The small-market Brewers are all-in on their competitive window after a sensational 97-win season. The Cubs made it as far as the National League Division Series with their new lineup that featured (most likely) only one season of Kyle Tucker. Will Chicago take another big swing on top talent this winter?
Then there’s the Reds offense, which has a slugging problem. The Cardinals are starting a new era and going back to the foundational basics. And the Pirates, with the fourth-lowest payroll in baseball, have to prove they’ll be aggressive enough to build a significantly stronger lineup that could actually support their star ace.
After unpacking the American League Central, we look at the NL Central. Here are the biggest needs for a division that this year featured three teams competing in the postseason:
Teams are listed in order of their records, best to worst, in the 2025 season.
MILWAUKEE BREWERS
(Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
Biggest need: Starting pitcher(s)
Milwaukee made an uncharacteristic move when it extended a one-year, $22 million qualifying offer to right-hander Brandon Woodruff. The homegrown Brewer declined his $20 million mutual option, becoming a free agent, and then the front office gave him the opportunity to come back on a one-year deal. Though we don’t yet know Woodruff’s decision, which very well could involve seeking a multi-year deal with another top contender, it was surprising to see the low-revenue Brewers go all-in for the starting pitcher. Woodruff missed the 2024 season with injury and returned this year to make 12 starts and record a 3.20 ERA before missing the postseason with a different injury. That the Brewers extended the qualifying offer to Woodruff suggests that they believe his health issues are behind him, and they’re confident he will put up excellent numbers in 2026.
If Woodruff walks away from Milwaukee, the Brew Crew will need an established starting pitcher to lead what is otherwise a young and thin rotation. They picked up the club option on Freddy Peralta, making him a steal at $8 million next season, but the Brewers are said to be shopping the right-hander before he enters free agency next offseason. The Brewers are in a competitive window, and with two huge question marks in the rotation, they’ll need to acquire quality starters this winter, depending on the futures of Woodruff and Peralta.
CHICAGO CUBS
(Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Biggest need: Replenishing the bullpen
Brad Keller, Ryan Brasier, Aaron Civale, Drew Pomeranz, Taylor Rogers, Michael Soroka, and Caleb Thielbar have all entered free agency. That means the Cubs lost seven relievers – nearly their entire bullpen, except Daniel Palencia — this offseason. The front office not only has to restock its relief corps, but the Cubs need high-leverage arms as their top priority. They’ll have to get creative, through both free agency and trade, to replenish a bullpen that ranked 11th in ERA (3.78) and flashed the lowest walk rate (7.9%) in the majors.
Still, Cubs relievers deeply struggled to induce swing-and-miss. Chicago’s bullpen had the fourth-highest contact rate this year, better only than the Giants, Tigers, and Royals. They’ll have to do better than that to remain competitive in a Kyle Tucker-less world, since they’re not expected to bring back the highly coveted free-agent outfielder. While they could still be in the market for an outfielder, they seem comfortable with their in-house options (Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, top prospect Owen Caissie) filling out their vacancies.
CINCINNATI REDS
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Biggest need: Power hitters, more offense
The Reds had the fifth-worst offense in baseball this year, and thanks to the Mets’ collapse, they still managed to make the playoffs as the final wild-card team before being swept by the Dodgers in the first round. But the true fabric of Cincinnati’s lineup needs some major retooling. The Reds’ .391 slugging percentage was ranked 21st in the majors, and Elly De La Cruz’s second-half slump didn’t help. The offense needs a consistent power hitter to help improve those numbers, but they’ll have to spend big in free agency, or dip into the more attractive pieces in their farm system, to land a top-tier slugger who could make any sort of difference.
The Reds front office was encouraged by the team’s first postseason appearance since 2020. But the organization still has not advanced beyond the Division Series since 1995, when the Reds lost to the Braves in the Championship Series. Their rotation, led by All-Star Hunter Greene, is ready to compete. Cincinnati must capitalize on that starting-pitching strength by building a better offense.
ST LOUIS CARDINALS
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Biggest need: Set the groundwork for a better future
For the first time in nearly 20 years, the Cardinals have a new front-office leader in Chaim Bloom. The new president of baseball operations will begin this new era of St. Louis baseball by focusing on building a talent base for the long-term, and that starts by trading away some, if not all, of these top veteran players: Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado, and Willson Contreras. That’s just the baseline; there could be more 40-man players on the move. The Cardinals want young and controllable players in return, particularly starting pitchers, to shape future rosters. They want to focus on drafting and developing star players again.
You would be right to think this is a rebuild, even if there’s no bulldozer tearing down the entire roster. Just don’t expect their payroll for 2026 to be among the top in the sport. The Cardinals are allocating any financial flexibility toward improving internal systems before spending money on a roster that’s for sure not going to contend next year. They’re aiming to set the groundwork for a better future this offseason. The return pieces on trade packages will be crucial to their goals. Keep an eye on the players the Cardinals will get back.
PITTSBURGH PIRATES
(Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images)
Biggest need: Major offensive boost
The Pirates’ numbers on offense this year were downright ugly. Spencer Horwitz (118 wRC+) and Joey Bart (101 wRC+) were the only hitters to perform better than league average. Not even Bryan Reynolds, Andrew McCutchen or Tommy Pham cracked that mark. They hit the fewest home runs in baseball, and it wasn’t even close, as well as recording the third-worst batting average in MLB. It was a real shame, because the Pirates pitching staff recorded the seventh-best ERA (3.76) and the fourth-best fWAR (19.1) in the major leagues, wasting away a Cy Young season from Paul Skenes.
With a dominant ace leading the rotation, the Pirates actually have a chance at contending for the postseason. But they have major work to do to improve the offense to get there, and it remains a long shot that they’ll boost the lineup enough to be considered competitive all in one offseason. McCutchen and Pham are free agents, so they’re looking to fill at least a corner-outfield vacancy. Will Oneil Cruz finally take a significant step forward in his age-27 season? Either way, expect the Pirates to make moves to try and give their pitching staff some level of run support.
Deesha Thosar covers Major League Baseball as a reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.
