NL CENTRAL ANYBODY’S BALLGAME
After Brewers beat out Cubs for division last season, Cardinals, Reds and Pirates look to be improved, too
‘‘YOU SEE HOW MUCH BETTER THE CARDINALS GOT AND WHAT THE BREWERS WERE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH LAST YEAR. WHOEVER WINS THE NL CENTRAL, IT’S GOING TO HAVE TO BE EARNED, AS IT SHOULD BE.’’
THEO EPSTEIN, Cubs president
LAS VEGAS — If the Cubs thought the Brewers were tough last season, wait until they get a load of the retooling Cardinals next season.
Or the Reds, provided they can acquire some decent pitching this winter. And the Pirates have enough on their roster even before adding another bat or two in the next month or so to stay relevant.
Hey, where did all the tankers go? As the Cubs look for ways to add bullpen depth and a veteran bat this winter, the realization is starting to sink in that the dynamic young team that seemed to promise a dynasty with the 2016 World Series title is just another big dog in a much tougher fight for the National League Central.
‘‘You see how much better the Cardinals got and what the Brewers were able to accomplish last year,’’ Cubs president Theo Epstein said just ahead of the winter meetings this week in Las Vegas. ‘‘Whoever wins the NL Central, it’s going to have to be earned, as it should be.’’
The Cardinals still are looking to add after trading for Cubs- and Brewerskiller Paul Goldschmidt on Wednesday. The Reds have been linked to right-hander Sonny Gray and other available starting pitchers.
Just like that, the NL Central is the only division in the majors without a team tanking as it heads into 2019.
Just in time for the Cubs to run up against the ceiling of a bloated payroll budget, a year after spending $185 million on three free agents who provided little or no contribution last season.
‘‘That is one of the challenges of free agency,’’ general manager Jed Hoyer said of the lost seasons of right-handers Yu Darvish (poor performance and injury) and Tyler Chatwood (lack of command) and the lost second half of closer Brandon Morrow (injury). ‘‘You don’t know how guys are going to react to a new environment, especially in a big market in an environment that’s expecting to win.’’
Those swings and misses in particular have left the Cubs looking for tweaks and depth more than splash and free-agent flash this offseason.
‘‘The biggest improvements are going to be made from within this team,’’ Hoyer said.
Meanwhile, a Cubs team embittered by a season that ended with a one-game face-plant in the NL wild-card game wouldn’t be crazy to think the rest of the division senses more vulnerability than at any time since their 2015 breakthrough season.
‘‘I mean, we did win 95 games last year, so I don’t think they look at us as vulnerable,’’ Hoyer said as the meetings opened Monday. ‘‘I think this is the natural timing of these different teams.
‘‘It’s going to be a great division, there’s no question. The Cardinals obviously made a big move already [by] getting Goldschmidt. The Pirates made some big moves last year at the deadline [including a trade for righthander Chris Archer]. And they were not a lot of fun to play with their pitching staff down the stretch. The Reds are going to be aggressive, there’s no question.
‘‘It’s going to be a really good division, and you’re right that it may be the only division that doesn’t have a team, um, regrouping.’’
The Cubs have made it clear they don’t expect to add an every-day player, much less a big-ticket free agent.
Whether they can get enough bench and bullpen help this winter and enough renewed health into next season, lameduck manager Joe Maddon and his overhauled coaching staff figure to have their toughest path to October in years.
‘‘It’s going to be great competition from top to bottom,’’ said new Reds manager David Bell, who spent time on the Cubs’ and Cardinals’ coaching staffs in recent years. ‘‘I’ve spent a lot of time in the division. I think it’s the best division. . . . I think anyone has a chance to win this division; I really do.’’