NL Champion Division
Teams that left the division: MIL-, NYM-, PIT-
Teams that joined the division: COL+, ATL+, STL+
St Louis Cardinals:
2029 Review:
STL went 86-77 last season making the playoffs and losing in the Division Series. They ranked 3rd in runs scored and 7th in runs allowed.
Offseason Recap:
Players Lost: STL lost 3B Riley, RP Fernandez, RF Brinson, and RP Hirata all to FA. They also traded C Cardenas after a solid rookie season to KC.
Players Acquired: STL made some big moves this offseason to compete in the Champion Division. The big FA signing was 2B Lewis to a 4 year deal, they also signed SS Queen to be their starting SS, and LF Lee. But their 2 biggest acquisitions might be 2 top 100 prospects they acquired who are ready to contribute at the big leagues at key positions – C Funk and CF Buter.
Season Preview:
Position Player to Watch: STL signed SS Queen to be their starting SS after not having a any player step up in 2029. It is one of few weak positions for STL that they would love to get even average production from.
Pitcher to Watch: Looks like STL will turn to RP Beatty as their closer to start the year. He struggled in his rookie season with a 5.04 ERA, but certainly has the stuff to close with an elite fastball and plus splitter combo. Bullpen may be STL weak point so it will be important to find a lockdown closer.
Expectation: I think this STL team is underrated. They won 86 games last year and made some big improvements this offseason. They should be stronger at CF and SS, C is hopefully a wash, but the bullpen did take a hit. Outside of a weak bullpen, health could be the other thing that derails this team. SPs Rosario, Detmers, and Rocker all have health concerns, with Rosario being labeled wrecked. This team might have the highest ceiling in the NL if everything (rookie performances, health of pitchers, etc.) breaks their way. But I see this team realistically winning 90-95 wins and competing for the division.
Colorado Rockies:
2029 Review:
COL won 96 games last season, taking a WC spot and losing in the Division Series. They ranked 2nd in runs scored and 13th in runs allowed.
Offseason Recap:
Players Lost: COL let SP May and RF Hinds hit FA.
Players Acquired: COL signed SP Ginn to replace May, and also RP Webb.
Season Preview:
Position Player to Watch: CF Hampton finally make his ML debut in 2029 at 28 years old age and put up a solid 2.6 WAR providing .775 OPS and good defense. COL would love to see him become the CF of the future.
Pitcher to Watch: Looks like COL is having SP Contreras make the opening day rotation. He struggled in 41 innings last year but looks like he should have the stuff to survive Coors Field. If he can have a K% around 30% and limit the homeruns he should turn into an ace for COL.
Expectation: Pitching will always be a kryptonite for a team that plays in Coors Field, but COL pitching rotation should be slightly improved from last year. Despite losing May, they have 2 young guys pitching a full year in the big in Contreras and Black who should be mid-rotation or better pitchers. I do have a little concern about the offense with 2B Garcia being a big regression candidate (career high BABIP) and trusting some unseasoned players to replace Hinds. All in all they will probably do as well as the pitching staff takes them though the schedule will be more difficult. I expect somewhere around 88-93 wins this season and a likely wild card spot.
LA Dodgers:
2029 Review:
LAD won 85 games and missed the playoffs by 1 game. They ranked 6th in runs scored and 6th in runs allowed.
Offseason Recap:
Players Lost: LAD had a lot of turnover this offseason, letting key players hit FA while making some splashes of their own. The 5 big players who they lost were everyday starters were: 3B Wallace, RF Betts, SS Perez, SP Severino, and 2B Guilmore. The role players they lost were: 1B Freeman, 1B Smith, and C Murphy.
I must also include a real head-scratcher that happened to LAD this offseason. In the Rule 5 Draft 3B Diaz was picked from them by…LAD. Now if that wasn’t confusing enough, they released him entirely a week later and is currently a FA. We will chalk it up to miscommunication in the front office.
Players Acquired: LAD did sign some major FAs as well, including SP Jones, 2B/SS Hoerner, RF Rivera, 3B Bowser, RP Urias, LF Carpenter, and C Pereda.
Season Preview:
Position Player to Watch: It appears LAD have SS Hoerner penciled in at SS, a position that he has not played full time since 2024. He has big shoes to fill taking over for Perez who was an above average defensive SS that was worth 3.8 WAR last season.
Pitcher to Watch: SP DeTerra is not someone who has been on top 100 prospect lists, but word from my scout is he looks much better this spring than he did previously, with a big boost in stuff. LAD could use a cheap controllable arm in that rotation under age 30. I’m sure they would be happy if he settles in as a #4 SP, but his ceiling looks considerably higher than that.
Expectation: LAD had some major turnover this offseason trying to improve off their 85 win season. SP Jones over Severino is definitely an improvement, but most of their other moves look like small to large downgrades comparing last year production to expected production in 2030 for the newly signed players – 3B Wallace>3B Bowser, SS Perez>SS Hoerner, and RF Betts>RF Rivera. The starting pitching looks top notch, but the offense looks to take a step back. A record similar to last year seems fair, 83-88 wins and a chance at the wild card.
Atlanta Braves:
2029 Review:
ATL won the Professional Division with 98 wins and won their 2nd straight NL Championship Title before losing in the World Series. They ranked 4th in runs scored and 3rd in runs allowed.
Offseason Recap:
Players Lost: ATL lost 2 relievers to FA in RP McClanahan and Jimenez. But more importantly they lost SP Patino to a torn rotator cuff that will likely keep him out for the season.
Players Acquired: ATL signed 3 relievers to replace they ones they lost in Espino, Zamora, and Wingenter. They also signed 1B Freeman to a lucrative 1 year deal.
Season Preview:
Position Player to Watch: With ATL’s incredible depth, CF might be the only position I see that if Corral is out with injury it will be difficult for them to replace. While he does have the injury prone label he has not missed significant time the past 2 years.
Pitcher to Watch: RP Espino looks to be the closer to begin the year for ATL, but between his ineffectiveness and injuries he has not dominated since 2026. While ATL does have some solid arms in the bullpen, if Espino struggles it will be a question if they can find their shutdown closer.
Expectation: I’m not sure there are too many weaknesses except the aforementioned lack of CF depth and CL uncertainty. But this team has so much depth they have 2 above average 1B who are backups (1B Olivas – AAA and 3B Espingarda). To make it even more scary they have 4 SP who are mid-rotation to Cy young candidates who are all under 26 years old. This team is scary good and not going anywhere anytime soon. We may have a new Champion Division winner (not that it has stopped them from getting to the World Series anyway), and should probably be considered the favorite.
San Francisco Giants:
2029 Review:
For the 2nd year in a row SF won the Champion Division and lost in the NL Championship Series to ATL. They ranked 7th in the league runs scored and comfortably 1st in runs allowed in all of baseball.
Offseason Recap:
Players Lost: SF let a lot of role players hit FA including RP Sanchez, RP O’Brien, RP Johnson, C Pereda, 1B Hiura, 2B Hoerner. The 2 biggest losses for SF were LF McCarthy to FA, and SP Kopech who was traded to TEX.
Players Acquired: In the big trade with TEX, SF got RP Graterol, SS Rodriguez, and LF Trammell who all replace vital production lost to FA. They also signed various RPs to minor and major league deals. But the big signing was SP Labas who SF is hoping can replace Kopech’s production at a younger age and cheaper rate.
Season Preview:
Position Player to Watch: Future HOF SS Lindor was signed to a 4 year extension through his age 39 season. So far he has shown no signs of slowing down (he actually had a career low BABIP and his highest ISO since 2021 last season), and SF is counting on him to continue to produce at SS.
Pitcher to Watch: Freshly signed SP Labas will be the one to keep an eye on. As stated earlier, SF needs him to put up at least close to SP Kopech’s production to complete a solid 1-3 in the rotation and keep up with the rest of the division.
Expectation: SF improved their offense with a full season of 1B Bregman, improved utility players, and LF Trammell who should be a dramatic improvement over last year’s LF. The rotation may take a small step back with Kopech replaced with Labas, although there is much more depth in AAA for the back of their rotation. I expect this team to win 92-97 wins and compete for the division.
Summary: All of these teams made the playoffs last year except for LAD, who missed by a mere 1 game. The most difficult part of predicting this division is that all these teams will play each other 19 times. I do think ATL is probably the favorite in the division, with SF and STL closest behind. But COL is a very solid team that should make the playoffs and even LAD is no pushover and there is a good chance that this division produces 3-4 playoffs teams. I really look forward to watching this division race that could be decided by trade deadline additions.
For the GMs of the NL Champion 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 Champion division this year?
NL Champion Division
Re: NL Champion Division
SF Answer:
What was your biggest perceived weakness in the offseason, and what did you do to fix it?
Most of my weak spots were addressed at the trade deadline last year. But the biggest weakness I saw this offseason was my bench. I acquired SS Rodriguez, who was a solid regular, and rule 5 Martin as IF reserves and transitioned LF Johnson and LF Fields to reserve roles.
What is your record prediction for your team this season?
On the surface it is hard to say my club improved or got worse, but the upgrade in depth I think raises the floor at least. I would like to see 100 wins, but the competition in the division has also gotten much stiffer. I am expecting somewhere between 93-98 wins.
Who is the most underrated player on your club?
C Wilkening. He had 1.9+ WAR seasons before struggling last year. He is a solid catcher that I am looking for a bounceback season from.
What needs to happen for you to consider 2029 a successful season?
Stop this Groundhog Day from continuing. Most teams would consider winning the division and making the Championship Series 2 years in a row a success. But at some point this team needs to win it all to be considered a successful run. Winning the division and making it to the World Series (outlasting ATL that is) will be successful enough for this season at least.
Who wins the NL Champion division this year?
I think ATL narrowly wins it this year with COL and us chomping on their heels.
What was your biggest perceived weakness in the offseason, and what did you do to fix it?
Most of my weak spots were addressed at the trade deadline last year. But the biggest weakness I saw this offseason was my bench. I acquired SS Rodriguez, who was a solid regular, and rule 5 Martin as IF reserves and transitioned LF Johnson and LF Fields to reserve roles.
What is your record prediction for your team this season?
On the surface it is hard to say my club improved or got worse, but the upgrade in depth I think raises the floor at least. I would like to see 100 wins, but the competition in the division has also gotten much stiffer. I am expecting somewhere between 93-98 wins.
Who is the most underrated player on your club?
C Wilkening. He had 1.9+ WAR seasons before struggling last year. He is a solid catcher that I am looking for a bounceback season from.
What needs to happen for you to consider 2029 a successful season?
Stop this Groundhog Day from continuing. Most teams would consider winning the division and making the Championship Series 2 years in a row a success. But at some point this team needs to win it all to be considered a successful run. Winning the division and making it to the World Series (outlasting ATL that is) will be successful enough for this season at least.
Who wins the NL Champion division this year?
I think ATL narrowly wins it this year with COL and us chomping on their heels.
Re: NL Champion Division
LAD ANSWER:
What was your biggest perceived weakness in the offseason, and what did you do to fix it?
Indeed, a lot of departure was to be dealt with. Betts being the easyest to replace, Gabe Rivera should give us the same numbers as Betts. Wallace, with his normal bat but above avg defense, was replace by Bowser who will, we hope, give us about same performance for a fraction of the price. Wenceel Perez should be the hardest to replace, but last year was a standout year for him that will probably wont repeat, and made him asking WAY TOO MUCH for this kind of talent. Even if he's a top tier defense SS, offense numbers will probably never be the same as 2029. So the combo of Nate Schumaker and Nico Horner will give us a lot of flexibility in the Inf. Rotation needed a boost from which Jared Jones is a hopefull candidate.
What is your record prediction for your team this season?
Should be about the same as last year, still hoping to knock at the wildcard door, and hoping this will be enough to still have a spot in the Champ Division for 2031. But clearly not enough to stand over ATL and SFG.
Who is the most underrated player on your club?
ME! Indeed, the GM is hyperactive (sometime too much, so it lead us to rule V pick up our own guys!)and a lots of minor league FA signees will give us enough depth to avoid injury holes in our lineup. (Y, Alvarez, A. Campos, K. Abel, etc). Whole of our Bullpen and flexibility all around the lineup are our secret weapon.
What needs to happen for you to consider 2030 a successful season?
A steady rotation: if Jared Jones and Roither Hernandez plays as expected, this 1-2 punch should help us avoid long losing streaks. if bullpen play as ratings show, we will be hard to beat. If offense get opportunist, maybe we will finish higher than expected in the standings.
Who wins the NL Champion division this year?
Im not into predictions much, but rating wise, Atlanta and our bitter rivals SFG should be hard to beat.
The LAD front office wish you the best of luck for this 2030 season!
What was your biggest perceived weakness in the offseason, and what did you do to fix it?
Indeed, a lot of departure was to be dealt with. Betts being the easyest to replace, Gabe Rivera should give us the same numbers as Betts. Wallace, with his normal bat but above avg defense, was replace by Bowser who will, we hope, give us about same performance for a fraction of the price. Wenceel Perez should be the hardest to replace, but last year was a standout year for him that will probably wont repeat, and made him asking WAY TOO MUCH for this kind of talent. Even if he's a top tier defense SS, offense numbers will probably never be the same as 2029. So the combo of Nate Schumaker and Nico Horner will give us a lot of flexibility in the Inf. Rotation needed a boost from which Jared Jones is a hopefull candidate.
What is your record prediction for your team this season?
Should be about the same as last year, still hoping to knock at the wildcard door, and hoping this will be enough to still have a spot in the Champ Division for 2031. But clearly not enough to stand over ATL and SFG.
Who is the most underrated player on your club?
ME! Indeed, the GM is hyperactive (sometime too much, so it lead us to rule V pick up our own guys!)and a lots of minor league FA signees will give us enough depth to avoid injury holes in our lineup. (Y, Alvarez, A. Campos, K. Abel, etc). Whole of our Bullpen and flexibility all around the lineup are our secret weapon.
What needs to happen for you to consider 2030 a successful season?
A steady rotation: if Jared Jones and Roither Hernandez plays as expected, this 1-2 punch should help us avoid long losing streaks. if bullpen play as ratings show, we will be hard to beat. If offense get opportunist, maybe we will finish higher than expected in the standings.
Who wins the NL Champion division this year?
Im not into predictions much, but rating wise, Atlanta and our bitter rivals SFG should be hard to beat.
The LAD front office wish you the best of luck for this 2030 season!