NL Central
Chicago Cubs
I’ve got the Cubs winning the NL Central. This feels like a team that looked at itself and decided to stop messing around and actually try to win the division. They added Alex Bregman, Edward Cabrera, and a bunch of bullpen arms, and the roster as a whole just feels more serious.
That said, losing Kyle Tucker is a real hit. You do not just lose a bat like that and pretend it means nothing. He changes the feel of a lineup. Even with that, I still think Chicago built this team more like a division winner than a team just trying to hang around. First place.
Cincinnati Reds
I’ve got the Reds finishing second, and there is still a lot to like here. Bringing Eugenio Suarez back is fun, they added bullpen help, and this is still a team that can be dangerous in stretches.
But let’s not act like the Hunter Greene injury doesn’t completely change the conversation. Losing your ace until July is brutal and makes the season harder before it even starts. I still think there’s enough talent here to stay in the mix, but that injury takes a lot of the shine off what this team could’ve been.
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates check in third for me. They definitely got more punch with guys like Brandon Lowe, Ryan O’Hearn, and Marcell Ozuna, but the real thing keeping them interesting is Paul Skenes. He is already one of the best pitchers in baseball and the kind of monster ace that can keep a team hanging around longer than the rest of the roster probably should.
I can absolutely see that rotation keeping Pittsburgh in the thick of the division for a while. But over 162, this still feels like more punch and the same headaches. Better lineup, sure. Cleaner roster. Not really. There is still a lot of duct tape here, and I’m not fully buying in over the long haul.
Milwaukee Brewers
I’ve got the Brewers finishing fourth, which always feels dangerous because they never fully go away. Every year you think they are taking a step back, and every year they find a way to annoy people.
But on paper, I just don’t love this version as much as past years. They lost real pieces, they are straddling timelines again, and while I’m sure they’ll still do their usual annoying Brewers thing for stretches, I don’t think there is enough here to finish higher than fourth.
St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals round it out in last, and this is pretty clearly a reset. They moved off Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray, Brendan Donovan, and a big part of the identity this team used to have.
This isn’t retooling. This is starting over. It is a very different Cardinals team, and not in a way that scares anybody. Last place.
NL Central Prediction
Cubs
Reds
Pirates
Brewers
Cardinals
