1. St. Louis Cardinals
2013 record: 97-65 (First place. Beat Pittsburgh in NLDS and Los Angeles in NLCS. Lost World Series to Boston.)
Offseason grade: C-
I wasn't a fan of much the Cards did this winter, but it doesn't matter. You can give up on David Freese when you can just slide Matt Carpenter over to third and let Kolten Wong share second base with Mark Ellis. They gave Jhonny Peralta a lot of money coming off a PED suspension and that doesn't seem like a Cardinals kind of move, but then again, I'd be sick of Pete Kozma by now too. The point is, the Cardinals have a mind-bogglingly large and talented core of home grown players. As long as Wainwright, Wacha, and Miller are fronting the rotation, and as long as Craig, Molina, and Carpenter (with Oscar Taveres on the way) are the heart of the order, the Cards will win 90+ games every year. Questions like "Who plays shortstop?" and "How do we fix our outfield defense?" can sink other teams, but they're just the cognac-infused cherry atop the gold-flake sundae that is being a Cardinals fan.
2. Cincinnati Reds
2013 record: 90-72 (Third place. Lost Wild Card game to Pittsburgh.)
Offseason grade: D
The Reds join the Braves and Indians on the list of 2013 playoff teams who may suffer from not replacing their free agents this winter. I'm not suggesting they should have matched the offers Shin-Soo Choo and Bronson Arroyo wound up accepting, only that replacing an MVP candidate and a mid-rotation starter are the kind of tasks most teams would accomplish via free agency or the trade market- not by plugging in two rookies. With big contracts for Votto, Bruce, and Bailey set to engulf the payroll in the coming years, Reds fans may have to get used to seeing good players leave in favor of players the team can actually afford. So if the Reds' window is closing, why do I have them ranked this highly? First, because Cueto, Latos, Bailey is still a thing. Second, because Pittsburgh has to deal with the Plexiglas principle. Third, one might argue that the Pirates had an even worse winter. In fact, I'll make that argument in a bit.
3. Milwaukee Brewers
2013 record: 74-88 (Fourth place)
Offseason grade: C+
We haven't heard much from the Brewers since the Cardinals beat them in the NLCS in 2011, but Doug Melvin has quietly put together some talent since then. Any lineup featuring Carlos Gomez at the top and Ryan Braun in the middle (hopefully for the whole season) is going to be at least okay. Jonathan Lucroy is awesome in his own right. Khris Davis has some buzz in his first go at everyday play. Yovani Gallardo is still just 28, and signing Matt Garza was one of my favorite moves of the winter. Of course, there are issues- first and second base could be disaster areas, and the rotation behind the top 3 might not be good enough. Still, there's enough here for me to call the Brewers my deep sleepers for the year.
4. Pittsburgh Pirates
2013 record: 94-68 (Second place. Beat Cincinnati in the Wild Card game. Lost to St. Louis in NLDS.)
Offseason grade: F
As important as 2013 was for the Pirates organization, this past winter should have been taken just as seriously. Winning 94 games, getting two home playoff games, and generally being accepted as a good major-league team are all awesome, but none of those wins count in 2014. It's up to ownership and management to examine the processes that got them this far and take them to the next level. They had an obligation to at least try and turn a one-year wonder into a consistent contender. That means retaining your own talent. That means upping the expenditures a little as a show of good faith. That means aggressively pursuing upgrades when needed. It sure as hell doesn't mean replacing A.J. Burnett with Edinson Volquez and going into the season with Travis Ishikawa and Gaby Sanchez as your first basemen. Essentially, the 2013-14 winter looked a lot like every other winter this century for the Pirates. I'm not even a fan of the team and that still makes me kind of mad. It took a lot of luck to get Pittsburgh those home playoff games last year, and that kind of luck never hits the same team two years in a row.
5. Chicago Cubs
2013 record: 66-96 (Fifth place)
Offseason grade: C
The Cubs sat on their hands just as effectively as the Marlins this winter, and those teams should again do battle as the worst teams in the NL in 2014. I think I'm coming around on the Cubs a little bit, though. Whether the decision makers foresaw this or not, hitters are harder to come by than pitchers right now. And if there's one thing the Cubs have, it's minor league hitters with star potential. Where the pitching is going to come from, nobody knows just yet. But whether there's a player development-driven renaissance or another group of Corey Pattersons and Hee Seop Chois on the horizon, I solemnly swear to make fun of it with every drop of blood in my black and white heart.
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