Around the Horn

Around the Horn - our recap of what's going around major league baseball - is back. In case you missed it, Carlos Beltran took a pre-emptive strike at the Phillies' Jimmy Rollins, by saying the Mets were the team to beat this year. Rollins of course made that proclomation about the Phillies last season, and thanks to a monumental Mets collapse, he was right when it came to the NL East crown. It's also highly unusual for Beltran to speak louder than a whisper.

K-Rod is quite upset with the Angels over his pending arbitration case. After seeing the deal Mariano Rivera got, K-Rod wants a big multi-year deal of his own. But so far Angels management has not been forthcoming. So while K-Rod may not be planning his exist from Anaheim/LA/that area, he was clearly upset when asked if he thought he might be elsewhere next season.

"Yeah, probably. Probably," he said. "If they wanted me here, they would have done something a long time ago. But, in the meantime, I have to put that out of my head. I can't be thinking they don't want me here or anything like that. Just do my job."

The Marlins have taken a hit already. Anibel Sanchez has been shut down after complaining of discomfort in his surgically repaired shoulder. And the Cardinals are being very cautious with Albert Pujols who is complaining of elbow pain in his right arm.