Grading each NL Central team’s offseason

The 27-year-old has been named an All-Star for three consecutive seasons, producing a .275/.362/.515 slash line with 82 home runs and 268 RBI across 385 games in that span. 

He significantly upgrades the Cubs’ middle of the order. As for the rest of its offseason, Chicago made a variety of moves that complement last year’s 83-win team, including adding reliever Eli Morgan, catchers Carson Kelly and Matt Thaiss and pitchers Matthew Boyd, Matt Festa and Colin Rea. 

The Cubs have pulled the right strings and could still be players for free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman. Either way, with a deeper roster and former Manager of the Year Craig Counsell, Chicago will be a threat in 2025.

Cincinnati Reds: B

A few seasons ago, the Reds were considered an up-and-coming, young ball club that would sneak into the postseason and go on an incredible run. Unfortunately, that dream never came to fruition. That said, Cincinnati still has a lot of talent on its roster.

Noelvi Marte was suspended for the first half of 2024, and Matt McLain, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Nick Lodolo’s seasons ended due to injuries. Getting them back in 2025 will help. The Reds added former Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux to their infield and traded former Rookie of the Year Jonathan India to the Royals for starter Brady Singer. Singer joins a promising Reds rotation that saw Nick Martinez re-sign.

Additionally, Cincinnati hired three-time Manager of the Year Terry Francona as its new skipper. If the Reds stay healthy, they will be a better team in 2025.

Pittsburgh Pirates: C

Although Pittsburgh finished last in the NL Central in 2024, Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes helped put the Pirates on the map. They’re a young team with great potential in 2025. While winning the division or making the playoffs is a long shot, they can make strides this year.

The Bucs’ most notable move was signing franchise icon Andrew McCutchen to a one-year, $5M deal. The 38-year-old former MVP appeared in 120 games last season with 20 homers, 50 RBI and a .739 OPS. Entering his 17th season, Cutch will be the DH and mentor. Pittsburgh also acquired first baseman Spencer Horwitz, an offensive and defensive upgrade with excellent on-base skills.

While their offseason moves don’t make them a contender, it’s still a great sign that the organization made any. However, the Pirates must continue investing in their future to keep Skenes around long-term.

Milwaukee Brewers: D

A successful 2024 season ended in another disappointment for the Brewers. The Mets eliminated them in the wild-card round thanks to some Pete Alonso heroics. Alonso’s three-run home run off Devin Williams sealed the reliever’s fate. Milwaukee dealt him to the Yankees in exchange for minor league infielder Caleb Durbin and starting pitcher Nestor Cortes. 

Losing Williams, a former Rookie of the Year winner, makes the Brewers weaker. In six seasons with Milwaukee, the 30-year-old had a 1.83 ERA and struck out 375 batters in 235.2 innings. Cortes, meanwhile, has struggled to a 4.09 ERA since his All-Star season in 2022. 

The Brewers also lost shortstop Willy Adames to the San Francisco Giants, leaving a gaping hole in their lineup. 

St. Louis Cardinals: F

How far have the Cardinals fallen since finishing the 2022 campaign with the top two NL MVP candidates? The MVP winner that season, Paul Goldschmidt, is now a clean-shaven Yankee, while Nolan Arenado trade rumors have festered the entire winter. 

They finished just above .500 in 2024 and have an aging roster. St. Louis has had just as quiet of an offseason as you can have, making no significant moves to its roster, hence the F grade.