The NL Central has given us plenty of twists and turns this season.
For starters, the Milwaukee Brewers own the best record in MLB, a total shocker considering how low expectations were after another offseason of not-insignificant losses. Pat Murphy might just be a miracle worker — or perhaps he stole Craig Counsell's powers.
And speaking of Counsell, we've got the Chicago Cubs running in second place. Despite losing ground to Milwaukee after the All-Star break, the Cubs have generally performed well this season, with solid pitching and an offense that is capable of reaching titanic heights. If Kyle Tucker can lock in before October, the Cubs will be in a good spot.
In third place, the Cincinnati Reds. Terry Francona's first season in the dugout should be considered a success: Cincy's record has fallen off lately and the postseason seems out of reach, but there are positives to build on. Elly De La Cruz is due for a proper breakout any moment, and with it could come Cincinnati's rise to contention.
The St. Louis Cardinals, meanwhile, effectively bowed out of the postseason race at the trade deadline. In John Mozeliak's final season, St. Louis remains uncomfortably stuck between overpriced veterans and the desire to embrace its (somewhat uninspiring) youth movement.
Bringing up the rear, MLB's most embarrassing organization, the Pittsburgh Pirates. You've heard it all before. Paul Skenes deserves better, but don't expect any material changes this winter.
With October on the horizon, that means the offseason is just a little bit further around the corner. As each team in the NL Central looks to improve their results next season, let's judge the best free agent from each team — and determine whether they will stay or go.
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Pittsburgh Pirates: OF Andrew McCutchen
Andrew McCutchen, 38, is reaching the end of the line. He has openly expressed his desire to compete next season — which can easily be read as a not-so-subtle hint about his future with, or without, the Pirates.
While McCutchen is a franchise legend in Pittsburgh, he's at the point in his career when toiling at the bottom of the standings each year can feel moot. He only has so much left in the tank and he won't want to spend it with the worst lineup in MLB.
As such, it's easy to project McCutchen landing elsewhere, even if he's merely a depth piece. This has been an up-and-down season at the plate for the former MVP, but his .723 OPS and 102 OPS+ puts him a shade above league average on the whole. There are a ton of below-league average bats who are about to take on elevated importance in the postseason, so McCutchen will have a home somewhere.
Verdict: Go
St. Louis Cardinals: RHP Miles Mikolas
Miles Mikolas is the only Cardinals' free agent this winter, which is an indicator of just how much of John Mozeliak's baggage Chaim Bloom needs to dig out from under. The Cards are saddled with expensive long-term contracts, no-trade clauses and a general air of unhappiness around the organization.
As for Mikolas, this is really a no-brainer. St. Louis has been clinging on to an ideal for years, but Mikolas has not achieved sustained excellence since that magical 18-4 campaign upon his return from Japan in 2018. He made another All-Star appearance in 2022, but even that season was a bit lopsided, a bit inconsistent. In 2025, Mikolas is only playing because he's expensive: His 4.89 ERA and 1.34 WHIP appropriately convey what the Cardinals are getting out of him.
At 37 years old, one wonders if Mikolas might consider retirement. If not, he may struggle to find a new team. He probably snags a Minor League contract with a contender or, even worse, an MLB contract with a really lousy team that doesn't plan on winning, like the Rockies or White Sox. Either way, Mikolas will be long gone at long last, so Cardinals fans can rejoice.
Verdict: Go
Cincinnati Reds: OF Miguel Andujar
The Reds rescued Miguel Andujar from Sacramento A's purgatory at the trade deadline. He has since appeared mostly as a platoon option in the DH slot, but the numbers are off the charts: In 23 games since joining Cincinnati, Andujar is hitting .362 with a 1.001 OPS. He's 25-for-69 at the plate with nine extra-base hits (three home runs) and 13 RBI.
That is an incredibly small sample size, and there is ample room for skepticism as far as "sustainability" is concerned. But Andujar was still a roughly .300 hitter with a 109 OPS+ before he left the A's. The bat has been crackling all season, and there will always be a role for someone capable of getting on base as frequently as Andujar.
He is not without his faults — Andujar rarely hits for power and he's a real weak point on defense, even if he can hypothetically provide versatility between the outfield and third base. Cincy has struggled to get him regular reps despite his exceptional production, which speaks to the challenges of accommodating such a one-note player.
Andujar does the majority of his damage versus lefties (.957 OPS), but he isn't a slouch in righty-on-righty matchups (.776 OPS). He clearly has what it takes to be an everyday bat somewhere, but the Reds don't seem keen on giving Andujar the runway or the opportunity. For better worse, he's gone this winter.
Verdict: Go
Chicago Cubs: OF Kyle Tucker
The Cubs' trade for Tucker felt like an inflection point for the organization: Either Jed Hoyer was finally about to get serious, or it would go down as one of the more irresponsible asset expenditures in recent memory. Chicago did not exactly underpay for Tucker's services, dealing All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes as well as top-100 prospect Cam Smith to Houston.
That is plenty worth it if the Cubs can a) win the World Series, b) re-sign Tucker long term or, ideally, c) do both. Tucker's production has fallen off since the All-Star break, but he's starting to come out of the slump. His struggles appear to have been injury-related, so Cubs fans needn't worry about his long-term outlook.
It is widely believed that Tucker will command $400 million-plus on the open market. That is not a price the Cubs are generally willing to pay for any free agent. Now, Chicago hasn't really been in the mix for free agents of that caliber in the past, but there's no reason for that other than Hoyer's conservative tendencies. The Cubs are a historic franchise in a huge market. If Chicago wanted to go after the Juan Sotos and Shohei Ohtanis of the world in earnest, surely those guys would listen.
The Cubs really cannot afford to let Tucker walk. They gave up multiple foundational pieces to get him. Some will point to top prospect Owen Caissie as the natural successor, but Chicago needs to find a way for Tucker, PCA and Caissie to all occupy the outfield for the next decade.
New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, maybe even San Francisco. We generally know the players for Tucker this offseason. While the Cubs will be fighting against precedent and Hoyer's worst instincts, it feels like there's enough goodwill between Tucker and the organization, and Chicago has to understand that letting him walk just one year after such a monumental trade would seal their reputation as a cheap and unserious organization.
Verdict: Stay
Milwaukee Brewers: RHP Brandon Woodruff
The Brewers are almost guaranteed to retain William Contreras and Freddy Peralta on affordable club options, so they needn't be mentioned here. Other major free agents, such as slugging first baseman Rhys Hoskins and high-leverage reliever Shelby Miller, will generate ample interest this winter. That said, by far the most interesting conundrum facing the Brewers is that of Brandon Woodruff's $20 million mutual option.
Typically we don't see mutual options that end up being mutually agreeable for all parties. It's typically a shot in the dark, or a way to give a player a nice buyout before he hits free agency. But, as our friends at Reviewing the Brew lay out, there may actually be a world in which Milwaukee and Woodruff agree on his $20 million price tag.
On the surface, $20 million sure sounds pricey for the Brewers, a historically frugal (or cheap) organization. But Woodruff's mutual option includes a $10 million buyout, so Milwaukee is effectively paying him $10 million no matter what. The question is, should the Brewers pay him an extra $10 million to keep him in the rotation?
After an offseason in which Walker Buehler received $21 million from the Red Sox, the idea of paying Woodruff $20 million doesn't sound too crazy. He will need to agree to that number as well, and he could very well prefer a more substantial long-term deal, but it seems believable that both sides would come to an agreement.
Woodruff spent a good chunk of this season rehabbing from a shoulder injury, but he's still pitching well — a 3.69 ERA and 1.03 WHIP across 10 starts, with a strikeout rate in the 91st percentile despite a dip in velocity. He might not get that long-term contract in free agency given his age and the circumstances, so again ... a reunion makes sense. He's a career-long Brewer, and there's reason to keep a good thing going.