NL Central Preview: Brewers looking to hold off Cubs and Reds at top of division

Christian Yelich and Milwaukee finished on top of the NL Central each of the past two seasons. A three-peat is going to be quite the challenge. While the Brewers had a quiet winter in the wake of their third division title in four years, the Chicago Cubs revamped their roster and the Cincinnati Reds bolstered their rotation and bullpen. The Pittsburgh Pirates also should benefit from a full year of Paul Skenes. Milwaukee lost shortstop Willy Adames in free agency, and it traded closer Devin Williams to the New York Yankees. But outfielder Jackson Chourio is back, and the Brewers have some experience with defying expectations. How they project1. Chicago Cubs. Going into their second season under manager Craig Counsell, the Cubs have a much deeper group than they had at this point a year ago. Shota Imanaga leads a solid rotation that also includes Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon and Matthew Boyd. Imanaga was terrific in his first big league season, going 15-3 with a 2.91 ERA in 29 starts. The bullpen was overhauled after the Cubs had 26 blown saves last year. Ryan Pressly takes over as closer after he was acquired in a January trade with Houston. Porter Hodge also will pitch late in games after he had a 1.88 ERA in 39 relief appearances last year. If center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and rookie third baseman Matt Shaw deliver on their potential, the Cubs should be in a strong position to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2020. 2. Cincinnati Reds. Terry Francona is charged with helping Cincinnati take the next step after he was hired as manager in October. He inherits a promising roster that includes young infielders Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain. The 23-year-old De La Cruz batted .259 with 25 homers and a major league-leading 67 steals in 160 games last year. If the All-Star shortstop can make more contact and clean up his defense — he struck out 218 times and committed 29 errors in 2024 — he could be in the mix for the NL MVP award. McLain is healthy again after he missed last season because of shoulder surgery. Brady Singer joins the rotation after he was acquired in a trade with Kansas City, and Gavin Lux gives Francona another veteran presence after the infielder came over in a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. 3. Milwaukee Brewers. Adames and Williams were two key players for Milwaukee in 2024, but the Brewers still have a lot of talent. The 21-year-old Chourio batted .275 with 21 homers, 79 RBIs and 22 steals during his rookie year. Yelich, 33, is back after the 2018 NL MVP missed the end of last season because of back surgery. William Contreras also returns after hitting a career-best 23 homers and making the NL All-Star team in his second season with Milwaukee. With Williams' departure, Trevor Megill is expected to take over as closer. Brandon Woodruff is back on the mound after he missed last season because of shoulder surgery. If the right-hander can return to form, he could give the rotation a big lift. 4. St. Louis Cardinals. St. Louis looked as if it was moving toward a major reset, but it ended up holding onto third baseman Nolan Arenado and right-hander Sonny Gray — for now. While Arenado and Gray are around, Paul Goldschmidt signed with the Yankees in free agency. Alec Burleson likely will take over for Goldschmidt at first base. Masyn Winn established himself as one of baseball's best young shortstops last year, and Ryan Helsley had a major league-best 49 saves. A breakout performance by outfielder Jordan Walker — one of the team's top young talents— would go a long way to helping the Cards get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2022. 5. Pittsburgh Pirates. Skenes began last season in the minors, but he was brought up in May and ended up winning the NL Rookie of the Year award. The ace right-hander went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts. The big problem for the Pirates is surrounding the pitcher with more talent while working with one of the majors' lowest payrolls. Third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes was limited to 96 games last year because of a back issue, and he hit a career-low .233 with just four homers. Henry Davis is trying to find his form after he was selected by Pittsburgh with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 amateur draft. The catcher/outfielder batted .144 in 37 games last season. Another chanceAustin Hays is looking to bounce back from a tough finish to his 2024 season. The veteran outfielder agreed to a $5 million, one-year contract with Cincinnati in January. Hays, 29, hit .275 with 16 homers and 67 RBIs for Baltimore in 2023. He was traded to Philadelphia on July 26, but he was hampered by a kidney infection down the stretch. He could benefit from playing his home games at the Reds' hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park. Not bad at allWhile Skenes' dominance was the big story for Pittsburgh last year, Jared Jones also had a solid rookie season for the Pirates. The 23-year-old right-hander finished with a 4.14 ERA over 22 starts, to go along with 132 strikeouts in 121 2/3 innings. Jones, a second-round pick in the 2020 amateur draft, joins Skenes and Mitch Keller at the front of the Pirates' rotation.