The next generation of National League Central talent has arrived and with it, an exciting new flare. How do these teams stack up in 2025?
The National League is setting up to have a whole jumble of competitive teams, and the Central division is no exception. Let’s size up the five teams competing for playoff spots.
1. Chicago Cubs
A balance of power, pitching, and high caliber defense, OF Kyle Tucker’s Cubs are poised to be the most potent Chicago team in recent memory.
The Cubs will look to Tucker, DH Seiya Suzuki, OF Ian Happ, and 1B Michael Busch to provide the bulk of the offense this season after a tandem of excellent performances in 2024. Last season, the foursome slugged an average 28 home runs per 162 games and recorded an average OPS of .849.
SS Dansby Swanson, 2B Nico Hoerner, and Happ are all Gold Glove winners and top-prospect OF Pete Crow-Armstrong ranks in the 96th percentile or higher in range, arm strength, and arm value, rounding out a top-tier defensive alignment up the middle of the field.
Japanese sensation SP Shota Imanaga looks to build on a stellar rookie campaign alongside Cubs SPs Ace Justin Steele. Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd, and Colin Rea round out the starting five, while newly acquired RP Ryan Pressly will likely assume a closer role out of the bullpen.
The Cubs are well equipped to capitalize on a chronically mediocre National League Central.
2. Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers have their sights set on a third straight division title.
Milwaukee sports a dynamic young outfield of plus defense, speed, and offensive potential in OFs Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, and Garrett Mitchell. 21-years old this season, Chourio posted a very solid 117 OPS+ in his 148-game rookie season.
2018 National League MVP Christian Yelich is on the comeback trail for the first time since his underwhelming 2020 season. Though limited to just 73 games in 2024, Yelich posted a remarkable .315/.406/.504 triple slash, each the highest since his MVP runner-up season in 2019. If Yelich can maintain that production over 130+ games, the Brewers have found their answer for the Cubs and Kyle Tucker.
In his final year of team control, SP Freddy Peralta sits atop Milwaukee’s starting rotation. Owner of a 3.52 ERA since 2020, Peralta is as close to a sure thing as the Brewers can expect.
SP Brandon Woodruff will make his much-anticipated return to the rotation for the first time since September of 2023, when a shoulder injury sidelined the now 32-year-old for the entire 2024 campaign. Woodruff’s rate stats are excellent, however, an expectedly limited workload could cap his contributions.
With RP Devin Williams gone, RP Trevor Megill will begin the season as the closer.
3. Cincinnati Reds
In a season brimming with promise, 2024 was a disappointment for Cincinnati and the baseball world.
Young stars like OF Will Benson, 3B Noelvi Marte, UTL Spencer Steer, and 1B Christian Encarnacion-Strand all took emphatic steps backward. 3B Jeimer Candelario struggled mightily in the first year of his three-year, $45 million contract with the Reds, subtracting -0.7 WAR from the lineup.
2B Jonathan India, SS Elly De La Cruz, and C Tyler Stephenson were the only qualified hitters with an OPS at or above league average, and now Jonathan India is gone.
On a positive note, De La Cruz performed admirably in his second season. A true five-tool superstar, the 23-year-old swiped a league leading 67 bases, slugged 36 doubles, 25 homers, and scored 105 times. His .809 OPS marked a 99-point increase over his rookie season, and his arm strength and fielding metrics graded among the top tier across all of baseball.
SP Hunter Greene took a much-anticipated leap in his third season, sporting a sparkling 2.75 ERA in 26 starts. SPs Nick Lodolo and Andrew Abbott have both shown flashes of brilliance but have yet to do it at the same time. 2023 first rounder and rookie Rhett Lowder was phenomenal in his six-start cup of coffee, twirling a 1.17 ERA in 30 innings.
With the addition of SP Brady Singer and return of 2B Matt McLain, the Reds are more dangerous than ever before.
Given a return to form for the promising young Reds with “The Launchpad” as a backdrop, don’t be surprised if the ’25 Reds are firmly in the mix as a National League Wild Card come September.
4. St. Louis Cardinals
With the odd third or fourth place finish, St. Louis has been the preeminent force in the National League Central since 2000. Since 2022, however, the Cardinals have failed to put a playoff-caliber team on the field, and 2025 figures to be more of the same.
SP Sonny Gray leads the starting rotation, filled out by SPs Erick Fedde, Miles Mikolas, Steven Matz, and Andre Pallante. Cardinals number two and three prospects SPs Tink Hence and Quinn Mathews will likely both debut this season and might benefit from an opportunity to work through growing pains at the big league level during a season without pressure or expectation.
St. Louis will be without 1B Paul Goldschmidt for the first time since 2019, and Nolan Arenado’s OPS now hovers around league average, though he remains an elite defender. Without these stalwart producers in the core of the lineup, the onus is on Cardinals like OF Lars Nootbaar, 2B Nolan Gorman, and DH Jordan Walker to take the next step offensively, though their collective health problems may prohibit such a step.
For a team with such a rough outlook, the Cardinals have a surprising smattering of bright spots. 2B Brendan Donovan played 150+ games for the first time last season, posting a 112 OPS+ all the while. SS Masyn Wynn raised his OPS nearly 260 points last season and garnered 4.9 WAR at just 22 years old. C Willson Contreras and C Ivan Herrera were both fantastic in their half seasons of play. The pair posted a .848 and .800 OPS, respectively.
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
It’s been eight consecutive bottom-two divisional finishes for the Pittsburgh Pirates since 2017, and the light at the end of the tunnel remains as dim as ever.
After a 76-win last place finish in 2024, the Pirates spent just $19 million in free agent contracts this offseason on relief pitchers and role players, leaving little hope for improvement in 2025. Only three Pirates hitters reached the qualifying 500 plate appearances and all three posted an above average OPS: OF Bryan Reynolds, DH Andrew McCutchen, and OF Oneil Cruz.
The only other hitters to surpass the league average OPS were C Joey Bart and C Jason Delay, who played in just 80 and seven games, respectively.
Former closer David Bednar underwent a catastrophic collapse, nearly tripling his ERA to 5.77. Maybe the Pirates should sign RP David Robertson to bulk up the bullpen.
All told, Pittsburgh finished 27th in OPS, 25th in home runs, 22nd in defensive runs saved, and 20th in ERA.
The only reasons for optimism this time around come from the pitching staff. First overall draft pick in 2023, SP Paul Skenes, flew through the minor leagues like a man on fire, throwing just 34 innings from rookie ball through AAA. His 1.96 ERA last season earned him a third place Cy-Young finish and National League Rookie of the Year honors.
SP Jared Jones carried a 3.56 ERA through July, until a string of bad starts landed his season ERA at 4.14. MLB Pipeline’s number 15 prospect SP Bubba Chandler and his electric fastball are expected in the big leagues this season after dominating AAA. SP Tom Harrington, a starter and Pirates number three prospect, will likely be promoted not long after.
The National League Central is up for grabs, but not for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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