After grabbing the NL Central crown in 2024 by a sizable 10 games, the Milwaukee Brewers will have a target on their backs entering 2025. Considering how the season ended for them offensively, that may be bad news.
(Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
The Chicago Cubs look like the best team in this division, something that was already true prior to their acquisition of Kyle Tucker over the offseason, and as many teams contemplate their future they should find their way to another division crown.
Let's break down where each of the NL Central teams stand and preview the MLB Futures market.
All odds via
DraftKings
as of February 20, 2025.
Chicago Cubs Odds to Win (+125)
The Cubs find themselves in a similar position to where they were last year. With every other team in the division either working through a rebuild or quickly approaching one, they have a golden opportunity in front of them to snatch this division not only in the 2025 season but in the years ahead.
- Chicago's roster is the most ready of any team in this division to compete by some margin, and 2025 should be the season where we see its budding stars break through.
The team made a shrewd move at last year's deadline in acquiring Isaac Paredes, and while many believed he may be installed as the third baseman the Cubs desired, many who are familiar with this roster knew he would be a future trade piece. That came to fruition when the Cubs traded him, a young arm and one of their best hitting prospects for Kyle Tucker this offseason, netting them one of the very best hitters in the game.
While the Cubs could have hit the free-agent market to find a capable third baseman, they declined to do so as a vote of confidence in young infielder Matt Shaw. Taken in the first round of the 2024 draft, Shaw was seen as a potential call-up with how quickly he flew through the team's system. He is one of the most exciting young talents in the league, and the odds are he'll break camp with the team to give them a handsome-looking lineup.
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Milwaukee Brewers
Odds to Win
(+260)
The Brewers seem to tease us every season with their offensive production, and last year was no different. They managed to finish 10th in wRC+ when it was all said and done, but in the second half they graded out as just the 17th-best offense which we've learned from their hot streaks in the past few years is just about where they belong.
This team is a big mystery. Yes, Christian Yelich had a great bounce-back season in 2024 and William Contreras remains one of the most dangerous hitters in the game. That much we can't argue. The other members of this lineup, however, were utterly confusing.
Rhys Hoskins barely managed to make it to the league average in wRC+ while Brice Turang and Sal Frelick regressed following red-hot starts to the season. While the latter two are young, they've yet to prove capable of anchoring the middle of an order that was desperate for consistent production.
- Put bluntly, this offense is top-heavy and has offered little room for optimism -- which is tough news considering this once-great pitching system has tailed off in recent years.
The Brewers did go out and a Nestor Cortes in the offseason, but there's still a lot that Tobias Myers -- anchored by a lone quality pitch -- will need to prove. He's supposed to be the No. 2 starter for this team, which is scary -- nobody else is looking primed to take over that role and Brandon Woodruff is still a while away from a return.
Now that this team has dealt Devin Williams away, it could only be a matter of time before the Brewers decide to fully tear it down and try to capitalize on the prime of Contreras and Jackson Chourio.
St. Louis Cardinals
Odds to Win
(+600)
The Cardinals are in a strange situation. They seemed open to trading their eldest two stars in Nolan Arenado and Sonny Gray entering the winter, but as we get set for the upcoming season both of those men remain in St. Louis.
- That could be good news, because despite a roller-coaster of a season in 2024 this team finished a respectable 83-79 and isn't very far off from being a playoff ballclub.
Alec Burleson and Brendan Donovan transformed into reliable hitters last year, and with the arrow on Masyn Winn very much pointing up this team should be a tough one to contend with in the division -- and could even be a division winner if current flops Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman turn their careers around.
The great unknown is this pitching staff, which did get better a season ago by adding Erick Fedde, but still lacks quality aside from Gray atop the rotation and Yan Helsley, Ryan Fernandez and JoJo Romero in the late innings.
If this offense can deliver on the potential it promised in 2024, this team could actually go out and add to the pitching staff to create some drama in the NL Central.
Cincinnati Reds
Odds to Win (+650)
The Reds are still squarely in a rebuild, though injuries in 2024 robbed us of truly figuring out how good this team could be.
Still, there's very little hope to be found here aside from a handful of utterly tantalizing young talents. It seems the Reds have a bonafide ace in Hunter Greene and a shut-down closer in Alexis Diaz to join the unicorn known as Elly De La Cuz in forming a solid core.
After that, however, most of the players which this organization has developed are nearing 30 and could become trade bait by the summer. I wouldn't be putting your money on this team to win the division, there are far too many low-quality players operating in every-day roles.
Pittsburgh Pirates Odds to Win (+800)
I would seem that the Pirates should have better odds than the Reds in this division, which is definitely confusing. They went out and added old man Tommy Pham over the offseason, who continues to hit int his late thirties, and if he's still capable of hitting there is plenty to love about the potential we saw from the likes of Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Joey Bart and even Jared Triolo a season ago.
- Bart could very well be delivering on his prospect pedigree after the San Francisco Giants gave up on the former top-five pick last spring, and a fellow catching prospect -- Endy Rodriguez -- will be making his long awaited return from injury to play first base for this team.
Pittsburgh's offense got hot on a few occasions last year, and if it can find consistency, it's great news for its outlook. Paul Skenes is anchoring what suddenly looks like a formidable rotation next to Jared Jones and Mitch Keller, forcing the team's hand in acquiring Andrew Heaney late in free agency.
With some reinforcements in the bullpen, too, the Pirates could easily stun many of the teams in this division.
Best bet for the NL Central Futures
Despite the optimism some of these younger clubs may have entering the season, it would still be shocking to see the Cubs finish anywhere but second place in this division.
With Tucker anchoring things near the top and joining last year's breakout hitter for this team -- Michael Busch -- much should be expected of this offense. It will once again put the onus on Chicago's pitching staff to pick up the slack, but some improvements should make life a bit easier.
I expect to see Ben Brown spend a lot of time in the rotation, which is exciting given his sky-high potential, and a move back to the bullpen for Javier Assad could prove to be what this team needs to complete its look. With Tyson Miller, Ryan Presly and Ryan Brasier -- all of whom have been acquired in the past eight months -- Chicago should be head and shoulders above all teams in this division.
The Cubs continue to own one of the best farm systems in baseball, which allowed them to acquire Tucker this winter, and they can continue to fill holes by trading from their surplus of prospects should the season begin on a high note. They may also bring up Cade Horton to solidify an already-populous rotation if they should feel compelled to do so. The options are endless.
Best Bet: Cubs to win the NL Central (+125)
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