NL Central

The St. Louis Cardinals have a reputation for making astute moves, and they furthered it Thursday by re-signing starting pitcher Lance Lynn to a three-year contract.    

According to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, the 27-year-old righty will earn an average of over $7 million per season:

The Pittsburgh Pirates system took a hit last year with Jameson Taillon’s Tommy John surgery, but fellow right-handers Tyler Glasnow and Nick Kingham picked up the slack in his absence, with the former posting video-game numbers in the Florida State League.

The once-stocked Cardinals system isn’t as strong as previous years, though that was to be expected after the team graduated Kolten Wong and Carlos Martinez to the major leagues last season and tragically lost a future star in Oscar Taveras.

The Cincinnati Reds' top prospects can be broken down into two groups: outfielders and pitchers.

As you might have guessed, the Reds don’t have a particularly balanced system due to a lack of infield prospects. However, that shouldn’t detract from the fact that they have several players with bright futures in the major leagues.

Already blessed with a future that looks plenty bright, there's a chance the Pittsburgh Pirates' future will look even brighter before long. It depends on what will become of their newest acquisition.

If you're just now joining us, that's Jung-ho Kang. 

Most around the baseball world think the Chicago Cubs had a very successful offseason. After all, they added coveted ace Jon Lester to the fold and bolstered their bench, bullpen and catcher spot. Suddenly, the playoffs don't seem like a pipe dream for the Cubs in 2015. 

For individual players and units on the team, this offseason affected each differently. Some largely benefit from the moves made this offseason, while others do not. Here are the three biggest winners and losers for the Cubs based on their offseason moves.

The St. Louis Cardinals have found success over the last few seasons with a strong pitching staff. The rotation, while successful, has been a source of injury concern. The team has seemed confident that the starting pitchers are healthy for the 2015 season. Their rumored interest in top-tier starters may suggest otherwise.

The St. Louis Cardinals have been quiet ever since starting their winter off with a bang by acquiring Jason Heyward. A bit too quiet.

After a relatively quiet start to the offseason, general manager Neal Huntington and the Pittsburgh Pirates have added a few key pieces to the team's roster that could help lead them back to the postseason for the third straight year.  

While the signings of starting pitchers Francisco Liriano and A.J. Burnett were much needed insurance for the Pirates' rotation, there are still doubts about the back end of the rotation.    

Ever since the departure of former shortstop Jack Wilson, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been searching for an everyday player who could potentially become their franchise shortstop.  

Wilson had a successful career in Pittsburgh, serving primarily as the Pirates' everyday shortstop from 2001-2009.  In 1,159 career games with the Pirates, Wilson batted .269 with 60 home runs, or roughly 10 home runs per season.