MLB 2011 Season Thread

[Damian Rey]

Originally Posted by parkmania You assume that they will keep A. McCutchen, Jones, and Walker. It's proven time and again that as soon as a guy gets even mediocre near the end of his contract, he gets traded away.

That's not going to happen anytime soon with McCutchen and Walker. Neither are free agent eligible until 2016. Alvarez also won't eligible until that year. That's 5 years after this year. Gerrit Cole could be up as soon as next year, with Tallion following suit.

Not to mention, is the NL Central really THAT strong? Outside of the Cardinals, there's really no run away team. The Reds finished under .500 against 5 playoff/potential playoff teams last year. That suggests they played in a weak division and steamrolled lesser teams, but couldn't match up well against good ball clubs.

I'm not saying the Pirates are a lock, but it's not hopeless for them. If Cole and Tallion show up and pitch even mediocre (4.00 ERA or under) and their bullpen holds up, they have an outside shot at that division over the next 5 years.