NL Central

When the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Charlie Morton from the Atlanta Braves as part of the controversial Nate McLouth trade in 2009, it was a very unpopular trade to say the least.

Not only did the Pirates trade away a fan favorite and arguably their best player, they received more minor league prospects in return—that concept has been occurring way too often in Pittsburgh.  

Maybe just maybe, that trade wasn't so lopsided after all.

9 Innings Blog will be bringing you previews of every Major League Baseball team for the next 30 days. This is in accordance with our 30 teams in 30 days series. Today, we will be bringing you the 2011 preview of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers are looking to catch a wave that will ride them back into the playoffs.

The Cubs have allowed double digit runs in 25 percent of their games so far this season (1-5 in those games), are 9-15 overall, currently on a four game skid and have already had a in-team brawl. Is there a silver lining? Of course!

Our 2011 fantasy baseball projections will be released one-by-one until the top 100 players have been revealed. These rankings consider past achievements, current performance and expected future results based on standard 5×5 H2H settings.

According to ESPNDeportes.com, the Cubs are interested in recently released and former Mets second baseman Luis Castillo. But while the potential acquisition of Castillo may not solve all of the Cubs woes, it may be worth a flier. 

On the surface, it's easy to see why the Cubs would show interest in Castillo. He will come cheaply, with the Mets paying the majority of his remaining contract. Any team that signs him would be required to pay just the league minimum.

For the second year in a row, Travis Wood enters a three-man race for the last two spots in the Cincinnati Reds starting rotation. Wood is coming off an impressive rookie campaign and is preparing to take another step in becoming a solid pitcher.

Wood, the 24-year-old pitcher, seems to play with more experience than his age. His Major League debut was at Chicago in Wrigley Field where he threw seven innings of two-run baseball.

On Friday, the New York Mets released second baseman Luis Castillo with a year remaining on the four-year, $25 million deal he signed after the 2007 season.

To be fair, the marriage between Castillo and New York was doomed from the get-go. Mets fans never really took to Castillo, booing him on Opening Day despite a strong 2009 season, and poor performance egged on by injury killed his career as a Met.

Thank God. Those were two words that I uttered when I first heard that Ken Macha would not be back with the Brewers for a third season.

That euphoria lasted all of five minutes because then I was to find out who was going to replace him.

It took a little while to find out who the candidates even were. Two prominent mentions were Bob Brenly (gag!) and Bobby Valentine. I did not want either of them anywhere near the Brewers. Then there was talk of Joey Cora, who wouldn't have been all bad.

Cincinnati Reds (2010 record: 91-71)

The Cincinnati Reds won the National League Central last year and, in the process, made the postseason for the first time since 1995, when they swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS but were in turn swept by the Atlanta Braves in the Championship Series.

Milwaukee Brewers (2010 record: 77-85)

The Milwaukee Brewers front office entered the offseason with one primary task: improve the pitching staff. The club finished last season with the third-worst ERA in the National League—the primary reason the club finished with a sub-.500 record.