NL Central

Cubs: Wow, they wanted to make a splash and they did. Soriano, a healthy D-Lee, and a re-upped A-Ram will be productive. Cedeno should recover from being relegated to the bench during Dusty's tenure. Unfortunately, they mortgaged their future to do it. They spent a lot of money and gave up a lot of draft picks. Zamabrano was "Dustified" (think Kerry Wood/Mark Prior) last year and will break down before the All Star Break. Dramatic improvement, but will fall just short of the playoffs. They will hold their market share in Chicago, though (their real reason for the flashy moves).

Reds: Griffey is alreay injured. If he were healthy, they'd be a contender. Without him, they're a .500 team.

Astros: Carlos Lee is good, but not that good. Horrible defense, the loss of Pettite and Clemens will hurt. The back of the rotation will be a pinata. Big step backwards. Losing team. Missing out on Reggie Bush and the Astros going down the tubes... Wow, talk about a bad year for Houston...

Brewers: Solid catcher upgrade. 3 very good pitchers. Prince Fielder decides to imitate David Ortiz. They're this year's NL Central Champs, despite the weak 4 & 5 pitchers.

Cards: Pujols/Rolen/Carpenter, who needs anyone else? Unfortunately, this is baseball, so that won't cut it. Reyes will take a step forward and I like Adam Kennedy, but Edmonds might not be able to contribute. Not going anywhere without a stronger supporting cast. Winning year, but can't match surging Brewers.