Every MLB Team’s Most Notable Offseason Addition: NL Central

The NL Central made some noise this offseason, getting a mix of stars, sluggers, and pitchers. There were some big names traded away as well from a couple of clubs. Overall, it was an active offseason across the board in the division. Let’s now take a look at the most notable offseason addition of each team in the NL Central.

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*Additions Projected to be on the Major League Roster Opening Day

NL Central Notable Offseason Additions

Chicago Cubs – Alex Bregman

Last offseason, the Chicago Cubs made a splash when they traded for outfielder Kyle Tucker. This offseason, they made another splash, this time landing third baseman Alex Bregman on the free-agent market. He was signed to a five-year, $175M deal. The Cubs actually had eyes on Bregman for the past couple of seasons, but now they finally got their guy.

Bregman made the All-Star game last season with the Boston Red Sox, giving him three trips to the mid-summer classic in his career. He posted a .273 average with a .360 OBP and .462 SLG while hitting 18 home runs with 62 RBI. He played in just 114 games because of a right quad injury, leading to the downtick in his usual home run and RBI numbers. In addition to his three All-Star appearances, he’s a two-time World Series champion, Gold Glove winner and was runner-up for the AL MVP in 2019. The Cubs are looking to be in contention with the moves they made this offseason.

Cincinnati Reds – Eugenio Suarez

This is not the reunion everyone thought they’d see this offseason. The Cincinnati Reds went out and signed the best power bat on the market, getting Eugenio Suarez on a one-year deal. He returns to a team that he spent seven seasons with between 2015-2021. He had a couple of 100-RBI seasons with the Reds in 2018 and 2019, including hitting 49 home runs in 2019. Fast forward to the past two seasons, and he also had a pair of 100-RBI seasons leading up to his return to Cincinnati. In 2025 with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners, he set a career-high in RBI with 118 and he tied his career-high with 49 home runs.

The Reds desperately needed a bat this offseason to improve an offense that was bottom-10 in the league, including in home runs. Suarez will definitely help in that department for a team that secured the third wild-card spot in the NL last season and is looking to improve upon their 83-79 record. As he once did before, Suarez looks to thrive as a fan-favorite and in one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in the league.

Milwaukee Brewers – Kyle Harrison

Despite making it to the NLCS last season and having the best record in baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers traded their ace Freddy Peralta. If you’re familiar with how the organization operates, this doesn’t come as a shock at all. With that being said, the Brewers’ rotation is still a strength and their pitching development allows that to be the case. They have guys like Brandon Woodruff, Jacob Misiorowski and Quinn Priester at the top of the rotation. They can still be a pretty good group of starters.

They also got some depth on the mound with the trades they made this offseason. One of those pieces was left-handed pitcher Kyle Harrison, who will be looking to lock up a rotation spot with the Brewers. He was the San Francisco Giants’ former No. 1 overall prospect and was a key piece going to Boston in the Rafael Devers trade. Harrison is still just 24 years old with tons of upside. As mentioned, he was a former top prospect, and with the pitching lab that the Brewers seemingly have, Harrison has a legitimate chance to be near the top of the rotation if they can get everything out of him.

Pittsburgh Pirates – Brandon Lowe

In an uncharacteristic offseason, the Pittsburgh Pirates got better via free agency and trade. They got a mix of starters, relievers, and bats. They signed the likes of Ryan O’Hearn and Marcell Ozuna, but the best move of them all was the trade to acquire veteran second baseman Brandon Lowe from the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-team deal that also included the Houston Astros.

Last year’s performance from Lowe with the Rays earned him his second All-Star appearance as he had the second-most home runs of his career with 31 and the second-most RBI of his career with 83. Offense was very much needed in Pittsburgh, as they ranked last in the majors in runs and home runs in 2025. Lowe’s big left-handed bat will play well at PNC Park. With the offensive weapons the Pirates scooped up this offseason and the potential of this rotation led by Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh has a real shot to take a step forward in 2026.

St. Louis Cardinals – Dustin May

At long last, the St. Louis Cardinals finally enter their rebuild after a year or two of neglecting to fully commit to one. New President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom got right to work, trading Sonny Gray, Wilson Contreras, Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan. In these trades, the Cardinals made sure to stockpile pitching for the rotation whether it be for this year or the future. They also got starting pitching on the free agent market, signing six-year veteran Dustin May to a one-year, $12.5M deal with a mutual option for 2027.

At 28 years old, May still has the talent and upside to pay dividends for a young rotation in St. Louis. He has the experience, winning a World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020. May has the talent to become a great pitcher, but injuries have held him back from doing so.

He pitched last season for the first time in almost two years, and his ERA was almost five in 25 appearances (23 starts). You could see the rust on him, but one thing that gave everyone hope was striking out 123 batters in 132.1 innings. May has a great mix of pitches and if he can stay healthy, the upside is still there to be a heavily coveted pitcher in this league.

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