Letters to Santa from the loaded NL Central

Ahh, the Christmas season. ‘Tis the season to ask your loved ones for free baseball gear from your favorite team. Thanks to some thoughtful general managers, the NL Central already has plenty of new jerseys on the shelves.

Between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds, there has been more movement than some entire divisions. To be frank, outside of Jerry Dipoto and the Seattle Mariners, the NL Central is carrying the load for off-season excitement.

That makes this list a little more difficult to craft. Team by team, things are getting checked off to do lists. It also does not help that several teams in the division are already very competitive. That means they really do not need a whole lot.

Lucky for us, there is always more to be done for teams trying to make it to the postseason.

With the Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago Cubs heading into 2019 as postseason favorites, it looked as if the NL Central would be a very exciting division to watch—then more stuff happened.

The Cardinals have solidified themselves in the talks to top the division, and the Reds are making a weird looking run at NL Central title. For all intensive purposes, this could be a four team race. And the Pirates also play in the division. At the moment that is not as exciting, but there is more Winter left.

As fans bring hopeful spirits to Opening Day, they want to believe that anything is possible. This is their team’s year. The good news is that wishes can come true, just ask Cardinals fans. Mike Matheny was fired.

One thing is for certain, 2019 is shaping out to be a very exciting year in the division. So, as GMs and players are writing their letters to Santa, what could they be asking for? I have a few ideas.

So far, the Pittsburgh Pirates are being very quiet. With the rest of the NL Central taking an aggressive stance, this likely sends them to the bottom of the divisional race. At least in theory.

Last year, the Pirates were tough to measure. They traded Gerrit Cole and Andrew McCutchen for prospects, only to deal for Chris Archer. A baseball mind greater than mine may see there direction, but for me it still seems little fuzzy.

If I were a Pirates fan, there is little doubt as to what my letter to Santa would be. At the top of the list is one thing: Chris Archer.

Fans simply need Archer to find whatever it was that made him so good when he debuted. For three years he was posting ERA’s in the low threes and making everyone want him.

Then, in 2016, his ERA swelled up above four. The struggles continued into next season too. Frankly, the Rays got quite the haul for what Archer was pitching like. But, with three more years of control a change of scenery might have helped.

So, the Pirates sent Austin Meadows, Tyler Glasgow, and Shane Baz (PTBNL) to Tampa for Archer. The new team did not help a whole lot.

Simply put, fans need to be asking Santa for the magic Archer had in his early years. One thing is for sure, their new pitcher is a giant competitor and very talented.

There is one more item to add to the list, and that is for the front office to do something. Anything. With the NL Central shaping up the way it is, standing still is moving backwards. By remaining silent, the Pirates are now the new favorites for last place in the division. Fans of the team better hope they know something we don’t.

Activity thy name is Cincinnati Reds. They have already made several moves to improve their standing in the NL Central. If nothing else, they have provided excitement in the off-season.

The most exciting part of it all for the Reds fans is getting rid of Homer Bailey and is monster contract. Though, they did add quite a bit of money in the process.

Ignoring the money issue, they already got excitement in the for of Yasiel Puig. While their pitching is still a little suspect, their lineup looks to be in excellent shape.

This is a wish list for Santa that might not resonate with the fans, but there are two big things to ask for in my mind. The first is a healthy Nick Senzel.

Talk about excitement, Senzel was hitting well in Triple A and was ready to become a Red. Then, the number six prospect in baseball fractured his finger, ending his season.

There is no question that the man can hit. If Senzel can stay healthy, there is no way he does not contribute to that already exciting lineup. The only question is where he will fit.

For me, the second biggest wish is that the new pitching coach is still magical. Derek Johnson did wonders for a Brewers pitching staff that really lacked a ton of big names. That can be very helpful for the Reds.

Under Johnson’s tutelage, I would expect Tanner Roark to have a good year and Luis Castillo to take a huge step forward. Those are only two examples. The truth is that the entire pitching staff can benefit from their new leader.

There is a reason that the Reds scooped Johnson up from Milwaukee, and it is to use his magical powers to make that pitching staff more competitive.

The St. Louis Cardinals have already brought Paul Goldschmidt and Andrew Miller to the NL Central. So, what else could they even want? A lot. There is a lot to want.

For starters, fans are clamoring for Bryce Harper. He is not on my Cardinals list for Santa, however. What should be at the top of every list is a wish for the well being of Dexter Fowler. Even though he has not been the player fans wanted, his recent bout with depression is bigger than the game of baseball. I wish him nothing but the best.

Next up for Cardinal nation is for repeat performances from Miles Mikolas, Harrison Bader, and Jack Flaherty. All three had amazing season, and all three will be key in the upcoming season. Perhaps more importantly, though, will be the performance of the new southpaw.

Also, Marcell Ozuna needs to perform. Especially because it is a contract year and it does not look likely the Cardinals will be bringing him back.

Miller has been under a lot of scrutiny for his fall from grace last season. To be fair, he battled a lot of injuries in some places that you don’t want to battle injuries. It should be hoped that Miller can be healthy and regain the depth on his slider—just ask Joe Schwarz of The Athletic.

If he can become that reliable reliever he once was, then the struggling 2018 Cardinals bullpen looks a lot better heading into the 2019 season.

All in all, Cardinal Nation has gotten a lot of their wishes. Mike Matheny is gone and the front office is spending money. They will be seriously competitive in the NL Central and that is what they have been clamoring for these last few years without the playoffs.

Oh, and Santa there is one more thing. Bring Kolten Wong the Gold Glove he deserves.

The Chicago Cubs are good. That sentence should not be surprising. They will compete for that NL Central crown for years to come. But that comes at a cost.

It is good that the Cubs don’t need to add a whole lot, because the simply cannot.  For the Cubs wish list, I need to start with a disclaimer.

I will not be mentioning anything about Addison Russell. There are many opinions, and I have my own, but ultimately the decision is up to his employers and Santa doesn’t want to deal with it.

With that in mind, topping the list for me is a guy by the name of Yu Darvish. With only eight starts as a Cub, that signing did not start out on the right foot. Especially since his ERA was close to five.

In 2019, Darvish needs to be healthy and he needs to be the arm worth the contract. I was a noted pessimist before he signed, but I am actually on his side now. From what I can tell, he will be coming back stronger.

Another thing on the list is that Daniel Descalso is the All-Star caliber player that Bob Nightengale thinks he is. That would be extremely helpful.

The Cub lineup really does not need that much help, but having a utility man such as Descalso hitting will be very important. Especially considering there was a big to do about finding the five million over two years to pay him.

Overall, there just needs to be a bounce back. Cub fans don’t want to see Kris Bryant miss any time next year, and that would be huge too. They are still a really good team.