One Move For Every NL Central Team

Milwaukee Brewers

After winning the NL Central in 2024 with a record of 93-69 there should be optimism in Milwaukee. Unfortunately for the organization they are facing the loss of one of the best shortstops in the league in Willy Adames. Obviously he will be garnering a great deal of interest from some of the biggest spenders in the league, and his price is likely well outside of the Brewers budget. While there are some needs on this team outside of shortstop, the first priority for this team should be addressing the hole filled by the likely exit of Adames. Though the team could move Joey Ortiz to shortstop it would make more sense to simply acquire the services of the second best available free agent, Ha-Seong Kim. Kim is coming off a year where he missed time with a torn labrum which may drive down his value, thus positioning the stingy Brewers as a possible landing spot. There is no way to replace Adames’s production, though bringing in Kim would give the Brewers an above average defender at the position with decent enough offense to keep the team in contention, though they may face stiffer competition in the NL Central in 2025.

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs are currently coming off back to back 83 win seasons with room to improve in 2025. The majority of the team’s core will be returning, including Cody Bellinger who recently opted into his contract for the coming season. The Cubs are a team with a need for a star player, though the team has stated that they are unlikely to spend heavily this offseason. Given that, the best move for the Cubs would be a trade for Athletics outfielder Brent Rooker. Coming off two outstanding years in Oakland where he hit 30 or more home runs, he is a prime trade target given the uncertainty surrounding the future of the Athletics organization. The Cubs have a deep and talented farm system with multiple players who are blocked by solid players at the big league level. The team is unlikely to move top prospects Matt Shaw or Owen Cassie, but Kevin Alcantara or Cade Horton could be very welcome additions to Oakland’s current roster. Rooker would immediately be the Cubs primary offensive threat given that his 2024 WAR of 5.6 is more than a full point higher than Cubs WAR leader Dansby Swanson.

St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals were somewhat of a disappointment in 2024 finishing in third place. The common belief is that the team is moving into a rebuild with some of their stars and the majority of their starting rotation entering the tail end of their career. The most logical next step would be to move on from Nolan Arenado via a trade to bring in young talent to aid in a rebuild. Arenado has a no-trade clause in his contract but has stated a willingness to waive it if a trade to a contender were possible. While Arenado is 33 years old and has seen a decline in production in the past two years he would be a desirable piece for a contender given his outstanding defense. The Cardinals have multiple exciting young players in their system and a decent haul of prospects added in would only hasten what should be a fairly short rebuilding period.

Cincinnati Reds

The Reds began the off-season by striking a deal with the Kansas City Royals to bring in Brady Singer in exchange for second baseman Jonathan India. Adding Singer to a starting rotation that already features Cy Young candidate Hunter Greene gives the Reds a great starting point to build around. While that move is outstanding, the team still has serious needs in the outfield. Though Cincinnati is unlikely to spend big this offseason, one affordable move that could improve their depth in the outfield would be a signing of former Diamondback Randal Grichuk. The addition of Grichuk would not break the bank but would be an upgrade over Jake Fraley who was below average offensively in 2024. Last season Grichuk hit .291 with 12 home runs and an OPS+ of 140, well above league average. Adding him into the mix on a roster that already contains Elly De La Cruz and a number of other promising young players could make the team much more competitive in 2025.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Paul Skenes made his debut in 2024 and had one of the best rookie seasons of the last decade, finishing third in NL Cy Young voting and taking home Rookie of the Year honors. This generated a great deal of interest in the team and created an expectation that the Pirates work to improve the roster while Skenes is playing on his rookie contract. While the offense clearly needs help after finishing 24th in the MLB in runs scored, I think the best move would be to double down on starting pitching by swinging for the fences and pursuing Japanese superstar Roki Sasaki. Clearly this is not a move many would expect and would likely be well outside the Pirates traditional budget, but it would generate an incredible amount of excitement for their fanbase and bring in millions of new fans from the Asian market. A starting rotation containing Skenes, Sasaki, Mitch Keller and Jared Jones would be one of the best in the NL and would take some pressure off of an offense that could potentially see some improvement in 2025.

John Siebels is the owner of Springhill Sports Cards, he collects and sells sports cards on Ebay, you can find him on Instagram and his Ebay store here