NL Central preview: Chicago Cubs should rule again
For years, the Chicago Cubs were the big-market sleeping giants of the National League Central.
Now, they're fully awake, and they own the place.
That doesn't appear to be changing anytime soon, and the Cubs should win their third straight NL Central title this year and make their fourth straight postseason appearance.
Just three seasons ago, a young Cubs team was a surprising third in the division behind the Cardinals and Pirates. The Cubs then knocked off both in the playoffs to advance to their first of three straight National League championship series.
Guess what? These Cubs are still young, and they're not going away. Here is how the division shapes up.
Chicago Cubs:
The Cubs struck early and late in the off-season, fortifying their starting rotation at both ends. They signed No. 5 starter Tyler Chatwood in December and waited until the eve of spring training to sign Yu Darvish, who could be a No. 1 in many rotations.
On the Cubs, Darvish fits in nicely behind Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks and ahead of Jose Quintana and Chatwood.
The X-factor of injuries and the fickle nature of bullpens are the two things that could stop or slow down the Cubs. New closer Brandon Morrow has not done that as his main job in the past, but he has seen plenty of high-leverage action, including all seven World Series Games last year.
Third baseman Kris Bryant and first baseman Anthony Rizzo are as good a 1-2 offensive combo as any in the game, and manager Joe Maddon said he believes catcher Willson Contreras is a possible MVP candidate.
Milwaukee Brewers:
Like the Cubs in 2015, the Brewers were the surprise team in baseball last year, finishing 86-76 and missing a wild-card spot by only 1 game.
The Brewers were active in the off-season, acquiring outfielders Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain. But will their inability or unwillingness to sign a starting pitcher such as Jake Arrieta or Alex Cobb hurt them?
One of those guys would have looked mighty nice on a rotation that will be missing Jimmy Nelson, who injured his shoulder running the bases at Wrigley Field late last season.
The Brewers are so deep in the outfield that Ryan Braun will see time at first base. Travis Shaw looks to be the next best thing to Bryant at third base in the Central.
The Brewers do have one title: They captured the Cactus League crown this year.
"Is there any predictive value from it?" manager Craig Counsell asked the Milwaukee media. "I can't find any. You're playing with, like, 50-man rosters. You're not playing to win the games, you're playing to prepare players. That's the best thing I can tell you."
St. Louis Cardinals:
Long the rulers of the roost in the Central, the Cardinals look to be locked in for a long run of looking up at the Cubs.
It seems they, too, might have benefited from signing a front-line starting pitcher. They did trade for two-time all-star outfielder Marcell Ozuna, who put up a line of .312/.376/.548 with 37 homers and 124 RBI with the Marlins last season.
Shortstop Paul DeJong, a graduate of Antioch High School, was second in Rookie of the Year balloting last year, and he signed a six-year, $26 million contract extension earlier this season.
The Cardinals played well at the end of spring training, but pitchers Adam Wainwright and Luke Gregerson will open the season on the disabled list.
Pittsburgh Pirates:
It was the Cubs who slammed the window of opportunity on the Pirates' fingers by winning the 2015 wild-card game at Pittsburgh.
The Pirates haven't been the same since, but they're trying to open a new window.
"It (stinks) - that (old) window is gone," pitcher Jameson Taillon told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Those were pretty cool times. But our job now is to create another window.
"Obviously, they have faith in what we have here now, otherwise they wouldn't have made the moves they made. It's our job to go out and prove them right."
Andrew McCutchen, the longtime face of the franchise, was traded to the San Francisco Giants in January. The Bucs did obtain left fielder Corey Dickerson from Tampa Bay to play left field.
The fan base in Pittsburgh is restless, having seen too much rebuilding and not enough postseason success over the past two decades. Patience again is the watchword in Pittsburgh.
Cincinnati Reds:
Reds manager Bryan Price gave a pretty good indication what kind of year it's going to be in Cincinnati when he said: "We're going to have a very young rotation."
That tells you pretty much all you need to know as the Reds try to rebuild.
Pitcher Anthony DeSclafani (strained oblique) will open the season on the DL, and it's possible Brandon Finnegan (forearm spasms) will as well.
The opening-day start goes to 11-year veteran Homer Bailey, who will get that honor for the first time.
First baseman Joey Votto will be one of the few attractions on the Reds, and he's one of the best attractions anywhere.
Now 34, Votto played in all 162 games last year and compiled a line of .320/.454/.578 with 36 homers and 100 RBI. He led the league in OPS-plus last year at 168 and did so in 2016 at 160.
Votto is inching closer to Hall of Fame status.
• Twitter: @BruceMiles2112