Offseason grades: Everything you need to know about the NL Central
Welcome to theScore's MLB offseason grades, in which we look at where each team stands heading into the 2022 season. Payroll is calculated by AAV for competitive balance tax purposes. Record projections courtesy FanGraphs.
AL EAST I NL EAST I AL CENTRAL I AL WEST I NL WEST
Chicago Cubs
Projected 2022 record: 75-87
Projected 40-man payroll: $168M
Key departures: Robinson Chirinos (BAL), Zach Davies (ARI), Matt Duffy (LAA), Adam Morgan (HOU), Austin Romine (LAA)
Key additions: Steven Brault, Jesse Chavez, Clint Frazier, Mychal Givens, Yan Gomes, Chris Martin, Wade Miley, Daniel Norris, David Robertson, Andrelton Simmons, Drew Smyly, Marcus Stroman, Seiya Suzuki, Jonathan Villar
Injuries: Adbert Alzolay, David Bote, Codi Heuer, Simmons, Miley
Grade: B
Projected Lineup
| Order | Player | Pos | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rafael Ortega (L) | DH | 31 |
| 2 | Nick Madrigal | 2B | 25 |
| 3 | Willson Contreras | C | 30 |
| 4 | Ian Happ (S) | LF | 27 |
| 5 | Frank Schwindel | 1B | 30 |
| 6 | Seiya Suzuki | RF | 27 |
| 7 | Jason Heyward | CF | 32 |
| 8 | Patrick Wisdom | 3B | 30 |
| 9 | Nico Hoerner | SS | 25 |
The Cubs major overhaul continued this winter, adding five new position players led by the Japanese star Suzuki. He joins Contreras and Happ as the fellow key fixtures. Frazier could also turn out to be an important cog if he can finally stay healthy. The Cubs' lineup isn't elite, but you can't sleep on it too much.
Projected Rotation
| ROLE | PITCHER | THROWS | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Hendricks | R | 32 |
| 2 | Justin Steele | L | 26 |
| 3 | Marcus Stroman | R | 31 |
| 4 | Drew Smyly | L | 33 |
| 5 | Alec Mills | R | 30 |
Adding Stroman, a quiet workhorse and ground-ball specialist, was a boon for the Cubs; he'll be a great fit at Wrigley Field. The Cubs should focus on adding at least one more depth arm with Miley battling an elbow issue and in case Alzolay and Mills struggle. The bullpen has been completely reworked after bringing in five new relievers.
Cincinnati Reds
Projected 2022 record: 75-87
Projected 40-man payroll: $123M
Key departures: Nick Castellanos (PHI), Asdrubal Cabrera (FA), Mychal Givens (CHC), Sonny Gray (MIN), Michael Lorenzen (LAA), Wade Miley (CHC), Eugenio Suarez (SEA), Jesse Winker (SEA)
Key additions: Brandon Drury, Justin Dunn, Jake Fraley, Aramis Garcia, Mike Minor, Colin Moran, Tommy Pham, Donovan Solano, Hunter Strickland
Injuries: Tejay Antone, Luis Castillo, Dunn, Minor, Lucas Sims, Solano
Grade: D
Projected Lineup
| Order | Player | Pos | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonathan India | 2B | 25 |
| 2 | Tyler Naquin (L) | RF | 31 |
| 3 | Joey Votto (L) | 1B | 38 |
| 4 | Tyler Stephenson | C | 25 |
| 5 | Mike Moustakas (L) | 3B | 33 |
| 6 | Tommy Pham | LF | 34 |
| 7 | Colin Moran (L) | DH | 29 |
| 8 | Kyle Farmer | SS | 31 |
| 9 | Nick Senzel | CF | 26 |
A disastrous offseason saw Cincinnati offload a number of key contributors. Pham, Solano, and Moran are decent additions, but the Reds' immediate future appears bleak. With all of the upheaval, the spotlight will shift to Votto's future with the franchise. India will look to put his stamp as the next face of the team on the heels of an electric Rookie of the Year campaign. Senzel is an interesting name to keep an eye on as a potential post-hype sleeper after battling injuries and inconsistency in his first few seasons.
Projected Rotation
| ROLE | PITCHER | THROWS | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyler Mahle | R | 27 |
| 2 | Reiver Sanmartin | R | 26 |
| 3 | Vladimir Gutierrez | R | 26 |
| 4 | Hunter Greene | R | 23 |
The departure of Gray, and Castillo's injury, leaves the Reds extremely thin in the rotation. Mahle is one of the most underrated arms in baseball and looks to build on a career-best campaign. Greene will start and the flame-throwing righty is one of the bright lights to keep an eye on in the Queen City. Veterans Strickland and Justin Wilson are the most proven commodities in the bullpen, but expect quite a bit of mop-up duty for Reds' relievers.
Milwaukee Brewers
Projected 2022 record: 90-72
Projected 40-man payroll: $147M
Key departures: Brett Anderson (FA), Jackie Bradley Jr. (BOS), Avisail Garcia (MIA), Eduardo Escobar (NYM), Daniel Norris (CHC), Manny Pina (ATL), Hunter Strickland (CIN), Dan Vogelbach (PIT)
Key additions: Mike Brosseau, Victor Caratini, Trevor Gott, Andrew McCutchen, Hunter Renfroe, Pedro Severino
Injuries: Luis Urias
Grade: B-
Projected Lineup
| Order | Player | Pos | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kolten Wong (L) | 2B | 31 |
| 2 | Lorenzo Cain | CF | 36 |
| 3 | Christian Yelich (L) | LF | 30 |
| 4 | Andrew McCutchen | DH | 35 |
| 5 | Willy Adames | SS | 26 |
| 6 | Rowdy Tellez (L) | 1B | 27 |
| 7 | Hunter Renfroe | RF | 30 |
| 8 | Omar Narvaez (L) | C | 30 |
| 9 | Jace Peterson (L) | 3B | 32 |
Improving an offense that ranked 20th in OPS (.713) in 2021 was the big priority for the Brewers this offseason. The additions of Renfroe and McCutchen help accomplish that, but a Yelich bounce-back campaign would go a long way to easing any lingering worries about the lineup.
Projected Rotation
| ROLE | PITCHER | THROWS | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corbin Burnes | R | 27 |
| 2 | Brandon Woodruff | R | 29 |
| 3 | Freddy Peralta | R | 26 |
| 4 | Adrian Houser | R | 29 |
| 5 | Eric Lauer | L | 27 |
If the Brewers are going to win, they'll do it on the backs of their brilliant pitching staff. Burnes, the reigning NL Cy Young winner, fronts a talented group that can strike fear into the hearts of any lineup - and that's before you get to Josh Hader and Devin Williams in the bullpen. This unit will be just fine.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Projected 2022 record: 69-93
Projected 40-man payroll: $57M
Key departures: Steven Brault (CHC), Trevor Cahill (FA), Erik Gonzalez (MIA), Chad Kuhl (COL), Colin Moran (CIN), Jacob Stallings (MIA)
Key additions: Greg Allen, Heath Hembree, Andrew Knapp, Roberto Perez, Jose Quintana, Zach Thompson, Josh VanMeter, Dan Vogelbach
Injuries: None
Grade: D-
Projected Lineup
| Order | Player | Pos | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dan Vogelbach (L) | DH | 29 |
| 2 | Bryan Reynolds (S) | CF | 27 |
| 3 | Ke'Bryan Hayes | 3B | 25 |
| 4 | Yoshi Tsutsugo (L) | 1B | 30 |
| 5 | Ben Gamel (L) | RF | 30 |
| 6 | Roberto Perez | C | 33 |
| 7 | Greg Allen (S) | LF | 29 |
| 8 | Diego Castillo | 2B | 24 |
| 9 | Kevin Newman | SS | 28 |
The Pirates deserve a harsh grade for their decision to send top prospect Oneil Cruz down to the minors to begin the season. It seems to be only a matter of time before Reynolds, the Pirates' lone All-Star is wearing another uniform. Pittsburgh looks to be years away from contention. At least they will get to see Vogelbach hit bombs into the Allegheny River.
Projected Rotation
| ROLE | PITCHER | THROWS | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JT Brubaker | R | 28 |
| 2 | Mitch Keller | R | 26 |
| 3 | Bryce Wilson | R | 24 |
| 4 | Zach Thompson | R | 28 |
| 5 | Jose Quintana | L | 33 |
The only sure things here are Thompson, acquired in the Stallings trade, and closer David Bednar. Everything else consists of question marks and the kind of patchwork pitching you'd expect from a rebuilding club. Quintana is atop the rotation only in the hopes that he'll yield some value at the trade deadline. While there are some solid arms in the system who should arrive soon, the Pirates still have plenty of work to do to make this pitching staff lethal.
St. Louis Cardinals
Projected 2022 record: 82-80
Projected 40-man payroll: $171M
Key departures: Matt Carpenter (TEX), Luis Garcia (SD), J.A. Happ (FA), Kwang Hyun Kim (Korea), Wade LeBlanc (Retired), Jon Lester (Retired), Carlos Martinez (SF), Andrew Miller (Retired)
Key additions: Aaron Brooks, Corey Dickerson, Steven Matz, Albert Pujols, Drew VerHagen, Nick Wittgren
Injuries: Jack Flaherty, Alex Reyes
Grade: C-
Projected Lineup
| Order | Player | Pos | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dylan Carlson (S) | RF | 23 |
| 2 | Paul Goldschmidt | 1B | 34 |
| 3 | Tyler O'Neill | LF | 27 |
| 4 | Nolan Arenado | 3B | 31 |
| 5 | Albert Pujols | DH | 42 |
| 6 | Paul DeJong | SS | 28 |
| 7 | Yadier Molina | C | 40 |
| 8 | Harrison Bader | CF | 28 |
| 9 | Tommy Edman (S) | 2B | 27 |
Dickerson is a nice addition to provide more balance to a predominantly right-handed lineup. The switch-hitting Carlson turned heads this spring and could develop into an explosive hitter alongside Goldschmidt, O'Neill, and Arenado. DeJong struggled the past two campaigns but could be primed for a strong rebound on the heels of an electric spring performance. The 28-year-old recapturing the form that saw him hit 30 home runs in 2019 would be a welcome development for the Cards. And, of course, Pujols' shocking return to St. Louis. The hope is that he can reach 700 homers in a Cardinals uniform, but that might be too big of an ask in his final season before retirement.
Projected Rotation
| ROLE | PITCHER | THROWS | AGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adam Wainwright | R | 40 |
| 2 | Miles Mikolas | R | 33 |
| 3 | Steven Matz | L | 31 |
| 4 | Dakota Hudson | R | 27 |
| 5 | Drew VerHagen | R | 31 |
Flaherty already dealing with a shoulder injury is worrisome. If Matz continues to pitch as he did in Toronto, he'll provide a much-needed boost in Flaherty's absence. Wainwright, the second-oldest starter in the majors, continues to defy age and is coming off a seventh-place finish in NL Cy Young voting. The bullpen could emerge as an impressive unit with quality arms like Giovanny Gallegos, Genesis Cabrera, and Jordan Hicks among others.