Preview/Prediction

The Yankees missed on Cliff Lee. They didn't act on Carl Crawford. Zack Greinke landed somewhere else. Many think it is doom and gloom for the Yankees. Instead, it's all about the boom...the lineup. In 2010, the Yankees led the league in runs (859), RBIs (823) and OBP (.350). They were amongst the leaders in homeruns, OPS, hits.

In 2011, expect things to get even better with a healthy ARod, Posada being a full-time DH, Gardner improving and Cano no longer a slow starter.

So far this off-season the Mets have been somewhat quiet only bringing in Boof Bonser, Ronny Paulino and D.J. Carrasco.  Bonser can be a solid spot-starter for the Mets while Paulino will be a nice addition to have behind the plate to backup Josh Thole.  Carrasco is who I feel to be the Mets' best pickup so far.  Carrasco will be a great addition to a bullpen that has lost the likes of Pedro Feliciano.

What do Michael Bourn, Marlon Byrd, Matt Capps, Andre Ethier, Yovani Gallardo, Jason Heyward, Omar Infante, Ubaldo Jimenez, Hong-Chih Kuo, Brian McCann, Evan Meek, Brandon Phillips, Martin Prado, Arthur Rhodes, Troy Tulowitzki, Joey Votto, Adam Wainwright and Chris Young all have in common?

They were all named to their first All-Star Game in 2010, representing about half of the National League roster last summer. 

The Philadelphia Phillies:

After all the articles about how great the Philiadelphia Phillies are (I still don't see the 2010 WS trophy with their team on it), there have been some signings and trades in the off season that has gotten the attention of quite a few baseball fans. Most of them were over-shadowed with a bias for a team that has yet to prove they are the best. 

The last coals have just about burned out in the Hot Stove for this winter.

The New York Yankees made no significant trades or free agent signings.

As a result, Yankee fans should be very concerned about the upcoming season.

To begin with, Brian Cashman and the rest of the Yankee brass put all their eggs in one basket and nothing hatched.  It is well documented that the primary gameplan was to sign Cliff Lee and they failed. The only good thing that can be said about Lee is that he left the American League.

Every team is looking for the next breakout prospect that can join the team in the middle of the year and provide a spark to their lineup. Fantasy owners also look for these prospects who can lead their team to a championship.

Looking at this year's prospects, there appear to be a few players who can follow in the footsteps of Buster Posey and have an immediate impact for their Major League club.

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I know what you're thinking: How can Indians first baseman Matt LaPorta, a player who hit .221 last season, become the same type of power hitter as Colorado Rockies outfielder and NL MVP candidate, Carlos Gonzalez? 

Well, the answer to this question can be seen easier when breaking down both ballplayers.

As the Patriots and Celtics roll, the snow piles on and the Gonzalez/Crawford acquisitions finally begin to set in as reality, baseball seems a long way away.

But, in just 49 more days, pitchers and catchers report to spring training!

The Sox seemed to have slowed down their offseason moves. While they might be in the mix for some more relief help and/or another right-handed bat, the Sox should be pretty content in the fact that they've addressed their offseason needs while the New York Yankees have not.

When Chipper Jones tore his ACL (for the second time in his career) in 2010, many (including myself) thought he would hang up his spikes for good and go down as one of the best switch hitters of all time.

But Chipper wasn’t going to leave the game until he could do so on his own terms, even if it meant a grueling recovery and playing for a manger other than Bobby Cox for the first time in his career.

Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels. This is an amazing starting rotation, but is it enough to win the NL East? 

The Phillies are the talk of baseball, and they are projected to win the NL East, but is it really a guarantee? 

The answer is no.

As a Phillies fan, I consider myself unbiased on the subject, and I have picked up on a lot of their struggles during last season (many of which have not been addressed).