The National League Central has yet to see a move this offseason that significantly alters the landscape of the division. The Milwaukee Brewers, who have won the division in each of the last three seasons, remain the favorites to win the NL Central in 2026, after maintaining essentially the same roster that led them to an MLB-best 97 wins in the 2025 regular season.

Behind them, the Chicago Cubs have had a quiet offseason so far, focusing on reinforcing their bullpen group that was significantly altered by free agent departures after their loss to the Brewers in the NLDS in October. Their inaction seems to suggest a major move is on the horizon, but with a need to both replace Kyle Tucker in their lineup and bolster a starting rotation with a top-tier arm, it’s difficult to see the Cubs accomplishing both goals in their confusingly modest budget.

Elsewhere in the division, the St. Louis Cardinals have begun their Chaim Bloom-backed teardown, which is music to the ears of NL Central fans who rarely see the Redbirds ever enter into a true rebuild. The Cincinnati Reds, who were quietly a playoff team in 2025, threw their hat into the ring in the Kyle Schwarber sweepstakes, but ultimately came up short and have instead turned their attention to improving their relief corps.

Then, there’s the Pittsburgh Pirates, who, for the first time in nearly a decade, are demonstrating to the rest of the league that they care about winning baseball games. After executing trades for both Jhostynxon García and Brandon Lowe, two intriguing offensive additions, Pittsburgh agreed to their first multi-year contract in nine years earlier this week, bringing in Ryan O’Hearn on a two-year deal.

While none of these signings or trades are the needle-moving deals that would dethrone the Brewers in the division, that doesn’t mean they aren’t intriguing transactions in a vacuum. In fact, several of them are likely to instill a sense of jealousy in the Brewer faithful.

3 moves NL Central squads have executed this offseason that Brewers fans should be jealous of1. Pirates acquire 2B Brandon Lowe, OF Jake Mangum, and LHP Mason Montgomery for RHP Mike Burrows in three-team deal

Outside of selecting Paul Skenes with the first overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates haven’t made many moves in recent years that Brewers fans wish their own front office would have executed first. However, with a spontaneous desire to be competitive this season, certainly not brought on by the threat of a MLB Player’s Association grievance if they elected not to spend money again, the Pirates’ ownership group has endorsed an increase to their payroll this offseason. Such enthusiasm led to a comically low offer for Schwarber, which was unsurprisingly denied, but Pittsburgh has followed it with several uncharacteristically strong moves.

The deal that Brewers fans should be most jealous of is the three-team trade that Pittsburgh pulled off with the Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros in which they acquired All-Star Brandon Lowe, speedy, glove-first outfielder Jake Mangum, and an intriguing left-handed arm in Mason Montgomery for right-hander Mike Burrows. Brewers fans have long been calling for their team to acquire Lowe, whose left-handed power is unique for a second baseman on a reasonable salary, but add to that the upside that Montgomery holds and the high floor of Mangum, and the Pirates seem to have escaped like bandits, which seldom happens to teams who trade with the Rays.

There’s certainly a couple of question marks in Lowe’s profile, specifically his poor glove and high proclivity for strikeouts, and his fit in Milwaukee isn’t perfect with Brice Turang manning the keystone position, but for the relatively cheap price of Burrows, who arguably has less upside than Montgomery alone, this is a deal Brewers fans are wishing their front office swooped in and made instead.

2. Cubs sign right-handed reliever to a two-year, $14.5 million contract

Spending $7.25 million a year on a non-closing reliever doesn’t sound like something the Brewers would be interested in, but in today’s free agent market, to get a pitcher of Phil Maton’s caliber at less than $8 million a year feels like a steal. That’s the move that Jed Hoyer and the Chicago Cubs began their bullpen makeover with this offseason, and after seeing the other deals that relievers have brought in this winter, the Brewers might be jealous they weren’t the ones to acquire Maton’s services.

Maton, who is the pitcher that Jackson Chourio and Garrett Mitchell took deep in the eighth inning of Game 2 of the 2024 NL Wild Card Series, had an excellent 2025 campaign with the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers. Not only did his sub-3.00 ERA suggest he’d found a new level with his stellar cutter-curveball combo, but his underlying metrics told a similar story. Maton was constantly missing bats last year with a whiff and strikeout rate both in the 95th percentile or higher, and when opposing hitters did make contact, it wasn’t damaging; Maton’s 2025 barrel rate, hard hit rate, and average exit velocity against him were all in the 98th percentile or better.

At just 32 years old, and coming off his best season in the big leagues, Maton seemingly could have found more than $14.5 million in guaranteed money this offseason, especially in this year’s healthy relief pitcher market. Therefore, the fact that Chicago was able to bring him in on such a modest deal should have Brewers fans feeling at least a little bit of jealousy.

3. Reds sign Caleb Ferguson to one-year, $4.5 million deal

Given Milwaukee’s tight payroll constraints, a player like Emilio Pagán re-signing with the Reds for a two-year, $20 million deal isn’t likely to make Brewers fans too jealous, knowing that the signing would hamper their ability to improve their roster elsewhere. However, Cincinnati also agreed to a one-year, $4.5 million deal with left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson that could leave Brewers fans wishing their team had made an offer before Nick Krall and the Reds’ front office got the deal done.

Ferguson’s surface-level numbers don’t suggest that the Reds made some incredible under-the-radar signing, but his advanced metrics suggest Cincinnati added an intriguing arm to their bullpen this offseason. Ferguson excels at inducing soft contact and keeping the ball on the ground, something that would be more beneficial for a team like the Brewers who have an excellent infield defense, as opposed to a team like the Reds whose infield defense is far shakier.

Still not yet 30 years old and already with seven years of MLB experience, there’s reason to believe Ferguson has yet to hit his true prime, despite already emerging as a high-leverage weapon. The Brewers do seemingly have an ability to manufacture pitchers like Ferguson out of thin air, so the signing isn’t likely to lead to too many jealous fans in Milwaukee, but it’s likely Ferguson outperforms his modest salary in 2026.