2026 Baseball Preview (NL Central)

Isn't there something wonderful about the pure chaos the NL Central causes?!  Last year, it was the Brewers who went on that three-week stretch when they couldn't lose and ended up as the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.  And it was Cincinnati who came out of nowhere to grab the last wild card and knock the Mets out of the playoffs.  All of this while many people thought the Cubs were actually the most talented team in the division.

So, the real question is: What does the NL Central have in store for us this season?  Will it cause just as much chaos?  Can the division manage to get three playoff teams again?  And, if not, which of the three falls off?  Because, make no mistake, it's still those three.  It sounds really weird to be talking about the NL Central and making absolutely no mention of the Cardinals, but St. Louis is committed to a rebuild and figures to be a non-factor this season.

Although, I think it's probably a bit unrealistic to think the NL Central will get three playoff berths again.  It might even be a stretch to see them getting two.  So, which of the three will it be?  And what will their win total look like?  Because I'm not sure any of them reach 90.  I do see them all finishing in the mid-to-high 80s.  Which won't be enough for a wild card.

I've gotta think the Brewers are the team to beat, though.  Milwaukee is just so consistently good year-after-year, and there's nothing to indicate that won't be the case again this season.  I give the Reds the slight edge over the Cubs for second place, while, I can't believe I'm saying this, the Pirates are better than the Cardinals.  After going more than 30 years between last-place finishes, St. Louis will have its second in four seasons.

1. Milwaukee Brewers: We saw just how good some of the Brewers' core players are during the WBC.  Brice Turang made the All-Tournament Team.  William Contreras and Jackson Chourio contributed to Venezuela's championship (as did reliever Angel Zerpa).  They aren't unknowns anymore, and they'll be key to Milwaukee's success again.  They're the perfect type of player for the type of team Milwaukee is.  The Brewers don't have a bunch of superstars.  They just have a bunch of really good guys who know their roles.  Much like Toronto and Tampa Bay.

The closest thing the Brewers have to a star is Jacob Misiorowski, who took the NL by storm when he was called up in June and ended up making the All*Star team after just five Major League starts.  Now he's tasked with being the ace of the staff.  If Misirowski has a sophomore slump, there go Milwaukee's chances.  The rest of the rotation simply isn't strong enough behind him.  Their bullpen will have a new look, too, as closer Trevor Megill and setup man Abner Uribe have swapped roles.  Still, these aren't exactly the days of Josh Hader and Devin Williams basically being interchangeable in the Brewers bullpen.
Projected Lineup: Jackson Chourio-LF, Brice Turang-2B, Christian Yelich-DH, William Contreras-C, Andrew Vaughn-1B, Sal Frelick-RF, Luis Rengifo-3B, Joey Ortiz-SS, Garrett Mitchell-CF
Projected Rotation: Jacob Misiorowski, Chad Patrick, Brandon Woodruff, Kyle Harrison, Aaron Ashby
Closer: Abner Uribe
Projected Record: 87-75

2. Cincinnati Reds: In news that will shock absolutely no one, Terry Francona is a really good manager!  In his first year after the Reds coaxed him out of retirement, he took Cincinnati to the playoffs for the first time in a full season since 2013 after a ridiculous stretch run.  People thought the Reds were a team on the brink, but nobody expected a playoff berth in the first year.  Now the challenge becomes following it up.  Which they certainly can do.  They might have the best pitching staff in the division and a homer-happy lineup playing in a homer-happy ballpark.

Bringing back Eugenio Suarez was such a huge addition.  Not only is it a big veteran bat to put in the middle of the lineup, it signifies a commitment to building a team that can contend for the playoffs.  They also get a full year of Ke'Bryan Hayes.  And, of course, their franchise shortstop Elly de la Cruz.  But it's the pitching I really like.  Hunter Greene heads a rotation that's sneaky good.  Closer Emilio Pagan, meanwhile, had 32 saves and a 2.88 ERA last year.  They're in really good shape with their pitching staff for the first time in quite a while.  If anyone's gonna challege Milwaukee for the division title, it'll be the Reds.
Projected Lineup: TJ Friedl-CF, Noelvi Marte-RF, Elly de la Cruz-SS, Eugenio Suarez-DH, Spencer Steer-LF, Tyler Stephenson-C, Ke'Bryan Hayes-3B, Sal Stewart-1B, Matt McLain-2B
Projected Rotation: Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo, Brady Singer, Rhett Lowder
Closer: Emilio Pagan
Projected Record: 85-77

3. Chicago Cubs: Last year, they made the big splash by trading for Kyle Tucker, which made them the preseason NL Central favorites.  Instead, they ended up losing a five-game Division Series to the Brewers, then saw Tucker leave for the Dodgers as a free agent.  So, they pivoted and signed Alex Bregman, who fits right into their loaded lineup that already featured Pete Crow-Armstrong, Dansby Swanson, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki and Nico Hoerner.

Meanwhile, can their rotation follow up what it did in 2025?  Cade Horton was a Rookie of the Year finalist and Matthew Boyd was a Cy Young contender for much of the year.  Then there's that bullpen with a great setup man in Phil Maton and an exceptional closer in Daniel Palencia, who's coming off getting the save in the WBC Championship Game.  I have a feeling the Cubs will either end up being really good or hover around .500 and miss the playoffs.
Projected Lineup: Pete Crow-Armstrong-CF, Dansby Swanson-SS, Alex Bregman-3B, Seiya Suzuki-RF, Ian Happ-LF, Michael Busch-1B, Nico Hoerner-2B, Moises Ballesteros-DH, Carson Kelly-C
Projected Rotation: Cade Horton, Matthew Boyd, Edward Cabrera, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon
Closer: Daniel Palencia
Projected Record: 83-79

4. Pittsburgh Pirates: During the WBC semifinals, John Smoltz made a really good point that was sad, but true.  That was the biggest game Paul Skenes will pitch all year and might be the biggest he pitches until the next WBC.  Don't think the Pirates don't realize that, either.  They know that there's only a limited amount of time to put a competitive team on the field behind him before Skenes inevitably leaves as a free agent much like Gerrit Cole did before him.  Unfortunately, this won't be the year when that happens.

When your best player is a starting pitcher who'll only appear in 34-35 games all season, it speaks volumes about your offense.  Give Bryan Reynolds credit for sticking it out in Pittsburgh all this time, and moving Oneil Cruz to center field was a great move.  They've also made some additions, most notably Marcell Ozuna, who got squeezed out in Atlanta but will get regular DH at-bats with the Pirates.  They also added second baseman Brandon Lowe in a trade with Tampa Bay.  So, they are building up the roster.  They aren't there yet, but if they keep adding and those guys perform, they may actually be able to field a competitive team behind Skenes before he's gone.  But, hey, at least they'll be watchable every five days when he pitches!
Projected Lineup: Bryan Reynolds-LF, Oneil Cruz-CF, Brandon Lowe-2B, Marcell Ozuna-DH, Jared Triolo-3B, Ryan O'Hearn-RF. Spencer Horwitz-1B, Nick Gonzalez-SS, Henry Davis-C
Projected Rotation: Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft, Jose Urquidy
Closer: Dennis Santana
Projected Record: 72-90

5. St. Louis Cardinals: This is really weird.  The St. Louis Cardinals figure to be a complete non-factor this season.  After dangling Nolan Arenado out there all of last season, they finally traded him to Arizona.  He was really the last veteran position player that St. Louis had.  Now, they've completely turned it over to the youth movement.  Sure, there's some talent there in the likes of Masyn Winn and Jordan Walker, but not nearly enough.  And your guess is as good as mine who'll be the Cardinals' All*Star this season.

It'll be a similar situation on the pitching staff.  Sonny Gray is now in Boston, and their oldest starting pitcher is 28-year-old Kyle Leahy.  They do have Ryne Stanek in the bullpen, but he's really the only veteran presence on the roster.  There will be some growing pains in St. Louis with this young roster.  The experience they'll gain will prove valuable when they become the core of the Cardinals' next window of contention in a few years.  This year will produce a lot of losses, though.
Projected Lineup: Lars Nootbaar-LF, Jordan Walker-RF, Ivan Herrera-DH, Alec Burleson-1B, Nolan Gorman-3B, Thomas Saggesse-2B, Victor Scott II-CF, Pedro Pages-C, Masyn Winn-SS
Projected Rotation: Matthew Liberatore, Michael McGreevy, Dustin May, Kyle Leahy, Andre Pallante
Closer: JoJo Romero
Projected Record: 67-95