The National League Central division was one of the weaker divisions in all of baseball in 2022.
For much of the season, it was a two-team race between the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers.
St. Louis ultimately ran away with the division after adding starters Jordan Montgomery and Jose Quintana, while the Brewers traded away Josh Hader.
However, it’s shaping up to be an interesting division in 2023.
The Chicago Cubs have made some key moves to bridge the gap, and the Brewers remain a threat to the Cards.
On MLB Network, insider Jon Morosi broke down each team in the NL Central and determined who the favorites are.
A lot of moving pieces in the NL Central this winter…@jonmorosi breaks down the outlook of all five teams following a busy offseason. #MLBNHotStove pic.twitter.com/8UzxfFP8jt
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 5, 2023
Morosi talked about how it might be a little weird at first to see Willson Contreras, a longtime Cub, now wearing the Birds on the Bat.
St. Louis did lose Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina, but also managed to keep Adam Wainwright around, who will be retiring at the end of the year.
Morosi then discussed the moves the Brewers have made and how William Contreras will impact the club.
He was acquired in the three-team deal that sent Sean Murphy from the Oakland Athletics to the Atlanta Braves.
The Cubs, despite losing Contreras, have made some key moves.
Morosi and his fellow analysts discussed the savvy additions of Trey Mancini, Cody Bellinger, and Dansby Swanson and how the team has closed the gap on St. Louis.
The Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds are likely to be battling it out for the bottom two spots.
But Morosi talked about the growth of Hunter Greene being a key factor for the Reds and the signing of Andrew McCutchen being a key move for the Pirates, who made some incremental improvements this winter.
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