Something about being a baseball team in the Midwest...really just not a ton of quality across either league. We'll peek into the NL Central here today, prep some thoughts for what should be a pretty lackluster season across the board. Starting out in the Windy City with the...
Chicago Cubs
This weak roster managed to finish third in a crappy division in 2022, a bar they should be able to ascend to this year. Some solid free agent additions will go a long way toward getting this group back to contention.
Dansby Swanson is the big headliner here, coming up to the Cubbies from Atlanta on a 7 year, $177 million dollar deal. He immediately infuses this middle infield with a quality bat and glove. Cody Bellinger and Trey Mancini are also fascinating wildcards. Both are coming off of fairly underwhelming campaigns but have shown historically to be key pieces on quality teams. If they can click back into form, it'll help the run production a ton.
Chicago's starters will look a little different this year with Jameson Taillon coming over from the Bronx over the winter. The contract seemed fair in terms of length and compensation, especially compared to what the Yankees gave up for Carlos Rodon. Marcus Stroman, Justin Steele and Drew Smyly will undoubtedly enjoy having another quality arm on their side.
Keegan Thompson is another interesting name to note. The third year righty will probably have some spot starts out the gate until Kyle Hendricks is fully ready to go, but could earn himself a spot in the rotation with a strong start. Michael Fulmer and Brad Boxberger will be doing their part to hold down the back end of the bullpen. They're each on modest, one-year deals that they hope to parlay into a closing role and a fatter check.
Cincinnati Reds
From one weak roster to an even less formidable one. The Cincinnati Reds have been chasing decency for the last decade or so, with only two, very brief playoff appearances over that time. Don't expect trip #3 to be on the horizon either.
Cincy's big splash last year came from trading their ace Luis Castillo to Seattle for a package including Noelvi Marte and Edwin Arroyo, among others. The two infielders aren't MLB ready just yet, but are top three prospects on a farm that needed a boost; lending a little optimism for the future.
Joey Votto is the big name on the squad, but he's been steadily declining over the last three seasons. At 39, it's certainly not out of the realm of possibilities that he hangs it up come October. Jonathan India is an intriguing foundational piece in the infield. The third year player slumped a bit compared to his rookie campaign, but adds some power potential for a lineup sorely lacking in it. Elly de la Cruz should be an sensational young gun to keep an eye on, starting out in AAA. And offseason signee Wil Myers will be an oft-utilized piece on the field as well. Don't expect much scoring from this bunch though.
A little more hope on the pitching side of things for the Reds. Starters Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo showed some promise during their rookie campaigns and will have every opportunity to build upon that atop the rotation this year. Graham Ashcraft is a slightly less exciting second year arm who'll be extended a similar leash every five games. Set expectations modestly for these hurlers, and they just might live up to them.
Milwaukee Brewers
As Alice Cooper taught us, Milwaukee is Algonquin for, "the good land." Can't say the Miller Lite brewed in town generally lives up to that hype...and not really thinking the Brewers can either.
Christian Yelich has had a particularly tough go with the Brew Crew over the last three seasons, batting just .242 over that span. His previous seven produced a gaudy .301 average and MVP level productivity, a bar he's seemingly more and more incapable of living up to at this point in his career. Hate to see it from a former great, especially while still relatively young.
Rowdy Tellez and Will Adames should be bringing some pop at the plate, but this team will be struggling to make contact regularly. Jesse Winker and William Contreras were nice offseason grabs, and Garrett Mitchell will be a fun rookie to watch patrol center field.
Big name on the trade blocks of late has been Corbin Burnes. Milwaukee's ace has dazzled through his first five campaigns, compiling a 35-19 record with a 3.21 ERA and 4.8 K:BB ratio. With the organization lacking talent on all levels and teetering on the edge of a potential rebuild, a monster package may be enough to pry him away in the coming weeks.
A few other arms on the roster worth mentioning: Brandon Woodruff was more than respectable in 2022, going 13-4 with a 3.05 ERA. Freddy Peralta, the third starter, is another solid talent. The Brewers will surely need to determine how foundational these young guns will be when the trade offers inevitably start rolling in. Devin Williams looks like a beast of a closer too.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Well...Andrew McCutcheon came home at least? Maybe the only exciting, baseball related news coming out of Pittsburgh this offseason.
I guess we can't forget Oneil Cruz either. The man is coming off an absolutely electric rookie campaign and brings arguably as much energy to the field as he brings talent. Bryan Reynolds and Ke'Bryan Hayes are also high ceiling guys, with the former being heavily involved in trade hypotheticals over the last few months. It seems that, like so many Pirates' young stars before them, they're primed to be a part of stocking for a rebuild rather than actually competing on the major league level.
Big Mitch Keller fans here, but he's been the epitome of up and down through his first four professional go-rounds. The emergence of Roansy Contreras would help him to get some more preferred matchups, as well as Rich Hill continuing the steadiness his career has been known for. Journeymen Vince Velasquez will have a shot to get himself on track in this rotation too. Far from an elite group, but some potential to be decent at least.
St. Louis Cardinals
Your future* 2023 NL Central champions... Not a sexy pick here but how could you pick any of the four previously listed teams to win this division??
The reigning NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt highlights this lineup, coming off a season that saw him slash an obscene .317/35/115 line. He was borderline unstoppable, carrying the Cards through some bumpy patches of the season. Nolan Arenado is a force across the diamond from Goldschmidt that's as reliable with his glove as he is with his bat. A premiere one-two punch in the Midwest.
Willson Contreras got himself a nice check to sign on board with the squad this offseason as well. The former Cub will be seeing his former team plenty from behind the plate in St. Louis as he squats into the spot of recently retired stalwart Yadier Molina. Massive shoes to fill.
Like Justin Verlander, Adam Wainwright just seems timeless. While his win-loss ratio may not have reflected the quality of his performance, 2022 was a strong season for the now 41 year old, posting a 3.41 ERA and finishing in the top sixty of the league for strikeouts. Not bad for a middle of the rotation guy...
Jack Flaherty and Miles Mikolas will help hold down the top of that staff, as will Jordan Montgomery. The lefty came over from the Bronx last August for Harrison Bader in a deal that I loved at the time. Imposing group of starters, albeit not elite. Once their job is done, they'll pass the ball over to Ryan Helsey to lock things down. This'll be his first full season as closer.
Bold Predictions
-Jameson Taillon leads team in wins
-Trey Mancini overtakes Eric Hosmer at first
-Jonathan India hits over .270 and 25 home runs
-Nick Lodolo finishes with over 150 strikeouts and an ERA under 3.50
-Corbin Burnes will be traded by July
-Garrett Mitchell will bat over .290 and have over 20 stolen bases
-Bryan Reynolds will be traded midseason
-Oneil Cruz hits at least 25 home runs and bats in over 100
-No team but St. Louis finishes over .500
-Jordan Montgomery is team's ace by the postseason
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@Choppinglines
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