MLB                               MLB
Johan Santana's first sports workout with the MLB, New York Mets had his teammates all pumped up -- even quiet Carlos Beltran.

The star MLB, center fielder reported to camp three days early Saturday and revealed he probably won't be ready to play when spring training games start because he's still rehabbing from Oct. 3 surgery on both knees.

That hardly put him in a sour mood, though. An upbeat Beltran spoke excitedly about the MLB sports, club's new ace and had a right-back-at-you message for Philadelphia shortstop Jimmy Rollins. 

"Let me tell you this: Without Santana, we felt as a MLB team that we have a chance to win in our division. With him now, I have no doubt that we're going to win in our division," Beltran said. "So this year, to Jimmy Rollins -- we are the MLB, team to beat!"

Of course, it was Rollins who boasted last offseason that his Phillies were the MLB sports, team to beat in the NL East, even though the Mets had run away with the 2006 division title.

The comment made headlines in New York and turned Rollins into a ripe target for angry boos at MLB, Shea Stadium. He backed up his words, however, leading Philadelphia's late-season surge past the fading MLB Mets for its first division championship in 14 years.

On the strength of outstanding numbers (and perhaps his clairvoyant prediction), Rollins won the MLB, NL MVP award. Does Beltran plan to duplicate that feat, too?

"I don't know about that," he said. "We'll find out."