Baseball Crank analyzes the NL Central according to Established Win Share Levels (EWSL). The report is not kind to the Cubs, who are hoping for a number of players to exceed normal expectations. Predicted wins: 78.

Another Cubs Blog has posted the 2008 projections for the Chicago Cubs from the Bill James 2008 Handbook. The hitters' projections look pretty good from a power standpoint. About the only thing that would be really nice to have that is not there is someone to join Derrek Lee in the .390 OBA range.

FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal gives us four teams that could surpise in 2007 (in a good way). The Cubs are ineligible because of the money they spent this offseason, but there is one NL Central team on the list: the Milwaukee Brewers.Rosenthal writes:

The Brewers will be a popular choice as the sleeper of 2007, even if one rival executive already says that they are "overhyped." Still, a rotation of Sheets, lefty Chris Capuano and righties Jeff Suppan, Claudio Vargas and Dave Bush could make the Brewers formidable, perhaps even a worthy challenger to the Cardinals in the NL Central.