The Cardinals have been to the postseason in four of the last five years, including two trips to the World Series. Despite their considerable success, the division remains very competitive. The National League Central was the only group to send three teams to the playoffs in 2013, with the Pirates and Reds joining the fray. The Brewers might have been on the fringe of that race if it had not been for Ryan Braun's suspension.

St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals ran into a Boston buzz saw last October, missing out on their second World Series title in three years. Major League Baseball's model franchise, they made logical, calculated moves to fortify the roster this winter. Saddled with young arms and the fifth-best ERA (3.42) in 2013, they added to their offense.  They had a strong OPS (.733), but lost Carlos Beltran, so they added Jhonny Peralta to help fill that void and Peter Bourjos to add some speed. (only the Tigers had fewer steals).

Key Additions (2013 Stats):

Peter Bourjos: .274/.333/.377 with 3 HRs, 12 RBIs in 196 PAs

Jhonny Peralta: .303/.358/.457 with 11 HRs, 55 RBIs in 448 PAs

Mark Ellis: .270/.323/.351 with 6 HRs, 48 RBIs in 480 PAs

Pittsburgh Pirates

Pleased with a strong, young core, the Pirates will bring largely the same roster to the field. Pedro Alvarez broke out in 2013, hitting .233/.296/.473 with 36 home runs and 100 RBIs, helping Andrew McCutchen pace the offense. Pittsburgh will have to replace A.J. Burnett, who had a 3.30 ERA and 209 strikeouts in 191 innings, but re-signing him at 37 wouldn't have guaranteed the same level of production. They expect a big jump forward from their young pitchers.

Key Additions (2013 Stats):

Edinson Volquez: 5.71 ERA, 1.585 WHIP, 142 Ks in 170.1 IP

Robert Andino: .184/.253/.237 with 0 HRs, 4 RBIs in 85 PAs

Cincinnati Reds

Like the Pirates, the Reds didn't tinker much with a roster that was good enough to make the playoffs. They added some bench pieces and made their biggest move when they signed Homer Bailey to a six-year, $105 million contract extension. The aggressiveness of Joey Votto has been a big topic of discussion, but I'm not sure I'd mess with a guy that puts up a .305/.435/.491 slash line. He hit 24 homers and .291/.477/.455 with runners in scoring position last season.

Key Additions (2013 Stats):

Skip Schumaker: .263/.332/.322 with 2 HRs, 30 RBIs in 356 PAs

Brayan Pena: .297/.315/.397 with 4 HRs, 22 RBIs in 243 PAs

Milwaukee Brewers

Milwaukee had a below-average OPS (.708) with Ryan Braun limited to 61 games. If he's the same hitter without PEDs, his .312/.374/.564 career line is more than enough to lift the offense into the top third of baseball. As for the pitching staff, it ranked 16th with a 3.84 ERA. A better Kyle Lohse and effective Matt Garza would make the staff much stronger. They could contend, even in this division, if the cards fall their way.

Key Additions (2013 Stats):

Mark Reynolds: .220/.306/.393 with 21 HRs, 67 RBIs in 504 PAs

Matt Garza: 3.82 ERA, 1.236 WHIP, 136 Ks in 155.1 IP

Chicago Cubs

Theo Epstein didn't want to mess with Chicago's long-term plan, so he signed a host of mid-level free agents to put together a roster. This season will be more about a possible Jeff Samardzija trade than meaningful baseball once the weather gets warmer. The farm system is very highly regarded, but the front office insists they won't rush anyone to the Majors. Good idea, but a hard sell.

Key Additions (2013 Stats):

Justin Ruggiano: .222/.298/.396 with 18 HRs, 50 RBIs in 472 PAs

Jose Veras: 3.02 ERA, 1.069 WHIP, 60 Ks in 62.2 IP

Jason Hammel: 4.97 ERA, 1.457 WHIP, 96 Ks in 139.1 IP

Emilio Bonifacio: .243/.295/.331 with 3 HRs, 31 RBIs in 461 PAs

How We Think They'll Stack Up:

1. Cardinals: The pitching staff will be very hard to hit.

2. Pirates: Ceiling is the division, but floor could be third or fourth.

3. Brewers: It all hinges on Ryan Braun and Matt Garza.

4. Reds: Will Brandon Phillips finish the season in Cincinnati?

5. Cubs: Check back in a few seasons...

 

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