NL Professional Division
Teams that left the division: COL+, STL+, ATL+, PHI-
Teams that joined the division: WAS+, SD+, MIL-, PIT-
Miami Marlins:
2029 Review:
MIA is the only holdover from last year’s Professional Division. They won 72 games last season ranking 12th in runs scored and 11th in runs allowed.
Offseason Recap:
Players Lost: The only positive contributor MIA lost was SP Rogers.
Players Acquired: MIA did not add any ML contracts.
Season Preview:
Position Player to Watch: RF Swearingen had a solid rookie debut in 2028 with a .925 OPS. Unfortunately he followed that up with a .716 OPS and only 6 HR last year. Miami should look to get him a full season of at-bats this season to see if he can be a core piece of the future.
Pitcher to Watch: This one hurts, SP Sjodin (#68 prospect in baseball) was traded to MIA from SF in 2028 and received a huge boost from moving to OOTP 23. Sour grapes aside, if he does not make opening roster, he will surely be up at some point in 2030. This guy probably has some of the best pure stuff in the game with 3 elite pitches. He should be ace for MIA for years to come.
Expectation: MIA did not upgrade any position this offseason, but they do have some young players who could make an impact. I do think they underperformed last year and I see somewhere in the 75-80 win range for MIA this season.
Pittsburgh Pirates:
2029 Review:
PIT won 68 games last year ranking 13th in runs scored and 8th in runs allowed earning a demotion to the Professional Division.
Offseason Recap:
Players Lost: PIT lost 1B Olsen, SP Florez, SP Barria, and C Smith to FA and 2B Colon to waivers.
Players Acquired: PIT did sign phenom Ohtani, 2B Freeman, 1B Judge, and C Hernandez, and trade for SS Paulino.
Season Preview:
Position Player to Watch: LF Lesane is expected to miss some of the season with injury, but when he return he should get another opportunity to see if his talent can translate to the field as an average LF.
Pitcher to Watch: SP White has had a HR/9 rate of 1.7, 1.1, 2.1 in his first 3 seasons. A lot of his success depends on how well he can keep the ball in the park, because his stuff is elite.
Expectation: PIT acquired players to help replace the ones they lost in FA, but I’m not sure how much upgraded the roster is. I think the team is similar to last year although it does have some upside with the pitching depth. My guess is somewhere around 68-73 wins for this team with the potential to hit .500 if everything breaks right.
Milwaukee Brewers:
2029 Review:
MIL won 78 games last year in the Champion Division before being demoted. They ranked 14th in runs scored and 5th in runs allowed.
Offseason Recap:
Players Lost: MIL big FA was SP Quijada, but they also lost notable players in C Claunch, SP Alcala, 2B Mondesi, and RP Wingenter.
Players Acquired: MIL big signing was a large 1 year contract for 1B Williams, they also signed LF Greene.
Season Preview:
Position Player to Watch: MIL committed 3 years to LF Greene who is still only 29 years old. Greene had been a fairly consistent 3 WAR player his entire career until 2029 when he inexplicably put up -1.7 WAR. His BABIP was lower than his career average, but his ISO was also low. This could turn out to be a steal for MIL if Greene can forget 2029.
Pitcher to Watch: SP Matos had a solid rookie season with a 3.77 ERA. He will likely struggle with the long ball, but MIL is hoping he can develop into a long-term mid-rotation starter for them.
Expectation: While I do not think MIL will miss SP Alcala, 2B Mondesi and RP Wingenter, they will have a big hole at C and will need one of the young pitchers to step up and fill Quijada’s role. As last year the pitching is the strength of this team, and there is a lot of young pitching with high upside, but the offense remains questionable. MIL could boast a top rotation in the league, but they will need to prove they can score enough runs to make it count. I think MIL will hang around .500 and a lot will depend on how they handle the trade deadline. But this team could grab a WC spot if the young guys make a difference.
Washington Nationals:
2029 Review:
WAS won 82 games last year earning a promotion to the Professional Division. They ranked 5th in runs scored and 9th in runs allowed.
Offseason Recap:
Players Lost: WAS is going to take a big hit in offensive production with C Ruiz, 1B Thaiss, and 3B Machado all hitting FA. They also let SP Lynch hit FA.
Players Acquired: WAS did sign SP Barria, 1B Hiura, and 3B Perdomo.
Season Preview:
Position Player to Watch: LF Kirilloff has career average .902 OPS and 5 WAR each season, in 2029 he had a low .803 OPS and only 0.9 WAR. It does not appear he has lost any skill but his BABIP last year was within norm and his ISO was a career low. With 3 more guaranteed years on a hefty contract WAS needs him to bounce back.
Pitcher to Watch: SP Thompson was the #29 rated prospect as of spring 2029. Since they he made his debut struggling in 14 IP, and his control seems to have wavered. WAS is hoping he can get back to his potential and become a mid-rotation mainstay for them.
Expectation: WAS has a multitude of young pitchers in the rotation, some of whom have high ceilings. A big part of how well WAS does this year will depend on the pitching taking a step forward. The offense is decent although they have some pretty big holes in the infield still. Median outcome for this team is a .500 record, but if they resign any of their FAs, and their pitching hits its ceiling, this team could find itself in playoff contention.
San Diego Padres:
2029 Review:
SD earned a promotion to the Professional Division after winning 90 games last year and making the playoffs. They ranked 8th in runs scored and 2nd in runs allowed.
Offseason Recap:
Players Lost: SD lost 3 positive contributors this offseason in SS Herrera, 1B Williams, and SP Rodriguez.
Players Acquired: They signed SS Reyes who should replace Herrera just fine, SP Mata who will miss the 2029 season, as well as C Bins, SP Munoz, and RF Guzman.
Season Preview:
Position Player to Watch: SD is counting on 1B Nakano to replace 1B William’s 24 HR and on base skills. In limited action Nakano did put up a career best slash line of .275/.340/.494 with 10 HR in 200 PAs. If Nakano can sustain that production he will more than fill William’s void.
Pitcher to Watch: If SP Morales can take the next step and play to his capabilities, SD boasts among the best 1-3 punch in baseball with Campusano, Morales, and Morillo.
Expectation: SD was 2nd in runs scored in the league last year and could be even better this year. Once again their season will all rest on the offense. They improved at C and RF, and maybe a slight step back at 1B. Their biggest weakness might be depth, especially the infield. Their floor should be roughly a .500 team, but they are my favorites for the division at this point. And if this team makes the playoffs, nobody is going to watch to face that rotation.
Summary: I would expect WAS and SD to battle it out for the division, with SD as the slight favorite. MIL should be slightly below them, depending on what they do at the deadline. PIT and MIA look to still be a tier below those 3 teams still “retooling”.
For the GMs of the NL Professional Division:
What was your biggest perceived weakness in the offseason, and what did you do to fix it?
What is your record prediction for your team this season?
Who is the most underrated player on your club?
What needs to happen for you to consider 2029 a successful season?
Who wins the NL Professional division this year?