While several of their Midwest counterparts in the Central of the American League experienced a collective escape in 2024, the quintet of the National League clubs in Heartland had a much less encouraging season. A team of young Brewers led by the new manager Pat Murphy increased to a comfortable division advance which he never abandoned, while the former skipper of Milwaukee Craig Counsell looked at his Cubs club folding during his first season at the helm. Cincinnati has taken a step backwards due to injuries, St. Louis remained stuck in the middle, and Pittsburgh, although not downright terrible, ended in the last place for the fourth time in the last six seasons.
How did these clubs reacted this winter this winter this winter widely defined by disappointment and missed opportunities? Let’s take a look.
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Milwaukee Brewers
Major move:
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Acquired Sp nestor cortes, info calebin via New York trade
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Acquired RP Grant Anderson via Texas Trade
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Selected RP Connor Thomas de Saint-Louis in rule 5 draft
Grade off -season: C
For Milwaukee, this is another off-season of familiar faces to find houses elsewhere, while the star stopover Willy Adames concluded a massive free agent agreement with San Francisco and Devin Williams was shipped to the bronx entering the last year of his contract. The departure of Adames was hardly a shock given the price, but the trade of Williams was a more intriguing organizational decision. This decision had vibrations similar to the trade from Ace Corbin Burnes to Baltimore a year ago – but with some key differences.
Unlike The Burnes Trade, which allowed two young parts of spouse and a cost control choice, in exchange for Williams, the Brewers received only one long -term article in Caleb Durbin while adding a Another player in the last year of his contract in Cortes, whose salary in 2025 is almost identical to Williams. The trade in the enclosure of the surveys to meet the rotation is logical on the surface given the needs of Milwaukee, but it was a much more focused decision on the terms we are used to seeing the brewers. It is not necessarily a bad thing, however.
While the Brewers deserve the benefit of the doubt as the most coherent competitor of this division of the last half-receiver, it is difficult not to feel a little without inspiration by their otherwise calm winter, in particular with regard to The aggressive maneuvers executed by Chicago and Cincinnati. At the very least, it is exceptionally difficult to assert that this team has obtained better This winter. It would be insane to bet against this franchise as a relevant character in the division race, but it is also difficult to imagine them pass to another central title of the NL of fashion they did a year ago. And if they end up having trouble keeping the pace, we could indicate their dull off -season for the reason.
Chicago Cubs
Major move:
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Acquired from Kyle Tucker via the trade in Houston
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Signed SP Matthew Boyd to a 2 -year agreement
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Signed C Carson Kelly to a 2 -year agreement
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Acquired RP Ryan in a hurry via the Houston trade
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RP acquired Eli Morgan via the Cleveland trade
Grade off -season: B
After years of half-measures and conservative additions, the cubs Finally swinged with their job to acquire Tucker From Houston, giving them the Bat Superstar, their list was sorely missing since the Bryant / Rizzo / Schwarber days. Chicago paid a heavy price to catch it, but it was refreshing to see this front office finally make an aggressive decision which reflected an emergency level to restore the status of cubs as one of the eminent franchises of the MLB, Rather than a large MLB large market market club, rather than an MLB’s disappointing Grand Market market, rather than a disappointing Big Market Club Club Club in mediocrity.
The rest of the offseason, however, had nuances of previous prudent winters. Despite the abolition of the Cody Bellinger contract with the Bronx and remaining more than $ 30 million below the first luxury tax line, the Cubs remained reluctant to spend big in the free agency. While Boyd is a nice collection to consolidate the end of the rotation, there were several more impactful weapons on the market than the Cubs have shown little interest to continue. The additions of Pressly and Morgan will help an enclosure of the readers which was a clear weak point in 2024, but this unit still seems a bit thin when training in the spring.
Perhaps there is another major movement that remains this offseason for Chicago to increase this note in A.-Alex Bregman? Dylan stops? – But until then, a lot is very important on Tucker to deliver the massive media threw surrounding its acquisition, in particular with it under contract for this coming season.
Cardinals of Saint-Louis
Major move:
Grade off -season: D
From the first days of this offseason, the president of baseball operations John Mozeliak was categorical and extremely transparent about the desire of the club to exchange the third basic player Nolan Arenado. With the cardinals in a transition state as a franchise, player and team thought it is better to find a new house for Arenado And pave the way for some young players on the list of St. Louis.
However, the Arenado contract ($ 74 million hard in the following three seasons) and the clause without exchange inside made it difficult for cardinals to find the right deal. Arenado rejected an agreed agreement in Houston in December, and the astros have since pivoted with their third base plans. As spring training approaches, cardinals are still looking for a landing point for Arenado and Mozeliak Recently said that it is a “Flip of Pieces” If they will find an agreement, even with their continuous intentions.
It is not that St. Louis’s list seems particularly mediocre as currently built. It is that all the Cardinals Talk this winter were to subtract rather than adding, not only with regard to Arenado but also with commercial rumors involving Ryan Helsley closer and beginners Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde and Steven Matz. However, this whole speech has not equipped anything so far, leaving Saint -Louis with one of the least active seasons of any MLB team – and a note that reflects it.
Cincinnati Reds
Major move:
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Hired Terry Francona as manager
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Signed SP Nick Martinez for a one -year agreement
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Signed by Austin Hays to a one -year agreement
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SP Brady Singer acquired via the Kansas City trade
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Acquired 2b Gavin Lux via the Los Angeles trade
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Acquired C Jose Trevino via New York trade
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Acquired RP Taylor Rogers via the trade in San Francisco
Grade off-season: a-
Terry Francona was not going get out of retirement to manage A team he didn’t believe could be a winner. And on the basis of the burst of movements executed by the front office of Cincinnati since the surprise hiring of Francona in October, it seems that the franchise is rightly committed to assembling a list worthy of being directed by a future temple of renown. The conservation of an anchor of rotation underestimated in Martinez via the qualification offer was a good start, and this seems particularly wise in tandem with the acquisition of Singer to strengthen the staff. Hays and Lux should Strengthen a range that really needed a boostAnd Rogers was a nice addition at the end of January to strengthen the enclosure of the lifts.
The occupied offseason of the Reds last winter may have proven to be a flop, but that did not deter them from making another series of important additions this winter, even with a limited budget. With a legend in Francona now in charge, there will be a feeling of renewed energy and will lead to restoring the Reds as an emerging team that we see them following in 2023. Do not sleep in this team in 2025.
Pirates of Pittsburgh
Major move:
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Inf Spencer Horwitz acquired via the Toronto trade (via Cleveland)
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Signed DH Andrew McCutchen to a one -year agreement
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Signed Inf / from Adam Frazier to a one -year agreement
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Signed RP Caleb Ferguson to a one -year agreement
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Signed RP Tim Mayza to a one -year agreement
Grade off -season: D +
With perhaps the best launcher on the planet of Paul Skenes and a multitude of other impact arms at the level of the major leagues, the pirates gathered an enviable base on the mound around which to build their list. But instead of seizing the opportunity at hand and pushing their budget to support potentially elite pitching staff, Pittsburgh remained crazy. Their most important expenses were the $ 5 million incurred in the McCutchen franchise icon, which, although still a competent contributor, is far from the impact player he entered in his 38 -year season.
Horwitz represents the most substantial external upgrade of the club as a promising lefty bat that comes out of a stellar recruit year offensively, but it brings a minimum defensive value and has not yet proven the capacity to manage the covers of South. The pirates clearly hope that he will be able to solidify a first base position which was serious weakness in the post-Josh years. Otherwise, these are two mediocre left-handers and a meeting with Frazier, who comes out of a terrible season in Kansas City and does not offer much beyond a defensive versatility and a left-handed bat that the bench seemed to be missing.
Overall, this programming seems without risk and poorly equipped to support a rotation of caliber of the eliminatory series. It is one thing to retain expenses in the depths of a reconstruction, but the continuous reluctance of Pittsburgh to invest in external upgrades is particularly frustrating to look at now that they have elite ingredients in place on the mound.
