National League Central Preview: Chicago Cubs

The Cubs finished 2025 with a 92-70 record, 5 games behind the Brewers for 1st in the N.L. Central. They went into the playoffs as the four seed, beating the San Diego Padres in a three-game series before losing to the rival Brewers 3-2 in the divisional round. After a critical offseason that saw them lose a big bat as well as gain one, the Cubs will look to retake the N.L. Central crown.

Cubs Offseason Moves

The Cubs had an active offseason, with two sizable moves overshadowing the rest. First, the Cubs signed third baseman Alex Bregman to a 5-year, $175 million deal. The former Red Sox and Astro played 114 games for Boston this past season, hitting .273/.360/.462 with 18 home runs. Bregman is a three-time All-Star and will bring a consistent bat and glove to the Cubs lineup in 2026.

The other major addition was the acquisition of Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins. The Cubs sent their no. 1 prospect, outfielder Owen Caissie, their no. 11 prospect, infielder Cristian Hernandez, and another prospect, infielder Edgardo De Leon. Cabrera brings a career 4.07 ERA (4.45 FIP) to Chicago’s rotation, and he had arguably his best year in 2025 while throwing the most innings he has in his MLB career with 137.2. Cabrera had a 3.53 ERA (3.83 FIP) in 2025, going 8-7 and finishing with 2 fWAR for the 79-win Marlins. Cabrera will be a middle-of-the-rotation arm for the Cubs this year and hopes to build on his strong 2025 season for his team. As for Caissie, the outfielder appeared in only 12 games for the Cubs in 2025, hitting .192/.222/.346 with 1 homerun, and the former second-round pick will look to find his footing in the majors with the Fish, probably from one of the corner outfield spots.

The last big move to discuss isn’t an addition but a subtraction: perhaps the biggest free agent of the offseason, Kyle Tucker, left the Cubs to head out west and join the overwhelmingly powerful Dodgers. Tucker was acquired by the Cubs back in December 2024 for Isaac Paredes, Hayden Wesneski, and Cam Smith. He hit .266/.377/.464 with 22 home runs in his only season with the Cubs, and he left big shoes that Chicago will have to fill this summer.

Projected Lineup (MLB.com) 

1. Michael Busch, 1B
2. Alex Bregman, 3B
3. Ian Happ, LF
4. Seiya Suzuki, RF
5. Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF
6. Nico Hoerner, 2B
7. Moisés Ballesteros, DH
8. Dansby Swanson, SS
9. Carson Kelly, C

The Cubs have a strong infield with three returning players. Michael Busch is coming off a breakout 2025 after hitting 34 home runs. The rest of the infield should be strong too, with returners Nice Hoerner and Dansby Swanson up the middle day in and day out, and Bregman manning the hot corner. Matt Shaw will be the primary utility man on the roster after spending lots of time at third base last year; he’ll potentially get time in both the infield and outfield. The Cubs signed Tyler Austin in free agency this year as a right-handed option at first base, but he had surgery for a right patellar tendon debridement in late February, so he won’t factor in until later in the year.

The outfield may get worse with the loss of Tucker, but there are three capable names to hold down the outfield spots. Ian Happ will enter his tenth season in Chicago as the everyday left fielder, and Pete Crow-Armstrong will look to build on his success from 2025 and aims to be more consistent this season. Finally, Seiya Suzuki will move back to right field after spending the majority of last year in the DH spot. He has never had a positive fielding run value in his career, so right field defense will be a bit of a question mark this season. However, Happ and Crow-Armstrong are both Gold Glove-caliber outfielders, which should help the team’s defense overall.

In terms of catching, Carson Kelly, Miguel Amaya, and Moises Ballesteros will handle the work behind the dish. Kelly is coming off a resurgent year for the Cubs, hitting 17 home runs. Miguel Amaya will switch off with Kelly occasionally, while Ballesteros is a bat-first top prospect for the Cubs who demonstrated he could hit already in his 20 games with the team last year. These three should form a formidable trio behind the plate.

Projected Cubs Rotation (MLB.com)

1. Cade Horton, RHP
2. Matthew Boyd, LHP
3. Edward Cabrera, RHP
4. Shota Imanaga, LHP
5. Jameson Taillon, RHP

In terms of the rotation, the return of Justin Steele at some time this season should benefit this group. Matthew Boyd threw his most innings since 2019, and will look to continue his resurgence, but health should be a factor to watch with him. Cade Horton finished second in the N.L. Rookie of the Year vote and will look to build on his strong rookie season. Cabrera will provide consistent innings if he is healthy, as should Shota Imanaga, who accepted a qualifying offer from the Cubs this past offseason. Finally, Jameson Taillon will look to be a consistent inning-eater from the back end of the rotation.

The Cubs were a very good baseball team in 2025, and even without Kyle Tucker, they should be able to challenge the Brewers for the N.L. Central title and make a deeper playoff run by the end of the 2026 season.