Back when we thought baseball would have a normal 2020 season, Cubs fans had a different team to keep an eye on in the NL Central. The Cardinals and Brewers have been their main rivals for the past few years, but the Reds are in position to contend in 2020.
It began in July 2019, when they acquired Trevor Bauer from the Indians. This past offseason, they improved by taking players away from their division rivals. Cincinnati signed Nick Castellanos, who had a 1.002 OPS in the 51 games he played with the Cubs. He and Mike Moustakas, who hit 35 homers for the Brewers in 2019, agreed to a 4-year, $64 million deals.
The Reds also shored up their pitching, adding lefty Wade Miley to their starting rotation and Pedro Strop, who spent the last seven seasons with the Cubs, to the bullpen.
The Reds may be coming off six straight losing seasons, but don’t tell that to Cubs fans. Last year, the North Siders dropped 11 of 19 games to Cincinnati.
Then, there are the Cub killers.
Joey Votto, a career .307 hitter, always seems to have his way against Cubs pitching. Now, the latest Reds hitter who destroys them is Eugenio Suarez. In 19 games last season, he hit .378 with nine homers, 21 RBIs and a remarkable 1.233 OPS against Chicago.
It all adds up to what should be an interesting four-team race in the NL Central. Let’s just hope baseball comes back so we can see how it plays out.
