NL Central Preview: It’s the Cubs Division to Lose
In the last ten years, the Chicago Cubs have won the National League Central division only three times. The Milwaukee Brewers have been division champions for three consecutive seasons.
But this year, the Cubbies will reclaim the NL Central crown.
When comparing them to the four other teams competing for that same title, the Cubs are the clear favorite for the season ahead.
Last year, the Cubs came extremely close, but the Brewers finished the season five games ahead with ninety-seven wins.
Each team in the division aimed to improve its roster over the offseason, but the Cubs had the best.
Milwaukee Brewers
The reigning champion Milwaukee Brewers arguably had the worst offseason of any team in this division. Baseball is a game of three parts: hitting, fielding, and pitching. In my opinion, the most important of the three is pitching. The Brewers regressed in that category after trading their ace, Freddy Peralta, to the Mets this past offseason.
The majority of their team has stayed the same from last year, and that is why I think the Brewers will regress this year, something many Cubs fans are hoping for.
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates have high hopes coming into the 2026 season. A team that hasn’t had much success in years past is looking to make strides in the upcoming year. They are anchored by their pitching, largely because they have one of the best pitchers in the world in Paul Skenes. But Skenes isn’t everything for the Buccos; they also have a highly touted prospect in Bubba Chandler, who is supposed to be a key part of their team for years to come. On top of those two pitchers, the Pirates also have former All-Star Mitch Keller as a part of their starting staff.
Looking at their bullpen, it complements their starters nicely. They have two-time All-Star Gregory Soto and Dennis Santana, who had a 2.18 earned run average in the 2025 season. Even with this above-average group of pitchers, the Cubs should have no problem with this club because their lineup isn’t anything special. Sure, they have Oneil Cruz, Ryan O’Hearn, Bryan Reynolds, and Marcell Ozuna, but that group of hitters won’t be able to carry a team for a whole season. Even with a respectable pitching unit, I expect them to be a below-average team that will miss the playoffs.
If there is one team that will give the Cubbies the most trouble in the upcoming season, the Cincinnati Reds just may be that group.
Cincinnati Reds
The Reds have a quality pitching staff highlighted by Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, and Chase Burns. Their lineup is high quality as well, and they improved it during the offseason. The Reds already had a deep lineup with guys like Elly De La Cruz, Ke’Bryan Hayes, and TJ Friedl. But this offseason, they added Eugenio Suarez, who had forty-nine home runs last year, forty-nine!
I think this club will be competitive in 2026, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they are still hanging around in the final stretch of the regular season.
St. Louis Cardinals
For the Cardinals, boy oh boy, will this season be a fun watch for Cubs fans. I say this because there is a very good chance they are one of the worst teams in the majors. The Cardinals lack both high-quality pitching and hitting. They have a handful of above-average players in Masyn Winn, Jordan Walker, and Lars Nootbaar, but that is it. They simply don’t have the roster to compete with other Major League teams.
As with any year, I am looking forward to when they show up on the Cubs’ schedule. But this year in particular, I think there will be some comedic value in watching the Cardinals play.
With the reigning champion Brewers expected to regress, the Pirates having a poor lineup, and the Cardinals expected to have a tough season, the Cubs have a really good shot at winning the National Central Division in 2026.
The Reds will be their main competitor, but the Cubs are still the better team. They have more depth at pitching, and their lineup is better than the Reds.
This division is the Cubs’ to lose, and fans should be excited for the NL Central title to return to Wrigley very soon!
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Categorized:Cubs