National League Predictions

The NL Wire – A look into some worthy roster additions

Yesterday I took a look at the July 31 trade deadline needs of the buyers in the National League East, so today I will look at the needs of the buyers in the National League Central.

Unlike the East, which had four teams as potential buyers, the Central only has two teams that should be buyers — the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals.

The Milwaukee Brewers are kind of hanging around, but unless they go on a tear in July, they shouldn’t be buyers. The Chicago Cubs are a mess and we all know the plight of the Houston Astros and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Ever since the Washington Nationals settled in the nation's capitol in 2005, the franchise has consistently been the laughing stock of the National League East, and at times even the entire Major Leagues.

After a quick start in 2005 that placed the Nationals first in the NL East at the halfway mark, their downward spiral began, and so did their constant struggles.

The team has never finished higher than fourth in the division and has only won more than 80 games once.

Another day, another walk off win for the Chicago Cubs. Earlier in the week when the Cubs' offense struggled mightily, I would never have guessed that these last three games would have ended the way they have. Overcoming huge deficits and coming up in the clutch, it may look like the Cubs have started to turn the offense around.

Alright everyone, get your payroll jokes and your “Where’s your World Series Championship trophy?” jokes out of your system before you start reading.

Yes, since the Milwaukee Brewers came to be in 1969, they have not won a World Series and have won just a single pennant in that span. And, of course, living north of Chicago, we all know the Cubs are the greatest thing since sliced bread.

After two years of playoff disappointment, the Chicago Cubs are gearing up for another World Series run. The Cubs are the most balanced team in the NL, if not, in all of baseball.

Last year as a team, the Cubs batted .278 and had and on-base-percentage of .354. As a staff, the Cubs had a 3.87 ERA.  All of these stratistics lead to them winning the NL Central for the second season in a row.  Here is a closer look at each of the positions for the Chicago Cubs.

Catcher

Below is a preview of the Philadelphia Phillies' starting rotation, formatted to talk about each individual pitcher in the order in which they are listed on the Phillies' official depth chart. Without further adieu...