What Brewers rivals’ big-name free agent signing means for the rest of the NL Central

When the Chicago Cubs added Edward Cabrera to their pitching staff in a blockbuster trade with the Miami Marlins last week, it sounded some alarms among the other NL Central competitors who have taken things slowly this offseason.

If that sounded the alarms, then I suppose Alex Bregman joining forces with the Windy City natives probably set the air raid sirens off. A near one-for-one replacement with departing outfielder Kyle Tucker, Bregman immediately infuses the middle of the Cubs' lineup with a World Series champion and multi-time All-Star.

It's fair to say that, in their general malaise this winter, the Milwaukee Brewers have been surpassed (at least in some respects) by the wheeling-and-dealing Cubs, who have also rebuilt their depleted bullpen on the fly; the odds-makers are already deeming Chicago the favorites in the division. Retaining Brandon Woodruff on the qualifying offer and trading for Ángel Zerpa are certainly impactful moves from the Brewers, but they don't exactly equate to what the North Siders have been up to.

Assuming the Cubs are (mercifully) done with their big-ticket additions, how can the Crew (and the rest of the NL Central) respond to the challenge Chicago has imposed upon the rest of the division?

Brewers must be rational in their response to Cubs igniting NL Central arms race with gutsy moves

The biggest rumor surrounding the Brewers in the wake of the Bregman news is that they're closer than ever to completing a trade of Freddy Peralta, per Matthew Trueblood of Brewer Fanatic.

Trueblood makes it explicitly clear that the Crew are targeting 2024 AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil in trade talks with the New York Yankees, as well as a top prospect. That's probably the most they can expect for one year of Peralta, but Gil would help them replace their incumbent ace with a similarly high-upside arm (though he does come with a host of injury-related red flags).

Trading away Peralta feels like a counterintuitive response to the Cubs signing Bregman, but the Brewers' front office has found success by acting rationally and avoiding overreactive responses to the moves of their division rivals in recent past. An impact bat remains a sizable need — another infielder or an upgrade at the third outfield spot remain two places where the Brewers could make an addition — and another starter could be added if Peralta is dealt. Those moves don't have to break the bank, and both might potentially be solved in a hypothetical Peralta trade, but the Brewers should also have at least some financial flexibility to make an addition if Trueblood's report comes to fruition this winter.

In terms of good news, the rest of the division has mostly been quiet this winter as well, save for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who have added Brandon Lowe, Ryan O'Hearn, and Jhostynxon Garcia to their struggling lineup. They still have a ways to go to catch up to the Cubs and Brewers, but with Paul Skenes and Bubba Chandler leading their pitching staff, they could be closer to contention than most are ready to admit.

Elsewhere, the Reds have been slow to act, and after missing out on Kyle Schwarber in a surprise free agency bid, they probably won't be a big factor in other marquee pursuits. Like the Pirates and Brewers, they're lacking some offensive thump in the middle of their lineup.

With the Cardinals just entering the first stage of a long-awaited rebuild, the division figures to feature four (or maybe three and a half -- sorry Pirates, but I'll believe it when I see it) competitive squads in 2026. The Brewers have more than earned the benefit of the doubt after winning four titles in five years, but it's also unrealistic to suggest that they don't have work to do to retain their status as favorites.

The Cubs have raised the bar. Now, the Brewers need to prove once again that they're capable of leaping over it. But that shouldn't and won't lead to the front office making a near-sighted move simply to match Chicago's recent activity; that is not how the Brewers' front office operates.