Season Preview: NL Central

Division Crown Contenders: Cubs, Cardinals, Brewers
Additional Wild Card Contenders: None
Unlikely to Contend: Pirates, Reds

The race for the NL Central crown looks to be the most interesting division race in baseball, with three teams who could legitimately win. The Cubs are the favorites, retaining much of the same lineup that won them the World Series in 2016 as well as some fresh faces on the pitching staff. The Cardinals and Brewers got better as well, and it wouldn't be surprising if both NL Wild Card winners came out of this division. Neither the Cardinals' nor the Brewers' roster quite stacks up to that of the Cubs, but the difference isn't all that big and anything can happen over the course of 162 games. This will likely be the only three-way division battle in the majors. The Pirates are just beginning their own rebuild and retain plenty of their major pieces, while the Reds' rebuild is starting to bare fruit but isn't quite ready to begin moving the team upwards.

Chicago Cubs
Notable Additions: Yu Darvish, Tyler Chatwood, Brandon Morrow, Steve Cishek
Notable Losses: Jake Arrieta, Wade Davis, John Lackey, Koji Uehara, Hector Rondon, Alex Avila, Jon Jay
Summary: Well-rounded team with deep roster, two star hitters in Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, and a very good rotation that will only be helped by an excellent defense. Again the team to beat in the NL Central.

The Cubs retain one of the best teams in baseball, right up there with the Nationals, Indians, and Red Sox and just behind the Astros, Yankees, and Dodgers. A familiar offense that has remained largely untouched over the past couple of seasons retains the deadly duo of Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo at the heart. However, behind Bryant and Rizzo, the team is really about depth over star power, as they have five guys capable of starting in the outfield and playing well (Jason Heyward, Kyle Schwarber, Albert Almora, Ian Happ, Ben Zobrist) as well as one of the better backup catchers in the game in 24 year old rookie Victor Caratini. The defense should be as good as ever, with Heyward, Bryant, Javy Baez, Rizzo, Addison Russell, and Willson Contreras all carrying excellent gloves, enough to make up for Schwarber's mediocrity in left field. These great gloves will all help the pitchers play up, and the rotation looks a bit different than it did at the start of last season. Out are Jake Arrieta and John Lackey, and in their places stand Yu Darvish, Jose Quintana, and Tyler Chatwood, pushing Mike Montgomery and Eddie Butler out of the rotation. In addition, Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks remain, giving the Cubs five above average starters as well as two very competent pieces further down the depth chart. Wade Davis, Koji Uehara, and Hector Rondon are all gone from the bullpen, but Brandon Morrow and Steve Cishek have joined Pedro Strop, Carl Edwards Jr., and Brian Duensing to form a very good core. The team's two main strengths are starting pitching and defense, but it's overall still a very well-rounded team that would surprise nobody by making a deep postseason run.

St. Louis Cardinals
Notable Additions: Marcell Ozuna, Miles Mikolas, Greg Holland, Luke Gregerson, Bud Norris, Jason Motte
Notable Losses: Lance Lynn, Trevor Rosenthal, Stephen Piscotty, Randal Grichuk, Aledmys Diaz, Seung-Hwan Oh, Zach Duke
Summary: A very deep roster that lacks a true star, but one that can sum many, many valuable parts to make a very good team. Not quite on the same level as the Cubs, but not far behind.

The Cardinals' roster may not have as many flashy names as the Cubs, but don't count them out. They bring and offense as deep as anybody's that's not led by any one particular player, but is rather the sum of Marcell Ozuna, Jedd Gyorko, Tommy Pham, Dexter Fowler, Matt Carpenter, Yadier Molina, Paul DeJong, Kolten Wong, and co. Each of those guys can hit, and their backups are just as good. Jose Martinez may be the most underrated player in the game, coming off a season where he slashed .309/.379/.518 with 14 home runs and backed it up with high exit velocities and an overall excellent batted ball profile. Greg Garcia is just a backup as well but he gets on base at a ridiculous rate. Molina's soon-to-be backup catcher, Carson Kelly, is among the best catching prospects in the game. There's no Bryant or Rizzo, but the offense is just as deep as the Cubbies'. On the mound, it's the same story. Carlos Martinez leads a rotation that includes veterans Michael Wacha and Adam Wainwright, as well as youngsters Luke Weaver and Jack Flaherty, plus Japan transfer Miles Mikolas. In May, the Cards are expected to get top prospect Alex Reyes back from Tommy John surgery, and he could single handedly change the complexion of the pitching staff. The bullpen is led by newly acquired relief ace Greg Holland, but its real strength here is depth over star power, with Luke Gregerson, Tyler Lyons, Dominic Leone, Brett Cecil, and more, it's a better bullpen then people realize. The lack of a true star as well as a slightly inferior rotation sets them behind the Cubs, but after that, they're pretty much step for step with the division favorites.

Milwaukee Brewers
Notable Additions: Christian Yelich, Lorenzo Cain, Jhoulys Chacin, Boone Logan, Yovani Gallardo, Wade Miley, Matt Albers
Notable Losses: Neil Walker, Matt Garza, Wily Peralta, Lewis Brinson, Carlos Torres
Summary: Very unbalanced roster with a surplus of outfielders and a dearth of starting pitching, will be led by its offense while hoping the pitching can keep the opposition down just enough

The Brewers made quite a few big acquisitions this offseason and have a lot of talent on the roster; the problem is that it might be the most unbalanced roster in baseball. This team legitimately has six or seven guys who are capable of starting in a major league outfield, yet obviously only three can at a time. Meanwhile, the rotation is lacking to the point where it could keep them from seriously challenging the Cubs and Cardinals. We'll get to that later. This outfield includes the newly acquired Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain, as well as the power hitting Domingo Santana, veteran and former MVP Ryan Braun, utility man Hernan Perez, 20-20 man Keon Broxton, and highly regarded prospect Brett Phillips. All but Phillips are starter-quality outfielders, and Phillips could be if he got the chance, but he and Broxton will start the season at AAA just due to the crazy amount of depth. Even Braun will be pushed to first base a fair amount, meaning slugger Eric Thames and the power hitting Jesus Aguilar will also have a tough time grabbing at bats. Meanwhile, Travis Shaw and Orlando Arcia will start on the left side of the infield, and the light-hitting Eric Sogard will play second base. It's a very good offense that features a ton of depth in some places, making it pretty similar to the Cubs and Cardinals. Meanwhile, the starting rotation could use some work with ace Jimmy Nelson set to miss significant time early in the season. The Crew went out and signed Jhoulys Chacin, a solid mid-rotation guy, with Chase Anderson, Zach Davies, Brent Suter, and rookie Brandon Woodruff taking the other spots. It's not a terrible rotation, but when compared to the other rotations in the division, it's not hard to see how trading an outfielder or two for a pitcher would help tremendously. I would, however, like to see how Josh Hader fairs in the rotation if he ever gets his chance. The bullpen is pretty good, with Corey Knebel serving as the relief ace and Hader, Matt Albers, Boone Logan, and Jeremy Jeffress also likely to get the ball in big situations. If the Brewers can shift around their roster and make it more balanced, they are definitely a team that could contend in the NL Central and even without trades could win an NL Wild Card.

Pittsburgh Pirates
Notable Additions: Corey Dickerson, Joe Musgrove, Colin Moran, Michael Feliz, Kyle Crick, Michael Saunders
Notable Losses: Andrew McCutchen, Gerrit Cole, Daniel Hudson, Chris Stewart
Summary: Just beginning their rebuild, pretty balanced roster without star power, very mediocre bullpen behind Felipe Rivero and George Kontos

The Pirates sold off two of their biggest pieces, Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole, but they still have a fairly balanced roster that could get them to .500. They're unlikely to contend, especially in this tough division, but they won't roll over and die either. There is no centerpiece on offense, with Corey Dickerson, Josh Bell, Starling Marte, and Gregory Polanco forming the heart of the order and guys like Josh Harrison, Jordy Mercer, David Freese, Colin Moran, and Francisco Cervelli joining them in the lineup. Bell, Moran, and Adam Frazier are young guys to watch here. On the mound, Gerrit Cole is gone, and Ivan Nova looks like he'll be the only veteran in the rotation. Behind him, young guys like Jameson Taillon, Trevor Williams, Chad Kuhl, and Joe Musgrove will get starts, and if anyone falters or gets hurt, Tyler Glasnow could get another shot and Steven Brault could start as well. The bullpen is led by Felipe Rivero, one of the best relievers in the game, and George Kontos, but otherwise lacks depth and will rely on unproven relievers like Michael Feliz, Josh Smoker, and Dovydas Neverauskas. This certainly isn't a contending team, so with injuries, they could fall to the bottom of the league, but even a good season wouldn't get them much higher than .500.

Cincinnati Reds
Notable Additions: Ben Revere, Jared Hughes, David Hernandez, Vance Worley
Notable Losses: Zack Cozart, Drew Storen
Summary: Rebuilding team with some fun guys to watch in Joey Votto, Billy Hamilton, and Luis Castillo, not expected to make much noise as a team but prospects making the majors are always interesting

The Reds are a few years into their rebuild, and some of their prospects are starting to reach the majors, so like many of the other rebuilding teams, they should be fun to watch. Joey Votto, one of the game's best hitters, stands virtually alone as an impact bat on offense, with Eugenio Suarez, Scooter Gennett, and Adam Duvall providing as much protection as they can. Tucker Barnhart can swing it a little as well, and if Devin Mesoraco can bounce back, that's another valuable player behind the plate. Scott Schebler will look to repeat his 30 homer performance from last season, while prospects Jesse Winker and Phillip Ervin will look to make their mark on the big club. Meanwhile, Billy Hamilton and Jose Peraza don't provide much value at the plate, but Peraza has a good glove and Hamilton is one of the best defenders in the game. The rotation is led by ace Luis Castillo, but behind him, there's not much going on in terms of established talent. Homer Bailey hasn't been effective in years, Anthony DeSclafani and Brandon Finnegan combined to pitch in four games last season, and Sal Romano and Tyler Mahle are unproven. That said, DeSclafani was very good in 2016, and I'd consider Romano a breakout candidate for 2018. Mahle even threw a perfect game in the minors last season. The bullpen does have some veteran names, with Raisel Iglesias leading David Hernandez and Jared Hughes, but Amir Garrett and Kevin Shackelford could also push their way through. Overall, it's a young team that's not ready to contend, but there are some interesting guys to watch.