Now that we’ve all survived Thanksgiving and the inevitable arguments with uncles about politics (on Zoom even?), it’s time to get back to baseball.

We don’t know what the 2021 season is going to look like, when it will start, how spring training will be set up, etc. But if they can produce some sort of a season in 2020, I think it’s safe to say we’ll have even more games in 2021, especially with COVID vaccines on the way.

So with that in mind, let’s take a look at the National League this offseason and see what teams are looking like. For the most part it will be the same major players stealing the headlines. The Dodgers have some work to do, the Braves and Padres are coming for them, and the teams in the Central will muddle along in mediocrity.

There are some new faces in prominent places, though, with the Mets sporting an apparently awesome new owner, and the Marlins breaking new ground by hiring a female general manager in Kim Ng.

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

It’s a fun time to be a baseball fan.

Let’s take a look.

NL EAST

Braves

The Braves are really, really, really, good. They are young. They are talented. They are deep. They have the NL MVP in Freddie Freeman. And they were THIS close to going to the World Series. And now, in the aftermath, you have the feeling they are going to amass everything they’ve got in chasing the championship in 2021. They’ve already bulked up their pitching staff by adding Charlie Morton and Drew Smyly on one-year deals. This has he makings of something big.

Marlins

In a year full of garbage, the Marlins put together a nice feel-good story, riding promising young pitching and a bunch of no-names into the playoffs, which resulted in Don Mattingly being named NL Manager of the Year. Nice right? But the Marlins kept the momentum going, naming Ng Major League Baseball’s first female general manager. It feels like she’s been a candidate for that honor for about 20 years, so it’s nice to see someone finally take that plunge. Go Marlins!

Mets

The Mets have a new owner in Steven Cohen, and if you’re a Mets fan, he probably seems like a dream come true. He’s saying things like he doesn’t care about making money, he just wants to win. And he’s not in this to be mediocre. He even has a sense of humor, something Mets fans can surely appreciate. And while he says he’s not going to spend “like a drunken sailor,” he HAS already signed Trevor May, and there are have been rumblings around George Springer and J.T. Realmuto being potential targets as well.

Nationals

Without a full season with which to build themselves a ginormous hole they can then claw their way out of, there was no way the Nats were going to repeat. There was also that whole matter, if you want to be picky, about losing Anthony Rendon to free agency. But they still have Strasburg and Scherzer, and Juan Soto is going to be an absolute stud for years to come. And maybe Carter Kieboom will even find his sea legs this season.

Phillies

It’s really not fair to bring up this clip from “Major League” when talking about the Phillies, but I found it fun anyway …

“I thought you didn’t have any high-price talent?”

“Forget about Dorn, because he’s only high-priced.”

No, it’s not fair. But this team, for all its star power, is a mess at the moment. They don’t have much pitching, they don’t seem to have a coherent plan, and they don’t even have a GM at the moment. In fact, Theo Epstein turned them down so he can backpack through Europe or whatever he’s going to do instead.

NL CENTRAL

Brewers

Kudos to the Brewers for making the playoffs this year. It was a nice accomplishment, even though it was pretty clear they wouldn’t be around for long. There is some talent there, and if NL Rookie of the Year Devin Williams can replicate the video game numbers he put up in limited 2020 innings, he might be the best reliever in baseball. But there are some big things to figure out, including what to do with their infield corners. There also should be an investigation into how they ended up with so many not-very-good-ex-Mariners (Omar Narvaez, Daniel Vogelbach, Ben Gamel) on their roster.

Cardinals

What happens if Yadier Molina leaves St. Louis? Does the Arch fall? Does Anheuser-Busch leave town? Will St. Louis fans be forced to admit that he’s really good, but maybe not the greatest catcher of all time after all? These are the important questions. You also have to wonder what the pitching staff will look like in 2021, with Dakota Hudson out for an extended period with Tommy John surgery, and Adam Wainwright being both 39 and a free agent.

Cubs

The Theo Epstein era is over, with his lieutenant Jed Hoyer now elevated to president of baseball operations and the team searching for a general manager. Once they have a GM, do they trade Kris Bryant? Sell high on Yu Darvish? It’ll be interesting to see what course they set for this ship. While there seems to be a bit of doom-and-gloom mood around this franchise, they did just win their division. Maybe they can cobble together a contender for 2021.

Pirates

Speaking of doom-and-gloom, during a shortened season when most teams were at least somewhat mediocre, the Pirates just finished 15 games out of their division race. This team was truly dreadful. So what do they do moving forward? Well, it looks like they’re going to lose solid starter Trevor Williams, for one, who chose free agency over a demotion to the minors. They also might deal players like Josh Bell or Gregory Polanco, though that could prove difficult. It’s a bumpy road ahead.

Reds

The Reds were decent in 2020, but with Trevor Bauer likely headed elsewhere as a free agent and prospect Jose Garcia probably not ready to take the shortstop spot from free agent Freddy Galvis, things are a bit in flux. There are some things to like though, including an all-around solid offense and a rotation that should be strong even without Bauer.

NL WEST

Diamondbacks

The D-backs made a bunch of moves last offseason, including bringing in Madison Bumgarner. The result of was a last-place finish as Bumgarner and most of the starting pitchers (aside from Zac Gallen) struggled, and Eduardo Escobar was a disappointment. Mike Hazen says they’ll be looking at small moves this winter, including relief help and hoping that the small sample size that was the 2020 season is not a sign of greater problems beneath the surface.

Dodgers

How could anyone trade Mookie Betts? (That was for you Matt). Betts gets a lot of credit, and rightly so, for the Dodgers finally getting over the top in their quest for a championship. But there is plenty of credit to go around, including to Corey Seager (.943 OPS) a rejuvenated Clayton Kershaw and others. The mess of Justin Turner’s post-COVID title celebration has faded from Angelenos’ memories, and the dreamy-focus has been turned now to the likes of Nolan Arenado and Francisco Lindor. But there are other needs perhaps more pressing. The Dodgers will have to rebuild their bullpen since Blake Treinen, Jake McGee, Alex Wood and Pedro Baez will be free agents, as will the aforementioned Turner. They might want to add some rotation depth as well, especially if they ultimately decide that Julio Urias is best in the bullpen.

Giants

The Giants were a lot better than expected in 2020, finishing just a hair below .500, thanks in part to the acquisition of former Orioles properties Mike Yastrzemski and Kevin Gausman. So what now? It appears that pitching will be the focus for GM Farhan Zaidi, who has already inked Gausman to a qualifying offer and is reportedly kicking the tires on Jon Lester. This makes sense given the production of the offense, as well as the expected return of Buster Posey.

Padres

Now that the Padres have been established as the new hot ticket everybody loves, it’s time to tear them down, right? (Isn’t this how it works?). We won’t do that here, but there are some challenges ahead, including what to do with a rotation that will now be lacking Mike Clevinger for the 2021 season. By all appearances, they’re going to be aggressive, with names like Trevor Bauer, Blake Snell and Lance Lynn being bandied about. With all that buzz, as well as the awesome young lineup, it’s a good time for Padres fans.

Rockies

Remember when Charlie Blackmon was hitting .500 and we were all wondering how we’d handle a guy hitting .400 in a short season? Those were fun times. In reality, Blackmon ended up barely over .300, the Rockies cratered after some early promise and now most of the talk is centered around how they can shed Nolan Arenado, their best (but also very expensive) player. Trevor Story’s name is also out there as a trade candidate. The Rox have made a couple of minor moves, but by all appearances they’re on the express train to Rebuildville.

Bob Harkins
Bob Harkins

Orioles Analyst

Bob Harkins is a veteran journalist who has worked as a writer, editor and producer for numerous outlets, including 13 years at NBCSports.com. He is also the creator of the Razed Sports documentary podcast and the founder of Story Hangar, a network of documentary podcasters.

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