Spring is here and so is baseball. The season opened with the LA Dodgers sweeping the Chicago Cubs in the Tokyo Series. The Dodgers spent the most money a year ago and they walked away with a World Series crown. Much of the same happened this past offseason, but baseball is a funny sport. Having the best team in baseball doesn’t mean you are guaranteed to win the title. That’s more important than ever to remember as we enter a new year with exciting new rosters and a bounty of young talent rising to the top. Here is our 2025 NL Central preview.
What Happened in 2024:
It was an interesting year for the NL Central. All five teams had legitimate playoff shots. The Milwaukee Brewers ultimately took home the division with a 93-win season but there was competition that kept it close the whole way through. The Cardinals and Cubs fell off towards the end but still posted .500 or better records and showed that a new era is among us in both of those cities. The Reds and Pirates put up good fights and we saw exciting new players come to the bigs including Paul Skenes who won the NL Rookie of the Year award. The Reds had a decent year, but not enough for David Bell to keep his job. He was replaced by Terry Francona who is back in the game for another stint.
Best Players to Watch:
Brewers – Jackson Chourio – He lived up to the hype in his rookie season, hitting over 20 home runs and immediately cementing himself as a playmaker.
Cubs – Kyle Tucker – One of the best moves of the offseason was getting Kyle Tucker who should have plenty of success in right field at Wrigley.
Pirates – Paul Skenes – Skenes won the NL Rookie of the Year last season and he is my pick to be the Cy Young this season, he is that good.
Reds – Elly De La Cruz – He took his 2023 and upped it from there. De La Cruz was electric in 2024, he stole 67 bases and hit 25 home runs.
Cardinals – Masyn Winn – The Cards are hoping that they have one of the best short stops in the league in Winn who is just 22 years old and gets on base a ton.
Biggest Addition and Subtraction:
Addition: Getting Tucker was a massive move for the Cubs who now have one of the best outfielders in all of baseball. He is going to demand a massive contract after this season, and the Cubs could get out in front of that.
Subtraction: Willy Adames is a massive subtraction for the Brewers who lose a shortstop that will belt 20-plus home runs and gives you excellent defense up the middle. They replaced him with a young player named Joey Ortiz.
Division Winner:
Milwaukee Brewers: 92-70 – The Brewers won a ton of games last year and separated themselves at the end of the year. It was clear that replacing Craig Counsell with Pat Murphy was the right move and I expect them to win another division title.