Scouting the NL Central
With the season set to begin, we look at the Pirates’ division competitors and how they stack up.
☛ Chicago Cubs
2020 Record: 34-26 (1st place) • Manager: David Ross. Key additions: RHP Jake Arrieta, RHP Zach Davies, RHP Trevor Williams, OF Jake Marisnick, OF Joc Pederson, INF
Eric Sogard.
Key departures: RHP Yu Darvish, OF Kyle Schwarber, C Victor Caratini, RHP Jeremy Jeffress, LHP Jon Lester.
Outlook: The Cubs opted to ship Darvish to the San Diego Padres in the offseason, along with Caratini, in exchange for Davies and four prospects. Usually, that’s not a sign of a team trying to make another postseason run, but most of their core is still around. It’s a good core, too. Third baseman Kris Bryant is back and healthy after an oblique injury last season, alongside first baseman Anthony Rizzo, shortstop Javier Baez, catcher Willson Contreras and staff ace Kyle Hendricks.
☛ Cincinnati Reds
2020 record: 31-29 (3rd place) • Manager: David Bell.
Key additions: LHP Sean Doolittle, RHP Jeff Hoffman.
Key departures: RHP Trevor Bauer, RHP Raisel Iglesias, SS Freddy Galvis, RHP Archie Bradley.
Outlook: The Reds seemed to be going for it all last year, signing Bauer before 2020 to go along with right-handers Luis Castillo and Sonny Gray. Then it sputtered. Only one position player who appeared in more than 30 games hit above .250 and the team average was a shockingly low .212. They are basically running it back with the same cast of characters this season, minus Galvis, and might have to shift around some infield parts to piece their starting lineup together.
☛ Milwaukee Brewers
2020 record: 29-31 (4th place) • Manager: Craig Counsell.
Key additions: OF Jackie Bradley Jr., INF Kolten Wong, INF Travis Shaw.
Key departures: 1B Justin Smoak, 3B Eric Sogard, INF Ryan Braun, INF Jedd Gyorko, LHP Alex Claudio.
Outlook: Fangraphs projects the Brewers as the most likely team to win the division. It isn’t a terrible bet. Outfielder Christian Yelich, the 2018 NL MVP, struggled last season, hitting barely over .200, albeit with 12 home runs. Outfielder Lorenzo Cain played in just five games before opting out over COVID-19 concerns. Wong and Bradley should be valuable additions to replace Smoak, Sogard and Braun, who all struggled last season. Right-handers Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff are as good of a 1-2 punch in the starting rotation as you’ll find in the division, and left-hander Josh Hader is one of the best closers in baseball.
☛ St. Louis Cardinals
2020 record: 30-28 (2nd place) • Manager: Mike Shildt. Key additions: 3B Nolan Arenado.
Key departures: INF Kolten Wong, OF Dexter Fowler, LHP Austin Gomber.
Outlook: Arenado, a perennial Gold Glove winner and a five-time AllStar, was by far the biggest addition to any NL Central roster this offseason. Last season was his worst offensively, based on adjusted-OPS, but a player of his caliber should be expected to help turn things around. Even so, he might not be enough for the Cardinals. First baseman Paul Goldschmidt is a lineup mainstay, and outfielder Dylan Carlson is a rookie of year candidate, but Harrison Bader will start the season on the injury list. The pitching staff is hobbled, too, with left-hander KwangHyun Kim and right-hander Dakota Hudson, both of whom enjoyed strong 2020 seasons, on the injury list. Right-hander Miles Mikolas will be a boost, but he likely won’t return from his 2020 surgery until May.