Brewers’ Worst-Case Scenario Unfolds After Cubs Land Key Bat

Now there's trouble.

Apr 3, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of Chicago Cubs hats and gloves in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the fifth inning at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers have had a quiet offseason. Their only moves have been the trade for Angel Zerpa and the signing of Brandon Woodruff. Since then, not much has happened.

They won the National League Central last season with 97 wins, a franchise record, but were swept in the NLCS. They’ll hope to repeat as NL Central champions in 2026.

However, that just got a little bit harder for Milwaukee. Late on Saturday night, their NL Central rivals, the Chicago Cubs signed Alex Bregman to a five-year, $175 million contract. This move could shift the balance of power in the division.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Brewers In Trouble After Cubs Sign Alex Bregman

Oct 2, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman (2) is forced out by New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe (11) at second base in the ninth inning during game three of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

This is ultimately the worst-case scenario for the Brewers. Now, the Cubs may ultimately be the favorites to win the NL Central entering the 2026 season.

The reason this is a problem for the Brewers is that they aren’t going to be in play for any of the top remaining free agents such as Kyle Tucker or Bo Bichette, so they don’t exactly have a counter for this move.

Now more than ever, they can ill afford to trade Freddy Peralta, as that would cause them to drop quite far in the NL Central standings with the Cincinnati Reds also on the rise. Without a counter to the Cubs’ big splash, losing Peralta would be a major problem.

But as things stand right now, the worst-case scenario has come true for the Brewers. Now, the Cubs look a lot stronger on paper, especially after also trading for Edward Cabrera, and it’s going to take something big for the Brewers to be able to compete with them.

Their small-market approach can only get them so far. Eventually, they’re going to need to counter what the Cubs have done, and it’s not clear what that counter would be.

It should be interesting to see what comes next, but the Brewers might be in a bit of a bind now. The Cubs are a serious threat to steal the NL Central crown from the Brewers in 2026, and they may not be done just yet, while the Brewers are still toying around with the idea of trading Peralta.

After Bregman signed with the Cubs, that would be a major mistake for Milwaukee.

More MLB: Latest Cubs Rumor Would Be Nightmare Scenario For Brewers