1st. Cincinnati Reds – Key addition- Mat Latos. Key loss-Edinson Volquez—Trading for Mat Latos this offseason may have been the best move made by any team in the division this offseason. The Reds are absolutely loaded with talent and are primed for a shot at taking home the NL Central this year. With a division weakened by the loses of some of its biggest players, Cincinnati will be the team in the best position to take advantage of this. The Reds take the Central. Predicted Record 92-70
2nd. St. Louis Cardinals – Key addition- Carlos Beltran. Key loss- Albert Pujols—The Cardinals journey towards defending their World Series crown started by losing the two people that they couldn’t have won it without. Albert Pujols packed his bags for ten years, and a quarter of a billion dollars from the L.A Angels. On top of that, manager Tony LaRussa called it a career, leaving the Cardinals in a very tough position to try and repeat. However, St. Louis still has a nice mix of young talent and veteran leadership. Carlos Beltran could add a boost to the lineup, and the return of Adam Wainwright to the pitching staff will help keep the Cardinals alive. Predicted Record 89-73
3rd. Milwaukee Brewers - Key addition- Aramis Ramirez. Key loss-Prince Fielder—The Brewers had an impressive 2011 campaign led by superstars Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. One of them will return in 2012. With Prince Fielder heading for Mo town, Ryan Braun, who recently won his appeal of a 50 game PED suspension, will be left to shoulder a heavy load. The Brewers do however possess a strong pitching rotation led by Zack Grienke and Yovani Gallardo, and a capable offense, even without their former slugger. While the slide in center field may see less action in 2012, the Brew Crew, and their beloved sausages, could be racing until the end of September. Predicted Record 87-75
4th. Pittsburgh Pirates - Key addition- Casey Mcgehee. Key loss- Ryan Ludwick—When will the losing years end in Pittsburgh? Now. 2011 gave hope to Pirates fans, and showed everybody that this is a team with a chance to turn things around. While the addition of Casey Mcgehee should help bolster the lineup, the real key to this team are the young players ready to make their mark. Realistically, the Pirates don’t have a chance at taking the division this year. However, this will finally be the year that Pittsburgh finishes over .500. A third place finish, and a winning record, are in store for the Pirates. Predicted Record- 82-80
5th. Chicago Cubs - Key addition- Ian Stewart. Key loss- Aramis Ramirez—To all the Cubs fans saying this could be the year…It’s not. While the Cubs did show hope from time to time last season, they are just simply not as good as the other teams in this division. Losing Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Pena, and failing to do much of anything in free agency, the Cubs don’t seem poised to improve much on last season’s 71 wins. Starlin Castro is a superstar in the making, be he cannot bring this franchise back to relevancy on his own. Maybe Theo Epstein can help end yet another baseball curse in years to come, but 2012 is too soon to have those expectations. Predicted Record- 73-89
6th. Houston Astros - Key addition- Jed Lowrie. Key loss-Mark Melancon—Houston is another team that, at this point, the best they can do is hope for their future plans to work out. The Astros are preparing to say goodbye to the National league, and don’t expect them to go out with any sort of bang. Unfortunately, the only thing the Astros will be competing for this coming season will be last place in the Majors. Mark Melancon, who was beginning to develop into a reliable closer, was shipped up to Boston in a trade for shortstop Jed Lowrie, who could be one of the more productive Astros in 2012. Sorry Lowrie fans, that’s saying something. Predicted Record 66-96