Up now: The NL Central.

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Will the Cardinals’ trio of 40-somethings help or hinder their playoff chances?

The Cardinals are in a unique situation in 2022. They are very capable of competing for the NL Central crown and a making a deep October run — remember, they had a 17-game winning streak and won 90 last year, with a very similar roster — but they’re also trafficking heavily in nostalgia this season. 

Franchise icon Yadier Molina had already announced that the 2022 season would be the final one of his career, and just a few days ago St. Louis brought franchise icon Albert Pujols in on a one-year deal, which he announced would be the final season of his career, too. Both will wind up in the Hall of Fame. And then there’s starer Adam Wainwright. He turned 40 last August, in the stretch run of one of the finest seasons of his outstanding career. He has hinted at retirement but hasn’t said for sure what he’ll do. 

In the Cardinals’ ideal scenario, all three repeat their 2021 performances — Wainwright functions as the reliable staff ace, Molina provides the defense, leadership and knack for clutch hits (he batted .327 with runners in scoring position last year) and Pujols again pops 17 homers in 300ish plate appearances as the part-time DH — and the trio lifts the club to a division title. 

But age is undefeated in baseball, and Pujols is 42, Wainwright is 40 and Molina turns 40 in July. Regression certainly is possible. Injuries certainly are possible. If regression happens and all three continue to play, but at a lower production level, that’s a problem. If they’re hurt and their replacements don’t perform, that’s a problem. The Brewers are really good and the NL Central won’t be won with 87 victories. 

Can the Brewers’ starters repeat their stunning 2021 success? 

Yep, absolutely. Corbin Burnes might not win the Cy Young award again, but he’ll give the Brewers a chance to win every single time he’s on the mound, as will Brandon Woodruff and Freddie Peralta. How good were those three last year? Adrian Houser had a 3.22 ERA in 28 games (26) starts and Eric Lauer had a 3.19 ERA in 24 games (20 starts) and they were the “weak” links in the rotation. Yeah. 

The biggest question for the Brewers, probably, is what Andrew McCutchen brings offensively. He’s not the same player he was during his MVP-contender years with the Pirates, but he did hit 27 homers for the Phillies last year. And Milwaukee will need that production; the lineup is still good-not-great, unless Christian Yelich reverses his two-year skid into mediocrity as a hitter, and the Brewers need someone to replace Avisail Garcia’s 29 homers after he left for Miami as a free agent. 

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Will Hunter Greene give the Reds back-to-back NL Rookie of the Year winners?

It’s been a rough few months for Reds fans, so the news on Wednesday that Hunter Greene has made the Opening Day roster and will break camp as part of the Cincinnati rotation was just a glorious bit of information. He was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft but missed a full season after Tommy John surgery, then missed competing in games in 2020 when the minor league season was canceled because of the COVID pandemic. 

So, yeah, Reds fans are eager to see him in the bigs. In 21 starts last year — 14 in Triple-A, seven in Double-A — Greene posted a 3.30 ERA with 139 strikeouts in 106 1/3 innings, with 86 hits and 39 walks allowed. He’s 22 years old, possesses an electric arm that throws fastballs that sit at 96-98 mph and hit triple digits regularly. Expecting him to make the same type of impact as Jonathan India, who produced a 3.9 bWAR as a second baseman and won the NL Rookie of the Year award, might be asking a bit much, but he’s certainly talented enough to make it happen. 

Will Oneil Cruz start the season in the bigs for the Pirates? 

No. Sorry, Pirates fans. You’ll have to wait. But the kid’s gonna be a star. 

What does Seiya Suzuki bring to the Cubs?

For starters, he represents hope. A lot of Cubs fans had resigned themselves to a mini-rebuild after the team traded away Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo and others last season.

But with the signing of Marcus Stroman to join Kyle Hendricks in the rotation and the signing of Suzuki — the best hitter in Japan — to roam the outfield and hit in the middle of the lineup, suddenly things don’t look quite so bleak.

MORE: Seiya Suzuki has won over Cubs’ clubhouse; next impression comes with his bat

Yeah, it might be a stretch to see the Cubs contend for the NL Central crown, but with the expanded playoff field and a couple of breaks along the way, playing meaningful baseball in August and September isn’t impossible.