Cincinnati Reds
Let’s be real: this team isn’t going anywhere under their current ownership regime.
The Castellinis tore down their team when they should’ve been building. They had star players in Jesse Winker, Nick Castellanos, Joey Votto, and Luis Castillo and good complementary pieces in Eugenio Suarez, Amir Garrett, Mike Moustakas, and Tyler Naquin.
They also knew that their farm system was really good. Jonathan India made his debut last season and played really well, earning NL Rookie of the Year honors. Unfortunately he hasn’t played much this year due to injury. They also have Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, and Graham Ashcraft who have made debuts this year.
They were in most teams’ dream scenario: talented stars on the MLB roster, talented, controllable young pitchers nearing their call up. And man, did they blow it.
Chicago Cubs
The Cubs have a decent little team, but they’re not contending this year.
Guys like Kyle Hendricks, Marcus Stroman, Willson Contreras, Frank Schwindel, Patrick Wisdom, Ian Happ, and Seiya Suzuki are solid players, but not the kind of guys who lead a team to October. They don’t really have much in the bullpen either, and while that is usually the easiest thing to acquire at the trade deadline, there’s no reason for a 4th place team to do that.
They have some good prospects in their system, but most won’t be ready until 2024. Only two of their top ten prospects are supposed to be ready this year: Brennen Davis, who is a potential super star, and Caleb Killian, who looks like a middle-of-the-rotation starter. Those guys coming up aren’t enough to get this team to the playoffs.