By Christian Graves
Going into the 2023 season, there are several fundamental changes on the horizon that will completely shake up the league. The banning of the shift, the pitch clock, and the new NHL-style play (where every team plays all other teams) are among the major changes and will undoubtedly be exciting to watch. The number of division rivalry games have been reduced to make way for more cross-league play, which means we get to see all time greats like 3-time AL MVP Mike Trout and the marvelous Shohei Ohtani come to Busch in May, immediately followed by Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera on his farewell tour in the very next series. As much as division rivalry games can be fun to watch, it can become a little stale seeing the same matchups over and over again throughout the season. This change will bring life to baseball, as fans everywhere will be able to unite in witnessing the riveting players we love in new environments, and may bring new rivalries to life.
In terms of the outlook for the Cardinals next season, the offseason addition of an offensive catcher in Willson Contreras is a huge boost to the lineup. His offensive production was elite in 2022, when he slashed a career high .243/.349/.815. While his defensive numbers aren’t as impressive as Yadier Molina’s, this addition will hopefully provide the best offense we’ve had from the catcher’s spot in years compared to the Molina/Knizner platoon. With Ivan Herrera also on the horizon, I love how we look in the catcher’s spot. We can hope for a Tyler O’Neill resurgence and a breakout year from rookie phenom Jordan Walker, but overall with the lineup as is, we have a really solid squad heading into next season. Super utility player Brendan Donovan had a remarkable first season in which he finished in third place for NL rookie of the year honors, and Juan Yepez flashed his power bat. Lars Nootbaar was also a valuable piece heading down the stretch in his second year, as he proved he should be in the starting lineup everyday with an OPS+ of 126. Nolan Gorman struggled finding consistency in his offense throughout the season in the majors, as he finished the season slashing a .226/.300/.721 line, but overall he showed great promise in a year where he combined for 30 home runs and 61 RBI’s between both Memphis and STL. Of course, reigning NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt and 10 time gold glove winner Nolan Arenado will continue making spectacular plays on both sides of the diamond. All of this makes for an elite offense in 2023, at least top 10 in the league with great upside potential. Losing José Quintana to the Mets was unfortunate, as he was our best pitcher post-trade deadline. Our rotation still looks decent however, with Flaherty, Mikolas, Montgomery, Wainwright and Matz being our projected starting five. Overall, with all of the new changes to the league considered as well as where we stand at this point, I believe we will finish with a 91-71 record, and be crowned division champions once again in 2023.
In looking at the rest of the central division, the Brewers have made a few significant changes, with the most drastic being from trades. Kolten Wong was sent to the Mariners in return for Jesse Winker and current minor leaguer Abraham Toro-Hernandez, Hunter Renfroe was shipped to the Angels in a four player deal, and catcher William Contreras was snagged from the Braves for close to nothing. While these are some major changes, I still don’t think it’ll be enough to claim the division crown. I predict the Brewers will finish with an 88-74 record, and second place in the division. The Cubs have made the most of their offseason by bringing in Dansby Swanson, former MVP Cody Bellinger, Jameson Taillon, and reliever Brad Boxberger, while also re-signing Drew Smyly. Their lineup is undoubtedly stronger than it was last year, and their rotation receives a boost with Taillon, but these changes won’t cause a significantly different outcome from 2022. I can see them playing to the level good enough to at least allow them to reach the .500 mark, but at this time, it is hard to see them making the playoffs. I predict a record of 81-81 for the Cubs. In looking at the Pirates, their young core seems to be the driving force for this team, with Jack Suwinski, O’Neill Cruz and Ke’Bryan Hayes all showing promise. I highly doubt any offseason additions can cause a playoff-level turn around for them next season, as I expect them to finish at 70-92. For Cincinnati, the deadline trades of Castillo and Drury made their pitching core and lineup extremely weak for the rest of 2022, but assuming good health, Hunter Greene and Tyler Stephenson will continue to be the bright spots of the organization. I predict a record of 67-95 for the Reds, a last place finish in the division.
Overall, the signs point to another division title for the Cardinals. The fact that the Cardinals have as many division titles as the rest of the division combined (12 titles) is enough to paint the picture of dominance that this team has shown over the years. The signing of Contreras greatly increases those odds. I can’t wait to see what this next season brings.
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