The Cincinnati Reds are the St. Louis Cardinals’ main competition heading into 2020
The St. Louis Cardinals will face a very different National League Central Division in 2020 than they have for the past several years.
It almost seems as if no one wants the division, with the exception of the long-suffering Cincinnati Reds who have decided to compensate for their lack of pitching depth this off-season by cramming as many home run hitters as they can into their bandbox of a ballpark.
Cincinnati signed outfielder Nick Castellanos, who hit 27 home runs last season. It’s a move very symbolic of the fact that, while the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers have taken a step back this winter, the Reds are moving into the breach, full steam ahead.
The Reds finished a distant fourth last year behind the Cardinals, Cubs and Brewers. But so far this winter they’ve greatly enhanced their offense, already anchored by stalwart Joey Votto and third baseman Eugenio Suarez, who pounded 49 homers in 2019.
Cincinnati signed former Brewer Mike Moustakas and former Japanese League outfielder Shogo Akiyama, who could help set the table in front of an impressive slate of middle of the order hitters. The Reds don’t have the pitching depth the Cardinals do and their defense might be an adventure. But they’ve tried to build a team that could score eight runs in a game if their pitchers give up seven.
It’s like all that’s old is new again, back to the days when St. Louis battled the Reds for the NL Central crown while the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cubs and Brewers sit things out.
While it’s been tough to watch Marcell Ozuna wave goodbye to the Cardinals, the pain might not be over for the Cubs who may trade slugger Kris Bryant sooner rather than later if they can overcome some pretty steep obstacles. The Pirates Monday traded Starling Marte to Arizone and the Brewers don’t appear prepared to do much of anything after losing Moustakas and catcher Yasmani Granal to free agency. The Crew added only outfielder Avasail Garcia to the major league mix.
So, it appears the battle is set for the offensively-minded Reds to face the Cardinals who will rely on pitching and defense in their efforts to win games and attempt to repeat as NL Central champs. That is unless team chairman Bill DeWitt and President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak have Cardinals fans completely snowed about their offseason intent.
This story was originally published January 27, 2020 at 9:05 AM.
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Scott Wuerz is a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. The Cheap Seats blog is written from his perspective as a fan and is designed to spark discussion among fans of the Cardinals and other MLB teams. Sources supporting his views and opinions are linked. If you’re looking for Cardinals news and features, check out the BND’s Cardinals section.
