Brewers’ rivals interest in free agent reunion is too funny (and sightly scary)

The Chicago Cubs completed their first big move of the offseason by acquiring Miami Marlins starter Edward Cabrera, setting the stage for a (belated) arms race in the NL Central.

Bringing in Cabrera alone won't close the gap between them and the Milwaukee Brewers — especially since they had to forfeit top prospect Owen Caissie as part of the deal — though they may not be done with blockbuster additions just yet. They've reportedly met with old friend Cody Bellinger as well.

Bellinger is coming off an elite season with the New York Yankees, hitting .272/.334/.480 (125 wRC+) with 29 home runs and 98 RBIs. He'd be a formidable addition to the middle of the Cubs' lineup... which was also true last year when they salary dumped him in a trade with the Bronx Bombers.

Cubs' Cody Bellinger saga is hilarious, but also a terrifying thought for Brewers in NL Central arms race

Roughly 13 months ago, the Cubs traded for Kyle Tucker, giving them a ruthless outfield featuring multiple All-Stars at every position.

Then, they decided that paying for all that talent was too onerous a proposition, and so they traded Bellinger to the Yankees... for Cody Poteet. If you don't know who that is, don't worry — Cubs fans probably don't either. He never pitched in a game for Chicago, getting DFA'd prior to Opening Day.

It was a hilarious end to a wildly botched plan, and then Bellinger went on to have his best season in six years in New York. Now, he's one of the premier free agents on the market, and the Cubs are interested in signing him for the same big money they tried saving when they dealt him away.

Again, if they were to sign 2019 NL MVP, they'd be able to field an excellent lineup spearheaded by Bellinger, Michael Busch, and Pete-Crow Armstrong. With Caissie now in Miami, there's also (theoretically) a spot open in right field in Wrigley, though that'd create a logjam at DH with Seiya Suzuki and Moises Ballesteros.

That'd be a good problem for the Cubs to have, and a difficult one for the Brewers to overcome. Milwaukee hasn't done much of anything this winter, and persistent Freddy Peralta trade rumors suggest a downgrade, rather than an upgrade, is coming.

That combination of factors could lead to a situation where the North Siders enter the 2026 season as favorites in the NL Central. But, then again, the same was said last year when the Cubs acquired Tucker and the Crew traded away Devin Williams. And we all know how that turned out.