellar defense and a minor league system teeming with elite prospects would receive so little positive press during the offseason.

Charlie Manuel's contract as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies is set to expire at the end of the 2011 season. With Spring Training just weeks away, the Phillies have yet to finalize an extension for their skipper.

The Kansas City Royals made news this offseason when they announced that the team would be willing to deal All-Star closer Joakim Soria for the right price.

Many began to think that the club was going to deal the talented 26-year-old Soria, especially after it was reported that Soria himself said that he would be willing to go to a team like the New York Yankees.

Now, after most of the MLB offseason dust has settled, Soria is still a Royal. Here are some reasons KC will not trade him and he is here to stay in Kansas City.

Buster Posey was a large reason why the San Francisco Giants capped off their 2010 campaign with a World Series pennant. Posey is one of the next up-and-coming stars of the game and expectations are high after an incredible rookie season.

In 2010, Posey posted a .305 batting average to go with 18 home runs and 67 RBIs over 108 games. After the Giants traded starting catcher Bengie Molina away on June 30^th, allowing Posey to slip into the starting role full time, the 39-36 Giants went on a 53-34 tear to end the year, winning the NL West.

Our 2011 fantasy baseball projections will be released one by one until the Top 100 players have been revealed. These rankings consider past achievements, current performance and expected future results based on standard 5×5 H2H settings.

When the Detroit Tigers signed starting pitcher and former Arizona Diamondback Brad Penny to a contract it began a domino effect that is still rumbling around Major League Baseball. In order to make room for Penny on the 40-man roster, the Tigers designated starting pitcher Armando Galarraga for assignment.

The day most Angel fans surely knew would be coming is here. Mike Napoli, along with Juan Rivera, has been traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for Vernon Wells.