3 Reasons Why the Cubs Will Win the National League Central in 2026

The Chicago Cubs finished second in the National League Central division last season, trailing the Milwaukee Brewers by five games. The Cincinnati Reds also snuck in from the division as the final Wild Card team before suffering a quick sweep to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

With that said, all signs point to the Cubs claiming the division title in 2026 and ending a three-year streak held by Milwaukee. Here are three reasons why that will happen.

Craig Counsell | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

1- Pitching additions

Chicago improved their roster in multiple ways this offseason, but their pitching additions will prove to be its biggest. For starters, the team upgraded the bullpen, signing Phil Maton on a relatively cheap two-year deal after he posted the best season of his career between the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers last year. Maton went 4-5 with a 2.79 ERA over 61 innings while also racking up 81 strikeouts.

Additionally, Chicago made a trade to acquire Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins, who is another young starter they can add to their rotation. Cabrera posted by far the strongest and most durable campaign of his career last year, posting an 8-7 record with a 3.53 ERA over a career-high 137 innings to go along with 150 strikeouts. His SO/BB ratio of 3.13 was also a career high.

Although the Cubs have not yet reached an agreement with Framber Valdez or Zac Gallen, they’ll still add an ace to their rotation in 2026. Justin Steele only pitched in four games for Chicago last season before undergoing UCL repair surgery. Although he won’t be ready to go for Opening Day, fans know his capabilities when healthy.

With Steele’s return currently scheduled for some point in May (or perhaps sooner), his return to the rotation will be a huge boost.

2 - Lack of contenders

For starters, don’t expect the Pittsburgh Pirates to have much of a say when it comes to winning the division title. They haven’t posted a winning record since 2018, a season in which they still finished fourth in the division. The St. Louis Cardinals do have plenty of strong young talent, yet their rebuild and lack of star power will make them non-factors in 2026.

Apart from re-signing Emilio Pagan and bringing in Michael Toglia, Cincinnati hasn’t made enough moves to bridge the gap, although the one-two punch of Andrew Abbott and Hunter Greene remains scary.

As for the Brewers, they’ve yet to make any major additions as well, but did make a major subtraction by trading Freddy Peralta to the New York Mets. Although they continue to surprise the competition nearly every season, Chicago’s additions may be too much to overcome in 2026.

Sieya Suzuki, Michael Busch and Kyle Tucker — Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

3 - Too much star power

Although the Cubs failed to re-sign Kyle Tucker, they did bring in another star to take his place, Alex Bregman. Bregman will provide a steady bat and elite defense at third base. He'll also be a clubhouse leader, helping guide the Cubs' young squad.

But more than just the acquisition of Bregman, the Cubs still have so many high-profile players. Pete Crow-Armstrong looked like an MVP candidate for most of the year last season before a poor second half. Seiya Suzuki and Michael Busch joined Crow-Armstrong in hitting 30 or more home runs.

Neither the Reds nor the Brewers had one player hit 30 or more home runs in 2025. In fact, each of those teams had two players hit over 20. On the contrary, Chicago had six players hit 20 or more.

In the end, the Cubs have been the most aggressive team this offseason among the contenders in the National League Central. As a result, they’ll pair a stronger pitching staff to go along with a lineup that dominated opposing teams in 2025.

For all of these reasons, the Cubs seem like clear favorites to win the division title in 2026.

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