The National League Central Division could again be the most competitive of the six, with four of the five teams having a legitimate chance of winning the division. The one that isn’t expected to challenge for the crown, Pittsburgh, still made moves that should make them a thorn for Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Chicago, and St. Louis.
The favorite is Chicago, who finished second last year, after losing a tie breaker with Milwaukee for the title. The Cubs are at +180. St. Louis is next at +200, with defending NL champs, the Brewers, at +250. The Reds, who made a blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the offseason, are at +1000. The Pirates are +1800.
Last year The NL Central was the only division in the major leagues last season that had four teams finish .500 or better, and that could happen again this season. All but the Pirates and Cubs made significant moves in the offseason in part to keep up with their division counterparts.
Cincinnati Wheels, Deals
The most active of the teams was the Cincinnati Reds. They made a deal with the Dodgers in December and got outfielders Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, and pitcher Alex Wood, taking on hefty contracts, and in Puig’s case, his questionable attitude.
If the trio perform to their abilities, the Reds won’t be near the cellar like they have been in the past. The Reds weren’t done, though, they picked up Sonny Gray from the New York Yankees to be the ace of the staff.
New manager David Bell has the pieces, now it will be up to him to see if he can put them together effectively. Described as a player’s manager, Bell’s philosophy should work.
“We keep coming back to the most important thing is to create a great environment to get the work in and be supportive to the players in every way,†Bell said. “That’s through the analytics, through working together with the coaches, the strength coaches, the trainers. All of us working together with player development. All the different departments working together. We really think there’s an edge to be had there. It creates a great environment.â€
Cardinals Sign Big Free Agent
St. Louis was in playoff contention until the final week of the 2018 season, and made two big moves to improve their chances this year. The first was trading for Arizona’s slugger Paul Goldschmidt. The first baseman gives them another potent bat.
The team also got a star relief pitcher in Andrew Miller. The lefty will be the team’s closer, supporting a strong bullpen that includes Adam Wainwright.
Brewers Look to Repeat
Milwaukee didn’t stand pat after winning the division. The Brewers grabbed former Dodger Yasmani Grandel, who is a major upgrade at catcher.
The starting rotation is in a bit of flux, and manager Craig Counsell is known for relying on his bullpen more than most skippers. Still he has depth at starting pitching, especially with Jimmy Nelson, who returns after shoulder surgery last season.
Chicago Banking on Current Players
The Cubs finished a game out of the division and felt they didn’t have to make any major moves to keep up with their rivals. If the current players perform like they did last season, the lack of moves will pay off.
They lost a couple of players that could put that in jeopardy. Second baseman Daniel Murphy left for free agency. The bullpen took a hit when Justin Wilson and Jesse Chavez left.
Yu Darvish returns after an injury-filled 2018, and if has any of the form he had in 2017, he could be the difference maker.
Watch Out for Pittsburgh
The Pirates return with strong starting pitching, that could make them a pain for the other teams in the division. Manager Clint Hurdle believes they can be much more than spoilers though.
“We believe we’re here to win a world championship,” Hurdle said. “That’s what we believe we’re here to do. And we’ve talked about it. The players have approached me about it.”
