National League Central Offseason Grades

 

We'll continue our offseason grades with the National League Central, where the Cubs look to overtake the Brewers for the top spot. But watch out for a pair of teams who look to jump into contention in the expanded wild card era. 

Chicago Cubs: A

The Cubs had an impressive offseason despite losing one of the best players in baseball in Kyle Tucker. Alex Bregman was the headline signing, and will provide right handed power to go along with Michael Busch. His leadership skills are also a major plus to a young Cubs team. Trading for Edward Cabrera gives the Cubs one of the highest upside rotations, albeit one that comes with major health questions. Justin Steele will return at some point in the first half, but he hasn’t pitched a full season since 2023. Cabrera has a lengthy injury history, and rookie talent Cade Horton missed the Cubs wild card round. The Cubs return breakout starter Matthew Boyd, as well as Shota Imanaga, who accepted the qualifying offer from the Cubs. The addition of Bregman could lead to a trade from the infield, as former top prospect Matt Shaw and second baseman Nico Hoerner, who is entering the last year of his deal, are both hearing their names in trade talks. 

Cincinnati Reds: B+

Signing Eugenio Suarez on a 1 year, $15 million deal might go down as one of the best signings of the offseason, as Suarez’s power will shine in a hitter friendly park like Great American. Elly De La Cruz had a down year in 2025, but is still one of the most talented players in baseball. Top prospect Sal Stewart impressed in his September call up, while Noelvi Marte had a season to build on. They will look to get more out of 25 year old Matt Mclain, who struggled to a .643 OPS last year. The Reds did well to add outfield depth in Dane Myers and JJ Bleday, as well as strengthening their bullpen. While early rumors of Kyle Schwarber might have set unfair expectations on their offseason, the Reds improved their lackluster lineup and go into the 2026 season with a top 10 rotation and hopes of making it back to the playoffs. 

Milwaukee Brewers: B-

The Brewers did well in the Freddy Peralta trade, getting a better return than they did for Corbin Burnes two offseasons ago. Brandon Sproat will go right into the rotation, while Williams should have a chance to crack the opening day roster. Angel Zerpa represents the type of high leverage reliever the Brewers love, he’ll join Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill in one of the better bullpens in baseball. The Brewers did little to build upon their 97 win season, and there are major questions regarding their rotation. Bradon Woodruff, who hasn’t pitched a full season since 2022, leads the rotation. It’s going to be difficult for Quinn Preister and Chad Patrick to replicate their 2025 success, while phenom Jacob Misorowski’s rookie season raised more questions than answers.

Pittsburgh Pirates: B+

The Pirates, for the first time since 2016, signed a free agent to a multi year deal when they agreed with first baseman Ryan O’Hearn on a 2 year, $29 million deal. Despite this, it still feels as if Pittsburgh could have done more. They were linked with slugger Kyle Schwarber, were connected with Japanese stars Muneteka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto, and were rumoured to be talking to Eugenio Suarez and Framber Valdez in the last couple days. They lost out on all of them. They did well in the trade market, trading from pitching depth to acquire a handful of useful players. Brandon Lowe immediately becomes the best hitter on the team, while Jhostyxon Garcia, Jake Mangum, and Mason Montgomery should all contribute throughout 2026. Even with those trades, Pittsburgh’s rotation has one of the highest ceilings in the majors. Paul Skenes is Paul Skenes, and Jared Jones threw his first bullpen in early January. Add in a full season of top pitching prospect Bubba Chandler, plus the ever reliable Mitch Keller, and you have the makings of a top 10 rotation. They also have one of the best prospects of the last 10 years in Konnor Griffin, who is only 19 but will have the chance to make the opening day roster with a strong spring. 

St. Louis Cardinals: B+

        The Cardinals, entering a new era under Chaim Bloom, fully leaned into the rebuild, trading many of their veteran players. Nolan Arenado, Wilson Contreras, Sonny Gray, and Brendan Donovan are out. They combined to bring in 9 prospects and 2 comp picks. Bloom went heavy on the pitching side, getting 5 starters from the Red Sox in the Contreras and Gray trades. Hunter Dobbins and Richard Fitts both have MLB starting experience, and Yhoiker Fajardo and Brandon Clarke are both high upside arms. The best prospect they received is Jurrangelo Cijntje from the Mariners. Cijntje was the 15th overall pick in the 2024 draft, and made headlines by starting his professional career as a switch pitcher. The Mariners were reportedly going to move forward with Cijntje as a righty in 2026, while only allowing him to throw from the left side in bullpens. It is unclear whether or not the Cardinals will allow him to switch pitch going forward. The Cardinals have some high upside prospects, most notably shortstop JJ Wetherholt and catcher Rainiel Rodriguez, but haven’t seen much of anything out of their young players at the major league level, especially on the offensive side. This will be a big season for former top prospect Jordan Walker. Walker is only 24, but has a .680 career OPS and posted -1.7 WAR with a .584 OPS last season.