Last year, the NL Central was full of late-season drama and a heartbreaking end to the Brewers' surprising insurgency. This year, the contenders have reloaded, and some of the second-tier teams are preparing for the future. Here is the way I see the division falling into place: Chicago Cubs With easily the strongest rotation in the division, the Cubs adressed some offensive needs in the offseason, going overseas to land Kosuke Fukudome—who will need to have a strong season to keep the bleacher bums from abusing his name. Youngsters Felix Pie (CF), Ryan Theriot (SS), and Geovany Soto (C) will all be counted on to complement the dangerous heart of the order that will feature Derrek Lee, Alfonso Soriano, and Aramis Ramirez. The rotation is solid as well, with Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, and Rich Hill in the first three slots. All three could reach the 15-win mark this season. Jason Marquis, Sean Marshall, Ryan Dempster, and Jon Lieber will compete for the final two spots. ...
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Padres turn attention to Gross
mysportsrumors.com 2/23/2008 — According to Ken Rosenthal at Fox Sports, the San Diego Padres are now turning their attention to Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Gabe Gross. The Padres had been trying to get Matt Murton from the Chicago Cubs to play left, but have been unable to get a deal worked out.
Kendall hitting ninth? Possibly... - Brewers Blog
blogs.jsonline.com 2/23/2008 — Manager Ned Yost has said for a week that he has a brain-full of ideas when it comes to his batting order, but it is way too early to commit to any one of them. But one of the most interesting of possible orders would have Ryan Braun batting second, a ...
St. Louis Cardinals 2008 season preview
diamondhoggers.blogspot.com 2/24/2008 — Lineup
Obviously, the St. Louis Cardinals discussion begins and ends with baseball's best player, the Great Pujols. The Gigantosaur. Call him whatever you want, I'll call him baseball's best player, A-Rod included. He shows up every year and gives you the the best of numbers and makes those in the lineup around him all the more dangerous. I've never made it a secret that since about 2002, I've en
Brewers Talk Extension With Braun
mlbtraderumors.com 2/24/2008 — According to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy , Ryan Braun 's agent had preliminary contract extension talks with Brewers assistant GM Gord Ash recently. Troy Tulowitzki 's recent deal may serve as a framework.
Tulo received $31MM over six years ...
Dusty Not down with OBP
mlb.mlb.com 2/24/2008 — Baker has repeatedly talked about the desire to have a do-it-all leadoff hitter with speed. What kinds of hitters is he looking for further down the lineup? Does he want guys with lofty on-base percentages? The answer will likely not sit well with ...
NL Central previews and predictions —
Bleacher Report - MLB 2/23/2008
Last year the NL Central was full of late drama and a heartbreaking end to the Brewers surprise season. This year the contenders have reloaded, and some of the second tier teams are preparing for the future. Here is the way I see the division falling ...
