NL Central

The Mark Prior comeback trail simply will not stop. In a deal that was first reported by MLB.com's Mark Sheldon, the Cincinnati Reds signed Prior to a minor-league contract on Friday:

Everyone loves a comeback story, and right-handed pitcher Mark Prior hopes he can make his own, having signed a free-agent contract with the Cincinnati Reds.

Last season the Cincinnati Reds starting five made 161 of 162 regular season starts. The only exception being the back end of a doubleheader that saw Todd Redmond take the mound for 3.1 innings. This remarkable stretch of health is far-and-away the exception to the rule in baseball—a task that will most likely not be duplicated by them again.

Carlos Marmol’s 2011 campaign was a disaster. His 2012 season was equally awful.

Why would the Cubs stick with Marmol as their closer?

Although spring training is officially under way, there are still players finding homes with new teams for the 2013 season, including pitcher Jose Contreras, who was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday.

Most teams would not extend their manager’s contract after a 79–83 record and a historic collapse. However, most teams are not the Pittsburgh Pirates.

After two decades of perpetual mediocrity, the Pirates have decided to extend Clint Hurdles’ contract for making them less bad.

Clint Hurdle pretty much has it all going for him. The owner loves him, and the fans seem to have a favorable opinion of him.

2012 Record: 79-83 (fourth in NL Central, missed postseason)

Key Additions

C Russell Martin (FA), SP Francisco Liriano (FA), RP Mark Melancon (BOS), IF/OF Jerry Sands (BOS), IF Brandon Inge (FA), 1B/OF Brad Hawpe (FA), IF Ivan DeJesus (BOS), SP Jeanmar Gomez (CLE), SP Jonathan Sanchez (FA), SP Vin Mazzaro (KC), SP Stolmy Pimentel (BOS), SP Andrew Oliver (DET), 1B Clint Robinson (KC)

Key Losses

Mat Gamel can’t catch a break, and it will cost the Milwaukee Brewers in 2013.

For the second time in the last year, Gamel tore his right ACL. The Brewers first baseman was injured May 1 at San Diego after crashing into a wall in an attempt to catch a foul ball off the bat of Nick Hundley.

They say “hindsight is 20/20.”  But what about foresight?  Does that score somewhere around 20/1200 on the Snellen chart?

The evidence—an article of mine published last September—would suggest to the affirmative.  Granted, some of my predictions are correct, or will turn out to be correct, and deserved of a self-congratulatory pat on the back.

The Cubs are still in the process of retooling their farm system.  The organization has some decent prospects at the higher levels of minor league baseball, but most of their best prospects are plying their trade at the lower levels.