The Chicago Cubs are out here believing that they can be a playoff contender in the National League Central Division.
With the St. Louis Cardinals aging a little bit in addition to the Milwaukee Brewers on the decline, things might be looking up for the Chicago Cubs because we know that the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds aren’t doing anything notable anytime soon.
Well, there was a big trade involving this division on Friday. The Seattle Mariners traded Jesse Winker and Abraham Toro to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Kolen Wong and 1.75 million dollars. It is one that changes things up for these two teams big time.
Winker is now coming back to the NL Central after all of those years with the Cincinnati Reds. Both he and Toro had a negative WAR in 2022 while Wong was one of the best all-around second basemen in the American League.
The Chicago Cubs are in a division with some teams that are getting weak.
This is a very strange trade for the Brewers as they are clearly becoming a worse team even though they are getting two players for one.
It is odd that they are becoming a worse team even though the Central is winnable for them coming into 2023. You’d think that they have had a plan on what to do next following this move but you just never know. The Winter Meetings are fast approaching.
If the Brewers are going the route of a retool as it seems, the Cubs should try to take advantage. They had a strong second half in 2022 and things are looking up. They have a lot of holes to fill but it seems like they will be able to do so this offseason to some degree.
Nobody is expecting them to compete for the World Series anytime soon as they are lightyears away from the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, and New York Mets but they can certainly compete within their division right now.
This off-season is officially underway as moves continue to be made and now it is starting to affect the division. We will see how the Cubs respond going forward.