By C. Trent Rosecrans The Marlins made headlines with their offseason spending spree, the Phillies still have the game's most intimidating rotation, the Nationals have some of the game's biggest young talents and the Braves are a sleeper team that shouldn't be written off because of last season's late collapse.  And then there's the Mets.  Last season the team finished fourth in the division and went 77-85, and then they lost their best player.  To say there's a lack of buzz surrounding the Mets would be an understatement. 

Prospect to watchThe team's top prospect is right-hander Zack Wheeler, acquired in the Carlos Beltran trade, but if he sees Citi Field this season, it'll likely be near the end of the year when the team's fate has already been decided.  Outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis could contribute immediately.  The 24-year-old missed the second half of the 2011 season with a torn labrum in his non-throwing (left) shoulder, but has been swinging the bat at full strength since last month.  Before his injury, he was hitting .298/.403/.505 with six homers in 221 plate appearances for Triple-A Buffalo.  A solid all-around player, Nieuwenhuis can play any of the three outfield sports, but center field may be where he could make his mark.  The Mets have the 34-year-old Torres as the its starter in center and the 31-year-old Hairston backing him up, so it's not much of a stretch to see Nieuwenhuis get a chance sometime this season. 

Fantasy sleeper: Lucas Duda"From July 15 (about the time he took over for a departed Carlos Beltran) to the end of the season, Duda hit .322 with 10 homers and a .957 OPS -- numbers that jive with his minor-league track record.  And that was at old Citi Field, complete with its big gaps, tall fences and ability to crush David Wright's spirit." --  Scott White [Full Mets fantasy team preview]

Fantasy bust: David Wright"Over the last three seasons, he has a .284 batting average and .828 OPS, which are solid numbers but less than elite even for a third baseman.  True, his struggles began the same year the Mets moved to spacious Citi Field, but that doesn't explain why his numbers have lagged on the road during that time.  Thus, you can't assume the team's decision to move in the fences this year will be Wright's miracle cure.  It'll help, but it won't eliminate the injuries, the perpetually rising strikeout rate and the curious home-road splits." --  Scott White [Full Mets fantasy team preview]

Optimistic outlookSantana returns to Cy Young form and Niese takes a step forward, as the Mets pitching staff rounds into form.  The new dimensions of Citi Field make a huge difference for the team's offense, with Wright and Bay returning to form, while Duda becomes a star.  Even in this perfect world, the Mets could have trouble leapfrogging the Phillies, Marlins and Braves.  But Bud Selig could always add another eight playoff spots, giving them a spot in the postseason. 

Pessimistic outlookSantana's injuries continue to haunt him and nobody steps up to take over at the top of the rotation.  Davis isn't the same player that he was before his injury and Duda suffers from a sophomore slump, as the offense struggles overall.  And then there's the chance that the problems on the field pale in comparison to the ownership problems.  The worst-case scenario (well, for 2012, it's may be the best-case scenario for the long term) has a repeat of the Dodger fiasco. 

In an effort to make the park a little less extreme -- in favor of the pitchers -- the Mets have moved in and lowered the fences in the Citi Field outfield for this upcoming season.  The changes are below, with the orange line being the old wall and the blue line being the new one (also note that the left field wall was 16 feet tall and it's now only eight feet tall, among several other alterations). 

And just to make things a bit more familiar for the next six weeks, the Mets have a chain-link replica of Citi Field in Port St. Lucie, Fla. for spring training. 

The replica field isn't one they'll use for spring games, as it's merely a practice field (Field 7).  Still, they can get in some work on the field and become more comfortable with the new dimensions.  Three players -- David Wright, Daniel Murphy and Lucas Duda -- took batting practice on Field 7 Wednesday and there's already an excitement.  Here are some quotes on the first day:

• "Today shows you that there's a big difference," Mets manager Terry Collins said (MLB.com). " It's going to change the way these guys think when they're at home plate." 

• "I saw David [Wright] hit like four or five balls that last year wouldn't have been over the fence and now they're homers," Duda said (MLB.com). " I saw Murph hit one out the other day.  It's the first day and the wind was blowing out a little bit, so you've got to factor it in.  But it was a good day." 

• “You could tell.  And if you couldn’t tell, [Mets COO] Jeff [Wilpon] was there to remind you,” Wright said (ESPN New York). 

• “The wind was blowing out to left pretty good, so that felt pretty good," said Murphy (ESPN New York). " I saw David hit some balls out.  I think he hit one out to right-center.  I think Jeff came up and said something to him.  He was like, ‘See, I told you we brought them in.’  And then Duda hit a couple out to left.  And there was one ball, the last swing I took, to 358 in left-center that ran out of real estate that I was like, ‘All right, I kind of like that a little bit.’” 

There's not a team in baseball that wouldn't drool over having to make this decision.  The three are expected to be the keystone to the rotation in the future, but Minor's still the oldest of the bunch having just celebrated his 24th birthday the day after Christmas and therefore expected to be the first to make an impact in the majors.  Delgado turned 22 on Thursday and Teheran celebrated his 21st birthday last month.  The left-handed Minor made 15 starts last season for the Braves, going 5-3 with a 4.14 ERA.  Meanwhile, Delgado dazzled in his seven starts, going 1-1 with a 2.83.  Teheran didn't live up to the expectations many had for him -- but he was just 20 and made only three starts.  He'll be fine.  More than fine. 

This is up in the air until Cespedes makes his decision, although it seems more and more like he'll be a Marlin.  There's no question the Marlins want him and there's no question they want him in center field.  If he does sign with Miami, the team will have to see how ready the 26-year-old is for the big leagues.  He may not start in Miami, but the goal would be to have him there for the long-haul.  Bonifacio is coming off a career-best .296/.360/.393 season with 40 stolen bases, but he was aided by a .372 batting average on balls in play -- something that will likely drop, but should still be high because of his speed.  He also increased his walk rate, which helped as well.  Coghlan won the 2009 Rookie of the Year, but a knee injury in 2010 has hampered him since his first season.  He hit just .230/.296/.368 with five home runs and seven stolen bases in 298 plate appearances last season and his future is up in the air. 

Murphy's likely to get the nod, as long as he can field the position adequately.  Murphy made the majority of his starts at first base last season, but with the return of Ike Davis, Murphy needs a home thanks to his .320/.362/.448 line.  Turner hit .260/.334/.356 as the team's primary second baseman (71 starts), but is probably no more than a utility player in the long run.  Cedeno was signed from the Pirates to back up Ruben Tejada at shortstop, but he could figure in the second base situation if worst comes to worst. 

The job is probably Mayberry's to lose after hitting .273/.341/.513 with 15 home runs and 49 RBI last season.  Brown, the team's former top prospect, struggled in his 56 games and 210 plate appearances with the Phillies last season, hitting .245/.333/.391 with five homers.  Brown has the talent, but it has to actuate for him to earn more playing time.  The left-handed Nix is a backup, but could add depth to the outfield with the absence of Ryan Howard at first base.  A good fielder, Nix struggles against left-handed pitching, so he's not an everyday type player. 

Well, Harper won't be in center field, but he's basically fighting for that spot.  If he makes the team out of spring, he'll be in right and Jayson Werth will be in center.  That still seems unlikely, as good as the 19-year-old is.  Ankiel won a spring-training battle with Nyjer Morgan last year, leading to Morgan's trade to Milwaukee.  The Nationals brought Ankiel back on a minor-league deal, but he's still probably the favorite.  He hit .239/.296/.363 with nine home runs last season.  Like Ankiel, Bernadina hits left-handed.  Last year he put up a .243/.301/.362 line with seven home runs in 91 games and 50 starts in center field. 

What if players were only permitted to stay with the team that originally made them a professional?  No trades, no Rule-5 Draft, no minor or major league free agency ... once you are a professional baseball player, you stay in that organization.  This series shows how all 30 teams would look.  We give you: Homegrown teams.  To view the schedule of this feature, click here. 

Another day, another entry in our series.  For this one, we'll stop over in Queens and meet the Mets.  We know about Wright and Reyes, but what else is there?  For one, a guy who just tied the postseason home run record.  Knowing that the Mets traded him for Jorge Velandia has to be a bit painful for Mets fans (don't feel too bad, though, because the A's and Brewers gave up on Cruz, too).  Anyway, let's dive in. 

I like the bullpen.  The bench is good, too.  As a whole, one thing that stuck out to me is there aren't any really glaring holes.  And assuming everyone is healthy, that's a pretty stout top four to five in the batting order.  Reyes setting up for Wright and Cruz would be scary for opposing pitchers. 

What's Not? 

The starting rotation is a bunch of threes and fours.  There's potential to better sure -- like if Burnett gets locked in for stretches -- but if we're looking at just the present, the lack of an ace would hurt as the season progressed, especially in terms of stopping modest losing streaks.  The catcher and center field spots could be better as well, but, as I mentioned above, it's not like those are glaring holes.  On the whole, while there aren't any real glaring holes, there's nothing that stands out as spectacular other than a healthy Reyes while Wright, Cruz and Bell are very good. 

Comparison to real 2011

The real-life Mets were 77-85, and I think this bunch is a bit better than that.  It's a team that would put up a winning record and maybe contend for a wild card.  It's definitely not great, as the lack of an ace shows, but the weaknesses here are all pretty minor.  I'm thinking mid-80s in wins with a ceiling of 90 and floor of high-70s?  That sounds about right. 

Today's episode of bad umpiring comes courtesy of Phil Cuzzi, who called Jayson Werth out at first for the second out of the ninth inning in the Nationals' 1-0 loss to the Mets.  Werth may have not only beat the throw from third baseman Jacob Turner, but first baseman Daniel Murphy also pulled his foot off the bag. ( See the play here.) 

Had the play been called correctly, the Nationals would have had runners at first and third with one out and in position to tie the game.  Instead, with two outs, Adam LaRoche grounded out to end the game. 

After the game, Amanda Comak of the Washington Times reported one Nationals player saying, "I want to be an umpire when I grow up -- no responsibility, no accountability." 

Several Nationals argued with umpires as they walked off the field, but only starter Livan Hernandez would go on record. 

"What did I see?  He was safe.  He beat him two times," Hernandez said. " He was safe when the guy got off the bag and he was safe because he beat the throw.  I think he made a big mistake, the umpire there, because it's not about his foot is off the bag, it's safe because he beat the throw.  He was safe two times." 

Nationals manger Jim Riggleman appealed to home plate umpire Manny Gonzaelz, but he refused to offer an opinion.  Looking at the replay, Gonzalez was watching the play, but he was outside of the baseline, behind the plate, so he may have been blocked by Werth from his angle. 

"I wanted to see if, from his angle he could see better maybe that the first baseman came off the base," Riggleman said. " He's got a good look at that. …  Maybe the home plate umpire can get a better look.  He just refused to do that." 

To be clear, this wasn't a Jorge Orta/Don Denkinger level bad call, it took some super slo-mo and HD cameras to tell that Murphy's foot was indeed off the bag.  In the past, it would have been maybe too close to tell, but now we do know better.  Technology has improved so much that we can see for sure when the umpires err. 

Many people complain about umpiring (and, well, a lot of times it's justified -- cough, Joe West, cough, Bob Davidson, cough), but the more you watch, I think it's amazing how much the umpires get it right.  And that's why I'm for replay on a limited basis -- these guys are so good at what they do (for the most part), they should be able to finish a game and know they got them all right.  Ask Denkinger or Jim Joyce how much their missed calls bother them, and you'll hear from someone who is bothered by it more than any Cardinal fan or Armando Galarraga.  The ego of the umpire may not want instant replay, but their conscious just may.  In the end, it's about getting the calls right -- that should be the goal of any umpire and it should be done by any means necessary. 

WALK A MILE IN THESE SHOES: Jason Varitek has been the Red Sox's answer to Jorge Posada for over a decade and has already undergone his own transition from starting catcher to backup.  While Posada remains in the lineup as DH, Varitek wonders if his transition was easier to undertake. 

“Jorge’s really had to go from focusing and doing the things that you have to do behind the plate -- the constant reminders, this and that, the maintenance, what’s going on -- and now you’re almost like, ‘Well what do I do with my time?’ ”  Varitek said. 

'Tek says the fact that he still starts games or has to stay mentally engaged in case he is needed in the middle of the game has allowed his transition to be easier and forces him not to worry about his slow bat.  While Varitek's bat is waking up, he's still at a poor .164/.258/.218 in 63 plate appearances.  Posada doesn't have that luxury, as his lousy line is as starting DH.  But the Red Sox captian isn't ready to anoint Posada's career dead in the water. 

"[Saturday] he had one of the few hits against Buchholz, and Buchholz had his top notch stuff,” he said. “ You go through the Xs and Os and you don’t look at the batting average.” ( New York Times)RETURN OF THE TEHERAN: Looks like Julio Teheran will get another spot start Wednesday.  The Braves only need a fifth starter Wednesday and May 31, so can go with a four-man rotation for the time being.  Obviously, Atlanta would have preferred Brandon Beachy not get hurt, but he kind of had decent timing.  Beachy will take about a month to return, so Minor could still grab a few starts in June. ( Atlanta Journal-Constitution via Twitter)

PRICE MOTIVATED AGAINST YANKS: The first-place Rays have yet to do battle against the Yankees, but that changes Monday as both teams begin a two-game set in Tampa.  David Price will draw the ball to start and admits he is always just a bit more motivated against the Bronx Bombers. " That just happens," Price said. " Whenever you're pitching against the pinstripes, you have a little more.  That's how it is, that's just from their success forever in baseball." ( St. Petersburg Times)

ACTA PART OF Indians SUCCESS: Manny Acta, by all appearances, has been everything the Indians want in a manager.  He's driven closer community-player relations, encouraging players to take part in Twitter. ( Dusty Baker, take note.)  But he's also made an impact on the field by setting expecations in spring training of contending and using all his tools at his disposal to make decisions.  That's put him in the early bid for manager of the year. ( New York Times)

LA RUSSA STILL WAYS AWAY: Tony La Russa remains away from the Cardinals with a bout of shingles, missing six games to date.  La Russa is unclear when he can return to the team and will hold a meeting with GM John Mozeliak Monday to try to answer that very question. ( FoxSportsMidwest.com)

INCHING CLOSER: Chase Utley played in his first full minor-league game on Sunday and is getting ever-closer to returning to the majors.  GM Ruben Amaro indicated that Utley needs to get more at-bats, but would not rule out a return during the upcoming week-long homestand starting Wednesday.  Sounds a bit optimistic, but it looks like Utley will give fantasy owners a jolt by returning before the calendar flips to June. ( Philadelphia News)

WALKING ON 3-1: A few eyes widened Sunday when Daniel Murphy of the Mets walked on what was thought to be a 3-1 count -- except umpire Angel Hernandez had called Houston's Aneury Rodriguez for a balk prior to what ended up being the fourth ball. " I don't know.  I wasn't paying attention," Murphy said. " I heard, 'Balk.'  And then, '3-1.'  I guess that's what Angel said -- ['ball'].  It went from 2-1 to 3-1.  It was a four-ball walk." ( ESPN New York)STAY WITH US: White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen wants fans to know that the team will turn things around. “ Hopefully, we go home and play better for our fans,’’ Guillen said. “ They deserve that.  We owe them one after that last homestand.  Hopefully, we continue to play the way we’re playing now.’’  The White Sox are 6-3 in their last nine games, but are still a discouraging nine games out of first place. ( Chicago Tribune)

ALVAREZ STAYING: There are no plans to demote third baseman Pedro Alvarez to the minors, Pirates GM Neal Huntington revealed on the radio. " He's a slow starter," Huntington said. " We're seeing signs he's getting to where he needs to be.  He's squaring up some balls.  He's not getting himself out or getting into pitcher's counts."  Alvarez is hitting .210/.277/.286 in 130 plate appearances.  Even rebuilding teams give up on prospects with that stat line at this point. ( Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

AYBAR RAKING: Erick Aybar is less patient at the plate, which is allowing him to go after good pitches more and has a .351 batting average to show for it.  Sure, he's playing a bit over his head, but he seems to turned a corner offensively at age 27 and is looking like 2009 is the norm, not exception.  Aybar struggled to a .255 batting average last season, which he says was in part due to being too patient at the plate. ( Los Angeles Times)

GREAT ESCAPE: Those who play SplinterCell for X-Box will notice a move taken right out of the game.  An Astros fan ran on the field and evaded security guards by leaping over the center field wall and scaling a berm in a way that would make Sam Fisher proud, then vaulting yet another wall and escaping... until Houston's forces caught up with him outside the park. ( Youtube)

PEACOCK ON FIRE: No, not the animal.  Nationals' right-handed prospect Brad Peacock has taken his game to another level and currently has a 2.13 ERA in six starts for Double-A. Credited for his success is his curveball, which is being thrown near fastball velocity which is causing hitters to miss the adjustment needed to hit a breaking ball. ( MLB.com)

ATTENDANCE ISSUES: Yeah, the weather hasn't been great and it's hard to get excited about a perennial loser no matter the state of the rich farm, but the Royals have noticed their poor attendance this year.  The play on the field is surprisingly strong so far, plus the constant influx of young players over the next couple of years should fix the issue.  For now, though, K.C. has to worry a little bit about lack of fan turnout. ( Kansas City Star)

HEYWARD RETURNING: Jason Heyward is hoping his return to the lineup will happen Tuesday.  Sidelined with a sore shoulder, Heyward has reported progress and will be available to pinch-hit in Monday's game. ( Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

SCOUT PASSES: Dick Wiencek, one of baseball's most successful scouts, passed away due to complications from a heart attack.  Wiencek signed a record 72 players, including Bert Blyleven, Alan Trammell, Mark McGwire, Jim Kaat and Graig Nettles.  Thoughts and condolences to friends and family. ( MLB.com)

Erik Bedard, Mariners -- The left-hander picked up his first win since June 2009, as Seattle beat Detroit and Justin Verlander 10-1 on Wednesday.  Bedard gave up a run on five hits with three strikeouts and no walks in seven innings. 

Daniel Murphy, Mets -- As a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning, Murphy tied the game with his second homer of the year and then in the ninth he added a two-run double to help extend the Mets' winning streak to six games with a 6-3 victory over the Nationals. 

James McDonald, Pirates and Madison Bumgarner, Giants -- This afternoon I called it the worst pitching matchup of the day and it was anything but -- I just wanted to give credit where credit was due here.  Both pitchers went six innings, with Bumgarner giving up just one run on five hits, while striking out seven.  McDonald allowed just four hits in his six scoreless innings, earning the win. 

3DOWN

Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox -- Boston's center fielder let a ball drop in front of him for a double with two outs.  Two outs later, Luke Scott, hit a three-run homer for a 3-0 Baltimore lead.  The Red Sox went on to lose, 5-4. 

Carlos Lee, Astros -- Back-to-back Cardinals singled in runs from second by hitting grounders past the third baseman into left field, where just about any other left fielder in the game (well, maybe not Johnny Damon) throws out the runners at the plate.  Instead, with Lee, the two runners score easily and St. Louis adds to its lead, which was 6-0 going into the eighth.  Houston scored three in the eighth and two in the ninth, falling 6-5.  That's not to mention his offensive woes -- Lee was 0 for 4 on Thursday and is hitless in his last 15 at-bats. 

Vernon Wells, Angels -- Much of the preseason there was talk of the great outfield defense the Angles would have this season, but Wells hasn't been able to live up to the billing.  He misplayed a ball in the 10th inning, giving Oakland's Cliff Pennington a triple with no outs.  Conor Jackson then drove in Pennington with the winning run, And, like Lee, that's not even talking about his offensive offense -- Wells is hitting just .178/.224/.257 so far this season. 

Great news for the Brewers -- with the Reds' loss and Brewers' win on Tuesday, the Brewers are tied for first place in the National League Central.  And Zack Greinke is on his way back. 

Greinke threw three scoreless innings at Class A Brevard County on Tuesday night.  Greinke retired nine of the 10 batters he faced, struck out four and threw 35 pitches.  He allowed a single hit, to Tampa's Mitch Abeita, who singled with one out int he third.  Greinke struck out the next two batters he faced. 

According to the Brewers, Greinke said he "felt great" and threw 91-94 mph with his fastball. 

Greinke's next start is expected to be Sunday for Triple-A Nashville.  The Brewers want him to make at least three starts in the minor leagues, so he'd return May 4 against the Braves at Turner Field. 

And hey, with the Brewers in contention, Greinke may decide to try this year, so that's nice. [ MLB.com]

BASEBALL TODAY -- NESN.com's Tony Lee joins Lauren Shehadi to talk Red Sox as Boston is still looking for its first road win following Tuesday's loss in Oakland (as predicted on yesterday's Baseball Today by some wise, handsome baseball writer). 

UPTON HISTORY -- A cool look at the history of Upton brothers rumors -- and there's been a lot for the pair from Chesapeake, Va, the latest that the Nationals are now scouting B.J. Upton (he's the one with the Rays). [ MLBTradeRumors.com]

STAND BY YOUR MAN -- Dodgers manager Don Mattingly has issued a vote of confidence in his closer, Jonathan Broxton.  Broxton has a 6.14 ERA, but has converted all five of his save opportunities this season. [ MLB.com]

SIZEMORE'S SCHEDULE -- The Indians will be watching Grady Sizemore carefully in his return.  He won't play more than two games in a row during his first week back and that could be the plan for a while. [ Akron Beacon Journal]

BRADEN TO SEE SPECIALIST -- A's left-hander Dallas Braden will see Dr. Lewis Yocum in Los Angeles on Wednesday for another opinion on his stiff left shoulder.  Right-hander Tyson Ross will take Braden's spot in the rotation, starting Friday in Seattle. [ MLB.com]

MOYER'S PLAN -- Philadelphia's Jamie Moyer, 48, will start his throwing work on May 1.  Moyer had Tommy John surgery on Dec. 1. [ Philly.com]

KINGLY DRAW? --  Do more people come to see Felix Hernandez pitch?  The Seattle Times' Larry Stone breaks down the numbers and the result is -- a few. [ Seattle Times]

DODGER VICE CHAIRMAN -- I think Frank McCourt is awesome and should be emperor of the universe. 

Hey, we all want a good, cushy job.  Writing positive things about mcCourt worked for Steve Soboroff.  The Los Angels developer was hired by the Dodgers as their vice chairman and will be charged with "leading the efforts to improve the fan experience at the stadium, strengthening ties to the region's community and philanthropic organizations, and expanding conservation and sustainability programs at Dodger Stadium." 

To me it sounds like you've just got to go to a ton of baseball games, complain about the lines at the bathroom, go to some parties and drink some beers and wine -- and when you're done, make sure you throw the cans and bottles into the recycling bin.  And all he had to do was write a letter to the Los Angeles Times saying the Dodgers' owner is super-duper.  So, yeah, Frank McCourt, over here!  I think you're awesome and doing a bang-up job. 

YANKEE THEFT -- A woman is accusing the Yankees of stealing their famous top-hat logo from her late uncle in 1936. [ New York Post]

BYE BYE PING -- Are the new college bat rules helping or hurting scouting? [ FanGraphs]

GARBAGE ON, OFF THE FIELD -- The Mariners gave away compost as a promotion -- luckily for players, it was given away after the game. [ MetsGrrl]