Arguably the biggest highlight of the division and one of the biggest highlights in league history was the Chicago Cubs breaking the curse and ending the 108 year championship drought in 2016. Other than that, the NL Central has been mostly quiet in the past 20 seasons, with just the St. Louis Cardinals making some noise with three NL pennants and one World Series title from 2004-2013. The Milwaukee Brewers are the defending division champs, while the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates have yet to really make a dent as proud representatives of the NL Central.

• Chicago Cubs

  After finishing fourth in the NL Central in 2021, the Cubs are looking to return to the postseason. The acquisition of Marcus Stroman was a key pick up for Chicago and could help elevate the pitching staff.

  • Division Titles: 8
  • League Pennants: 17
  • World Series Titles: 3

• Cincinnati Reds

  The Reds dealt away a lot of their talent from last year. Nick Castellanos, Jesse Winker and various pitchers were either traded or allowed to walk. The arrival of Hunter Greene serve as a beam of hope for a franchise facing an otherwise bleak outlook.

  • Division Titles: 10
  • League Pennants: 9
  • World Series Titles: 5

• Milwaukee Brewers

  The reigning NL Central champions finished 95-67 last year and lost in the NLDS. Their pitching is what keeps them so competitive, most notably reigning Cy Young award winner Corbin Burnes. The Brewers also have closer Josh Hader to assist in closing out games. Their lineup is a bit on the older side, but has capable players such as Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain.

  • Division Titles: 5
  • League Pennants: 1
  • World Series Titles: 0

• Pittsburgh Pirates

  The Pirates are another team that stayed mostly stagnant throughout the offseason. After finishing last in the NL Central last year, more of the same is expected for Pittsburgh. They did extend Ke'Bryan Hayes for eight years and we will have to see if they have enough to improve on a 61-101 record from last year.

  • Division Titles: 9
  • League Pennants: 9
  • World Series Titles: 5

• St. Louis Cardinals

  The Cardinals are currently the second favorite to win the NL Central and for good reason. They arguably have the best roster in the NL Central and by reuniting Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols, morale is at an all-time high in St. Louis. The Cardinals finished 90-72 last season, second in the NL Central.

  • Division Titles: 14
  • League Pennants: 19
  • World Series Titles: 11