20 questions that will define the NL Central
Previews so far • American League WestIt was only five years ago that the Cardinals won the National League Central with just 90 wins. Heck, it was only 12 years ago that the Cubs won it with 85, and 13 years ago that the Cards won it with 83. Point
Previews so far
• American League West
It was only five years ago that the Cardinals won the National League Central with just 90 wins. Heck, it was only 12 years ago that the Cubs won it with 85, and 13 years ago that the Cards won it with 83. Point is: There have been times in recent baseball history that the NL Central was not exactly the toughest gauntlet in the sport.
But in 2019, it looks like the scariest division in baseball. You have a team that just won the World Series three years ago and whose young talent is peaking right now. You have a team that traded for an ace starter last July and is coming off its first winning season since 2015. You have a last-place team that appears to be all-in for 2019, trading for multiple All-Stars to add to a lineup that was already strong. And you have a proud 11-time World Series champion who has missed the playoffs in three consecutive seasons and responded by trading for perhaps the greatest first baseman in the sport.
And none of that even includes the team that actually won the division last season.
Thus, our weekly series previewing each of baseball's six divisions continues this week with the NL Central. Like last week, our previews will be extended games of 20 Questions, in which we look at four pressing questions for each team heading into the 2019 season, and at the end, we will make some actual predictions on the final standings, predictions that are unassailable and so obviously iron-clad correct that we're a little worried you won't even bother to watch the actual games once you read them.
Chicago Cubs
1. So is this really it?
The Cubs were one of the more disappointing teams in baseball last year, at least down the stretch, when the supposed dynasty split apart at the seams, relinquishing the NL Central to the Brewers in a tiebreaker game and then losing a heartbreaker of an NL Wild Card Game to the Rockies. The Cubs, after their historic breakthrough of 2016, have taken a step back each season, and now their competition in the NL Central is tougher than ever. So how did they respond? They added
2. Is Maddon being set up to be a scapegoat?
Joe Maddon's place in Cubs history, in baseball history, is secure: He was the manager when the Cubs -- the Cubs! -- won the World Series, after all. But all has not been well between this front office and Maddon in a while, made even more apparent by the dismissal of hitting coach Chili Davis and a refusal to extend Maddon's contract beyond this year, his last on the deal. Maddon is one of the three highest-paid managers in the game, but front offices don't like to pay up for managers anymore; the trend is going in the opposite direction. If the Cubs get off to a slow start, look out.
3. How's Yu?
The first year of
Yu Darvish throws 45 pitches from the mound today and looked REALLY good. He says he also feels good and wants to prove to the Cubs fans he was and is worth the investment. #cubs #darvish #wgntvnew pic.twitter.com/CWEUEw7Cuv
— Steve Scheuer (@Scheuer_Thing) February 10, 2019
Whether Darvish is healthy and available or not could be the difference between the Cubs winning this tough division or finishing third or fourth. Even an average season from Darvish would be a vast improvement on last year. But the Cubs are paying for a lot more than average.
4. Is this a pivot season?
The Cubs bottomed out for several years in order to build a perpetual contender, and they were rewarded with four consecutive playoff appearances and, oh yeah, a World Series title. But the clock is starting to tick a lot louder these days. Expensive contracts for
Cincinnati Reds
5. So how all-in is all-in?
The Reds have done what any fan of their team should want their team to do in an offseason. They haven't been complacent or idle. They've been aggressive, adding
6. Is Puig your friend?
Puig, for some justifiable reasons and some less-justifiable reasons, has been one of the flashpoint players in the sport since he arrived in 2013. He is insistent on still being himself in Cincinnati, but Cincinnati sometimes has a history of having less patience for players of Puig's, shall we say, flair. Great American Ball Park seems perfectly constructed to mesh with Puig's game, and in a contract year, he has every incentive to have a massive season. But will he be a fan favorite, or a headache? Or, like so often happened in Los Angeles, both?
7. Who plays center field?
Letting
8. Can that rotation hold up?
The Reds' rotation has been such a nightmare for so long now that their last two Opening Day starters were
Milwaukee Brewers
9. Was last year entirely real?
The Brewers were downright terrifying down the stretch last season, a tear that brought them within one game of the World Series. They have doubled down on that team, essentially bringing back the same roster, with a couple of key additions, to go after it again. But as great as
10. Seriously, can that bullpen hold up?
It was a wonder anyone scored on Milwaukee past the sixth inning last September and October.
11. Do they still need that top-tier starter?
This was the No. 1 criticism of the Brewers for most of last year: Why don't they have an ace? They never did end up going out to get one, and all they did was miss the World Series by one game.
12. Can Grandal be the difference?
Like last season, when they signed
Pittsburgh Pirates
13. Is Polanco OK?
It was
14. Is the rotation what they think it is?
The argument against the Pirates' Deadline trade for
15. Were their last moves enough?
Theoretically, a team like the Pirates should be eager to get in on the market: They were an above-.500 team last year with some young talent maturing and coming off a trade-the-future-for-now Deadline deal. But they waited an awfully long time to make any additions, and the ones they did were just sort of sprucing up around the margins, a
16. Is that really who they're playing at shortstop?
St. Louis Cardinals
17. Is Ozuna healthy?
18. How do they fit everyone into a rotation?
The Cardinals arguably have 10 possible starting pitchers:
19. Can Dexter be Dexter again?
20. Can they end the streak?
You'll forgive Mariners fans for withholding their sympathies, but if the Cardinals miss the playoffs this year, it'll be the first time since 1995 that they've been outside the postseason for four consecutive seasons. They've brought in Goldschmidt and
Predicted standings
1. St. Louis Cardinals: 96-66
- Chicago Cubs: 94-68
- Milwaukee Brewers: 83-79
- Cincinnati Reds: 78-84
- Pittsburgh Pirates: 72-90
Will Leitch is a columnist for MLB.com.