With pitchers and catchers reporting in Arizona and Florida, the Major League Baseball season is just around the corner. As all the teams start preparing for the new season and we get a look at some familiar faces in new places, it’s a great time of year to lock in some preseason futures bets.
The NL Central had three teams over .500 and all made the postseason last season. The Cincinnati Reds squeaked into the playoffs and were dispatched in two games by the eventual champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The Milwaukee Brewers earned the first-round bye, but it wasn’t easy as they had to overcome a 6.5-game deficit to leap the Chicago Cubs. Chicago won its Wild Card matchup over San Diego to set up a showdown in the Divisional round against the Brewers, the first ever in the I-94 Rivalry. There’s serious potential postseason power here.
So, which of these divisional rivals has the edge going into 2026? I’ll break down all five squads before sharing my favorite betting pick to win the NL Central on DraftKings Sportsbook.
NL Central betting preview, prediction
Chicago Cubs (+120)
After losing the division crown and playoff game to the division rival Milwaukee Brewers, the Cubs made moves this offseason. While not being in on the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes was a disappointment, Chicago did get better.
The bullpen was reconfigured with Phil Maton and Hunter Harvey signed in free agency to set up Daniel Palencia. Jacob Webb and Hoby Milner were brought in for middle relief with Webb being a righty and Milner a lefty.
The starting rotation was bolstered with the trade for Edward Cabrera. Cabrera throws gas at 97 mph and has posted at least a 25% strikeout rate in four of five seasons. The big issue for Cabrera has been the control, as the walk rate was over 11% in each of the first four years of his career. Last season, though, he improved massively to 8.3%. Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Shota Imanaga and Jameson Taillon all have good control, but the K/9 is sub 8.5 for all. Cabrera provides much-needed oomph to the pitching staff.
Finally, the Cubs did get a bat in Alex Bregman. He doesn’t have the power/speed combo of Tucker, but Bregman has excellent control of the strike zone while possessing some pop. The ISO has been in the .190 range the past two season while the batting average has consistently been in the .260 to .270 area for most of his career.
Milwaukee Brewers (+240)
While Chicago improved in all phases, Milwaukee did nothing dramatic outside of a few trades and free agent signings. Luis Rengifo — he of the career .250/.307/.382 slash and .132 ISO — and Gary Sanchez, the 33-year-old catcher who hasn’t received more than 280 plate appearances since 2022 and boasts a strikeout rate around 27%, induce a yippee… from the faithful.
There are questions abound for this team. Can Jackson Chourio take that next leap into superstardom? Will Brice Turang’s power regress? Will Christian Yelich’s back be an issue? Will Abner Uribe or Trevor Megill close games? Can Brandon Woodruff maintain health and build upon his success last season? Can Jacob Misiorowski harness the control? Will that even matter if he continues missing bats? Can Logan Henderson replicate what he did in a small sample size last season?
That’s too many questions.
Cincinnati Reds (+370)
There is so much I love about the Reds, like the offense and the starting pitching. Then I look at the bullpen and want to puke. The xFIP for the Reds’ bullpen last season was 4.87, the second-highest mark in the league. And Emilio Pagan, Tony Santillan and Graham Ashcraft are back for the end games. The middle relief crew was altered with Brock Burke, Pierce Johnson and Caleb Ferguson now slotted in.
Enough depressing talk.
Let’s get to the offense. Elly De La Cruz is already a star. He’s scored over 100 runs in each of the last two seasons while hitting 20+ home runs. In his brief three-year career, De La Cruz has stolen 35, 67 and 37 bases! The career ISO is .190 and he’s improved the strikeout rate every season — from 33.7%, to 31.3%, to 25.9% last season. There’s still meat on the bone and it’s well within the range of outcomes that De La Cruz takes that next leap into superstardom.
The two big offseason acquisitions were Eugenio Suarez and JJ Bleday. Suarez strikes out a ton but he posted a .298 ISO last season while producing 49 home runs, 91 runs and 118 RBI. Sure, the batting average is poor (.230-ish) but he’s going to provide powerful protection for De La Cruz. Bleday will likely hit lower in the batting order and be on the strong side of a platoon, but he’s had an ISO over .190 in each of the last two seasons. In 2024 with Oakland, Bleday finished with 20 home runs, 74 runs and 60 RBI in 642 plate appearances while posting a walk rate of 10.4%, strikeout rate of 19.5% and slash of .243/.324/.437.
Not gonna lie, I like this starting pitching staff a lot. Hunter Greene is a bonafide ace who averaged 99.4 mph on the fastball last season while posting a K-BB% of 25.2%. Andrew Abbott and Brady Singer are solid innings eaters while Nick Lodolo finished with a 3.81 FIP and pitched a career-high 156.2 innings. Lodolo isn’t a flamethrower like Greene, but he’s had a K-BB% of at least 19.5% in three of four seasons. It’s always been about health for Lodolo. Burns is Greene a few years ago. Burns averaged 98.6 mph on the fastball last season and posted a 2.65 FIP in 43.1 innings. He’s probably a few years away from being an ace, and he’s young, but he tantalizes.
Pittsburgh Pirates (+800)
From 2014 to 2025, Pittsburgh had a payroll under $110 million all but one time. This season, Pittsburgh has a payroll of $117 million! Who said Pittsburgh doesn’t spend money? Fine, that still ranks 21st while three teams are over $300 million this season, but there is some excitement in Pittsburgh.
For starters, Pittsburgh has arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball in Paul Skenes. In addition, Konnor Griffin is considered one of the best prospects in the sport and could make an impact with the big club this season.
Pittsburgh acquired two lefties for the bullpen. Gregory Soto will set up closer Dennis Santana while Mason Montgomery will pitch middle relief.
The offense was bolstered with the trade for Brandon Lowe and free agent acquisitions in Ryan O’Hearn and Marcell Ozuna. Lowe has a career .234 ISO and belted 31 home runs last season. Back in 2021, Lowe racked up 39 home runs, 97 runs, 99 RBI and seven stolen bases in 615 plate appearances. O’Hearn doesn’t move the needle that much as the career ISO is .169, but he’s a veteran bat and slashed .281/.366/.437 last season. Ozuna had a down year last season with a .168 ISO and 21 home runs. He hit 39 and 40 home runs the prior two seasons, but he’s now 35 years old.
Beyond Skenes, the starting pitching is meh for Pittsburgh as no other pitcher has a K/9 over 8.5. The “big” acquisition for the staff was Jose Urquidy, who missed most of 2025 due to Tommy John surgery. The career numbers are uninspiring with a 4.51 FIP and 13.7% K-BB%.
St. Louis Cardinals (+3000)
St. Louis traded away Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan. The Cardinals have dropped the mic, but that’s because they are no longer allowed to use it per the repo company. From 2021 to 2025, the payroll was over $150 million every season with a high of $196 million. It’s at $113 for 2026, only the third time below $120 milion since 2012.
Last season, 44 players finished with an OPS over .800. Ivan Herrera is the only Cardinals player projected to be close at .799, but he’s only projected for 19 home runs. Only Alec Burleson and Nolan Gorman are projected to hit over 20 home runs, and they are projected for 22 and 24 home runs apiece. St. Louis finished with 148 home runs last season, the second-fewest. Pittsburgh had 117. There’s a good chance those teams flip spots this season.
The “ace” of the pitching staff is slated to be Matthew Liberatore, who has a career 4.2 FIP and 11.2% K-BB%. Gross. Dustin May was acquired in free agency and he’s slated to be the second-best pitcher. Last season, May finished with a 4.88 FIP and 11.5% K-BB% despite averaging 95.5 mph on the fastball. May is the only pitcher projected for a K/9 over 8 while two pitchers are projected for below 7. GROSS.
It’s going to be a long season in St. Louis.
Best Bet: 1st CHI Cubs / 2nd CIN Reds (+500)
The Cubs are the most balanced team in the division and improved the most in the offseason. I really like Cincinnati because there’s a ton of upside for both the offense and starting pitching. The bullpen is still a huge concern, but that’s why you’re able to get better odds. As for Milwaukee, there are way too many questions for me and I wouldn’t be surprised if they finish third in the division.
