Each Teams Biggest Offseason Needs: NL Central
Chicago Cubs: Big Bat or Catcher
The Cubs had a solid year in 2024, finishing 4 games over .500. The Cubs starting pitching was very good, with great seasons from Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, Javier Assad and Justin Steele all having sub 4.00 ERA’s. Their bullpen was okay too. When Craig Counsell is managing a team, he will always know how to manage a pitching staff. Their issue was their offense. The Cubs were struggling scoring runs at times this year and a big reason for that is the lack of offense from the catching positioning the infield positions. Michael Busch had a fine year, but Dansby Swanson, Miguel Amaya, and Nico Hoerner had rough years, all having an OPS under .710. Trading for a catcher, like Shea Langilers would help their offense a ton.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Bullpen and As Much Offense As Possible
The Pirates are in a weird spot. They have lots of young talent that has shown flashes, but isn’t doing much for them. They have lots of good arms that they will be able to rely on, like Jared Jones, Mitch Keller, and Paul Skenes. Their bullpen was shaky, but not horrible. Most of their most used relievers had ERA’s in the 3.00’s, outside of David Bednar who had a very bad year. I think they need to buff their bullpen a little bit to save games from the young starters. Their offense was very bad. They did not have a starter have an OPS over .800, the closest being Bryan Reynolds at a .791. I think their core offense will be solid if they bring back Andrew McCutchen, who was solid hitting between Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds, but the supporting cast needs help. Playing Rowdy Tellez and Micheal A. Taylor everyday will not cut it. They need to find cheap offensive weapons to help that lineup. Maybe Whit Merrifield, Paul Dejong, or Tommy Pham could help the issue.
Cincinatti Reds: Spend On Offense and Pitching Depth
The Cincinnati Reds are a team that has a couple of stars, and then just everybody else. At the top of the pitching staff, you have Hunter Greene and Andrew Abbott leading that rotation, and Elly De La Cruz leading the offense, but beyond that is really nothing. Their offense struggled a lot in 2024, having a team OPS below .700. The Reds do not have any big contracts tied up in anyone so they have the ability to go out and make a big signing or two. I would like to see Cincinnati go after Christian Walker, Anthony Santander, or Teoscar Hernandez. Adding a couple of those pieces would add power and consistency to that offense.
St. Louis Cardinals: Trade Players and Start A Rebuild
Unfortunately, the Cardinals are in a bad spot. They have money tied up in a lot of guys that aren’t performing very well, and have guys that are on expiring contracts. I believe that the Cardinals will trade a lot of big pieces this off-season and start a rebuild. I can see them trading Nolan Arenado away, I can see them trading Ryan Helsley away, and I can even see them trading Wilson Contreras away. This would clear lots of money, and get prospects back while doing it. I believe that they need to do a quick rebuild to add pieces around their young talent like Masyn Winn, Brendan Donovan and Lars Nootbar.
Milwaukee Brewers: Add a Starting Pitcher
The Brewers had an incredible 2024 season, winning the NL Central by an easy margin. They're offense came to life for the first time in many years. Jackson Chourio, William Contreras and Willy Adames led the way for the Brewers. With Willy Adames possibly on the way out, the young talent will have to step up in his absence. I believe that the Brewers offense will be perfectly fine. Adding a starting pitcher would make this team very dangerous. Freddy Peralta will be back as the Ace, and former All-Star Brandon Woodruff will be back from shoulder surgery. The Brewers did not pick up Colin Rea’s option, so someone will need to be a quality innings-eater behind Peralta and Woodruff. Walker Buehler would be the perfect fit for Milwaukee. A rotation of Peralta, Buehler, Woodruff, and Tobias Myers would be a scary sight.
Tomorrow we will cover the last division, the NL West!
