Power Ranking the NL Central as spring training nears: Brewers are still elite

The Roki Sasaki sweepstakes are over, the Hall of Fame class has been announced, and we are about two and a half weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training. The Milwaukee Brewers have a chance to win the division for the 3rd straight season, and for the 4th time in 5 seasons, despite what many fans would say has been way too quiet of an offseason. After another offseason without a major splash, where do the Brewers stand against the rest of the division?

NL Central Power Rankings: Brewers still the class of the division

5. Cincinnati Reds

Quite frankly, this offseason made very little sense for the Reds. As a team that finished 4th, a game ahead of the Pirates, the Cincinnati Reds did very little to change their standing in the division. The biggest moves came from trading Jonathan India and former Brewers outfielder Joey Weimer for Royals pitcher Brady Singer, and acquiring Gavin Lux for 2024 draft pick Mike Sirota.

The Reds also acquired catcher Luis Trevino from the Yankees, a move that fellow FanSided writer Drew Koch called a transition to a focus on defense. While Elly De La Cruz remains one of the must-watch players in the game, he will be one of the very few reasons to watch the Reds at all. Cincinnati figures to remain in the cellar of the Central.

4. Pittsburgh Pirates

Despite finishing last in the NL Central in the 2024 season, things may be trending upwards in Pittsburgh. A full season of Paul Skenes should be a massive positive for the Buccos, but the Pirates may be a couple years from contending in the division. Pittsburgh only made one big league addition, acquiring Spencer Horwitz from Toronto to replace Rowdy Tellez.

Despite having some of the top prospects in baseball, Pirates fans reportedly were chanting "Sell the team" at Pirates Fest. The biggest story of the Pirates offseason was the hunt for Paul Skenes 1/1 rookie card. As for Skenes, he mentioned at Pirates Fest that he hasn't given much thought to a contract extension yet, causing some concern among the Pittsburgh faithful.

Though this squad will be fun to see how they grow together this year, and may have an outside shot of a .500 record this season, I don't forsee the Pirates ranking too much higher in 2025.

3. St. Louis Cardinals

A late season surge helped the St Louis Cardinals finish above .500 and tied for 2nd in the NL Central at 83-79. Nevertheless, with as much talent on the Cardinals roster, it still feels like a disappointment after how good the franchise has been over the last 25 years. Like the entire division, a quiet offseason of letting guys walk in free agency keeps the Redbirds stagnant at the 3 spot in the division.

The Cardinals biggest move this offseason is still yet to come, as the team has been actively shopping third baseman Nolan Arenado to a team that he would be willing to lift his no trade clause for, which may be sooner rather than later. After already letting Paul Goldschmidt walk, losing Arenado would be a big blow to this team.

Still though, there is a fairly large gap from the Reds and Pirates, to St. Louis. The Cardinals have lot of young talent, playing for one of baseball's blue bloods. The valleys are generally significantly shorter than the peaks. While this team may be a year or two out from truly contending again, the Cardinals should still remain in the middle of the division.

2. Chicago Cubs

Chicago remains an interesting team in the NL Central. After falling short of expectations in former Brewers manager Craig Counsell's first season with the club, the Cubs are reloading to see if they can win their first division title since the shortened 2020 season. Chicago made the biggest splash of the division, landing Kyle Tucker from Houston. Tucker will look to replace Cody Bellinger, who Chicago dealt to the Yankees.

Chicago isn't without question marks, as the Cubs will be relying on a young core of bats and pitchers. While many of these guys have high ceilings, any regression could be disastrous for Chicago. This team very well can contend for the division, but until we see it, finishing 10 games behind Milwaukee last season is still a lot to make up.

1. Milwaukee Brewers

Despite a very quiet offseason, for this Power Rankings, Milwaukee still rules the division. The Brewers did lose Willy Adames in free agency, and traded Devin Williams to the Yankees, but may be sitting pretty well despite the big losses. Of course, receiving Nestor Cortes from the Yankees, who will replace Colin Rea in the rotation helps out immensely. The Brewers also received Caleb Durbin Durbin in that trade, who is one of the hottest prospects out there, and could fill in immediately in the infield.

The Brewers are also "adding" two pieces, as Brandon Woodruff's and Christian Yelich's return from injury. Woodruff missed all of the 2024 season with a shoulder injury that kept him out of the 2023 postseason as well. If he can return to even 85-90% of the former All Star starter that he was before the injury, the Brewers get a true 2 or 3 spot starter. Yelich was a 2024 NL All Star before his injury, and due to a crowded outfield that includes Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick, Blake Perkins, and of course budding superstar Jackson Chourio, Yelich may be able to DH more frequently, and ideally stay healthy.