With Phat Albert no longer on the Cardinals and Prince Fielder no longer on the Brewers, the division opens up a little more. I can see a few competitors for the division title.
Let's first look at last year's division winners; the Brewers. No Prince Fielder hurts them but doesn't take them out of the running. They still have a pretty good rotation: Yovani Gallardo, Zach Greinke, Randy Wolf, and Shaun Marcum look solid. None of them were Cy Young material last year but combined they were great. While they don't have Prince Fielder in the lineup anymore, they still have Ryan Braun, the NL "got off a drug suspension" MVP. Plus, they also added Aramis Ramirez to the lineup. That along with Corey Hart makes them solid on offense as well.
Then what about the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals? Can't count them out. The return of Adam Wainwright o the rotation with Chris Carpenter somewhat makes up for the lost bat in Pujols. Plus the rest of the rotation is pretty good. They might be the best rotation in the division. Their lineup needs to make up a bit for Pujols' departure but I think they will be able to do it.
As for the rest of the division, I guess the Reds could surprise some people. Their rotation headed by Johnny Cueto will keep them in it provided he stays healthy. Their lineup could use a bit more help, though. The Pirates will likely improve but there big thing for this season is simply trying to break .500. The Cubs rotation looks alright but their lineup needs more help unless Starlin Castro can improve even more. As for the Astros, enjoy possibly the last year of sucking in the NL Central.
My Pick? I'm choosing the Cardinals. Pitching wins out and their rotation just seem better than everyone else's. This of course happens provided that Wainwright bounces back from his injury. I can see the Brewers being in that Wild Card game, though.
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