2021 Season Previews: NL Central
Mar 27, 2018 15:49:29 GMT -8
CardsGM_Sean, johnw- ATL, and 1 more like this
Post by aaron_commissioner on Mar 27, 2018 15:49:29 GMT -8
The title for Biggest Offseason Injury goes to the Chicago Cubs, who lost Raul Mondesi for the entire 2021 season. With a hole at shortstop, this injury may have huge ramifications. However, the Cubs still have a ton of talent. They received a windfall for Kris Bryant last year, and although most of the players received underperformed in 2020, there is still a lot of talent to make a deep run in the playoffs this year. Their window, however, may soon begin to close.
The team that can really make it interesting for the Cubs this year is the St. Louis Cardinals. St. Louis has been on the cusp of the postseason every year, and they have continued to recycle talent and value via trade, the draft, and free agency. It is difficult to say if their window is opening, but they are certainly not going anywhere anytime soon. Signing Sheem this offseason would have been huge for the club, but the restraint and discipline to refuse $30MM+ annually is commendable.
The Milwaukee Brewers are capable of making the NL Central a three-team race, but I think they are still a year or two away from serious contention. The Brew Crew had a very impressive showing in 2020, and have continued to rack up specs and young talent, even with their trade of their top player, Orlando Arcia. Small signings such as Jonathan Lucroy and Eric O’Flaherty may keep this team relevant short-term, but long-term, they may be a voice to be reckoned with.
The Cincinnati Reds also have an abundance of young talent on their roster, which they continue to acquire. As good as Alex Lange and Jesus Tinoco are, the return they got from Minnesota was very impressive. A lot of the talent in the Reds’ organization is still at least a year away from making an impact, but they have the capabilities of making the NL Central very competitive. The trade with the Twins will define their offseason and perhaps their future.
In 2020, the Pittsburgh Pirates got incredibly unlucky to start the season, sold most of their assets, and have gone into a full rebuild. Like other teams in the division, they have some very talented youngsters in the organization. The Bucs were very active this offseason, acquiring Rick Porcello, and filling holes in CF, 1B, and their bullpen. With the major league talent they have acquired, they could put something together in 2021, but more likely will have to wait for their rebuild to materialize.
Questions for everyone:
- The Cubs have had control of the division the last two years, but are showing signs of fading and there is a lot of young talent in this division. How soon do you see yourself winning the division title, and why?
- Where do you see the biggest hole in your organization and how do you intend to fill it?
- Introduce us to a player that we may not know about yet but may have a bigger impact in 2021.
The team that can really make it interesting for the Cubs this year is the St. Louis Cardinals. St. Louis has been on the cusp of the postseason every year, and they have continued to recycle talent and value via trade, the draft, and free agency. It is difficult to say if their window is opening, but they are certainly not going anywhere anytime soon. Signing Sheem this offseason would have been huge for the club, but the restraint and discipline to refuse $30MM+ annually is commendable.
The Milwaukee Brewers are capable of making the NL Central a three-team race, but I think they are still a year or two away from serious contention. The Brew Crew had a very impressive showing in 2020, and have continued to rack up specs and young talent, even with their trade of their top player, Orlando Arcia. Small signings such as Jonathan Lucroy and Eric O’Flaherty may keep this team relevant short-term, but long-term, they may be a voice to be reckoned with.
The Cincinnati Reds also have an abundance of young talent on their roster, which they continue to acquire. As good as Alex Lange and Jesus Tinoco are, the return they got from Minnesota was very impressive. A lot of the talent in the Reds’ organization is still at least a year away from making an impact, but they have the capabilities of making the NL Central very competitive. The trade with the Twins will define their offseason and perhaps their future.
In 2020, the Pittsburgh Pirates got incredibly unlucky to start the season, sold most of their assets, and have gone into a full rebuild. Like other teams in the division, they have some very talented youngsters in the organization. The Bucs were very active this offseason, acquiring Rick Porcello, and filling holes in CF, 1B, and their bullpen. With the major league talent they have acquired, they could put something together in 2021, but more likely will have to wait for their rebuild to materialize.
Questions for everyone:
- The Cubs have had control of the division the last two years, but are showing signs of fading and there is a lot of young talent in this division. How soon do you see yourself winning the division title, and why?
- Where do you see the biggest hole in your organization and how do you intend to fill it?
- Introduce us to a player that we may not know about yet but may have a bigger impact in 2021.
