Does the best division in baseball get better?

Flying Under the Radar

I will do a "flying under the radar" topic for every division in baseball. Today, I am going to discuss some under the radar moves made in the National League Central Division.

St. Louis Cardinals

I only had one player in mind, but after yesterday I now have two players to talk about. First, relief pitcher Jordan Walden who was acquired through trade with the Atlanta Braves. With the recent departure of Pat Neshek, the Cardinals needed to make a move to strengthen their bullpen. I believe Walden is the perfect fit for the Cardinals. He will not be a work horse like Pat Neshek was for the Cardinals last season, but he brings other qualities. Walden is younger, throws harder, and is more intimidating on the mound. He is the only pitcher legally aloud to jump off the mound towards home plate when he throws. Why? Because it is his natural throwing motion. He uses so much torch while he throws that he jumps towards you off the mound. He does walk people, but never had an ERA above 3.50. I believe he will be strong and rested for the playoffs, unlike Pat Neshek who fell off in the playoffs due to over use in the regular season.

Mark Reynolds is just what the doctor ordered for the Cardinals. People might say Reynolds doesn't hit for average and strikes out a lot. That is not a problem for the Cardinals who were ranked 9th best in on base percentage last year and 14th in average. That means they have plenty of guys that can get on base. The problem is the Cardinals finished 23rd in slugging, 29th in home runs, and 25th in runs batted in. The power that he can bring off the bench is something the cardinals seriously need. Mark Reynolds had more home runs than Jhonny Peralta (the Cardinals leader with 21 HR) in almost 200 less at bats. He is a great option off the bench late in a game. Reynolds will be a good option for Mike Matheny to give Adams or Carpenter a day off against a left handed pitcher.

Pittsburgh Pirates

I believe Antonio Bastardo was a great pick up for the Pirates. They lost Jason Grilli at the end of last season and needed to find a replacement. Bastardo is a quality left option to bring out of the bullpen. He has been sketchy at times pushing a 4.00 ERA, but he has also finished with a low 2.00 ERA. It is not easy pitching in one of the toughest division in baseball, which is why he finished with a 3.94 ERA last year. He also finished with a career high in innings pitched with 64, and he tied his career best in strike outs with 81. He won't have as big of a work load this year, and should see a drop in the ERA this season. 

Milwaukee Brewers

Adam Lind is the man replacing Mark Reynolds in Milwaukee. He is quite an upgrade if you ask me, Lind's average, on base percentage, and on base+ slugging (OPS) has gone up in the last four seasons. He has played both roles of started and option off the bench successfully in his career. In 2009, the year Joe Mauer won MVP, Lind finished 15th in the MVP voting with 35 home runs, 114 RBI's, and a .305 batting average. Last year, not a full time starter, he hit a career best .321 average and .381 on base percentage. Adam Lind will make an already dangerous lineup a little more threatening next season.

Chicago Cubs

Busy busy busy this off season are the Chicago Cubs. I might surprise you with my choice, but I think Miguel Montero will play a huge roll in that locker room this year. A veteran presence that is essential with the development of a young team. The most important aspects of a catchers game are defense, and the ability to control your pitchers. Montero has proven he can do this over his career in the major leagues. It's a huge X-Factor when a pitcher can have faith in their catcher to block a pitch at any given time. This is something Montero has been very successful at doing, and has always had a great fielding percentage at the end of every season. It is also a bonus that he can hit 15 home runs, 70 RBI's, and have a high on base percentage. The Cubs are going to have to get him some more pitching to work with by the end of the off season.

Cincinnati Reds

This one was a lot harder than the others because the Reds are in "sell " mode right now. I do like the one prospect that they received from the Miami Marlins, Anthony De Sclafani. He is not a real big guy standing out there on the mound, but he has a few qualities that could get him out of the minors. He has an above average fast ball with a good strikeout slider. Two pitches will never get you a permanent spot in a starting rotation in this day. He does have a change that could use some work, he needs to decrease his velocity on to differentiate from his fast ball. Once he cleans up that change up he could find himself a spot in the starting rotation for years to come.