The Astros, Cubs and Dodgers all had very disappointing 2010 seasons. The Astros finished in fourth place with the Cubs, one game behind fifth place in the National League Central division. While the Astros have been lingering in the basement for years, they did show signs of new life at the end of 2010.
The Cubs, on the other hand, went from winning the division in 2008 to second place in 2009 and then total disaster in 2010. It has been a long, ugly slide downhill for the Cubs.
In the National League West division, the Dodgers took fourth place in 2010 and went two games under 500 after winning the division both of the two previous years.
Despite the winning push at the end of 2010, the Astros may still see some growing pains in 2011. The Cubs will likely not do much better. But the Dodgers, with a few key staff changes and upgrades, have the best chance at success in 2011.
The following slides detail the reasons why each team either will or will not see improvement during the upcoming 2011 season.