NL East Links: Phillies, Thome, Mets, Pelfrey

There's not much drama left in the NL East race, where the Phillies hold a seven and a half game lead over the Braves, not to mention a lead of at least 21 games over everyone else. But that doesn't mean there's not still a little hot stove chatter going on in the division. Let's check out Sunday's NL East links, with a focus on the Phils and Mets….

• We already know that the Astros selected Domingo Santana from the Phillies earlier this week to complete the Hunter Pence trade. Now, Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer lists the other minor leaguers Houston could have chosen instead of Santana: Jiwan James, Leandro Castro, and Juan Sosa. Astros and Phillies fans who enjoy playing "what if?" can store those names away and see how the decision turns out.
• Acquiring Jim Thome is still a possibility for the Phillies, writes Larry Stone of the Seattle Times.
• It's "fairly certain" that alterations will be made this offseason to make Citi Field slightly more hitter-friendly, says Jeff Bradley of the Star-Ledger.
• At MetsBlog, Michael Baron asks whether the Mets should spend $6MM on Mike Pelfrey in 2012.
• Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer examines the progress of Phillies' 2010 first-rounder Jesse Biddle this season.