NL Central 2026 Division Preview

Published March 23, 2026

NL Central

Milwaukee

Chicago Cubs

Pittsburgh

Cincinnati

St. Louis

Spring training is always an interesting time for evaluating pitching, and especially relief pitching. Roles are blurry: some relievers get a shot at a starter role, the opposite is sometimes true with struggling starters moving to relief roles, and non-roster invitees are in the mix as well. Combine that with limited outings, low stress situations, and an overall small sample size and you can end up with some wild results on paper.

Despite all that, we're here to give you a quick breakdown of each division with regard to what their bullpens will likely look like and how they stack up.

As the 2026 season opens, the National League Central presents one of the most varied bullpen landscapes in baseball. From a potential dynasty in Milwaukee to a full-blown rebuild in St. Louis, each team's relief corps tells a different story about where the franchise stands and where it's headed.

Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers don't have a bullpen problem. They have a bullpen luxury. The question facing Pat Murphy isn't who can close games, but which elite arm gets the honors on a given night.

Abner Uribe was arguably the better pitcher statistically in 2025, posting a sub-2.00 ERA while striking out 90 hitters over 75 innings. Trevor Megill, meanwhile, made the All-Star team and racked up 30 saves before being sidelined by injury in August. Murphy has indicated that Megill gets first crack at the closer role early on, but this is effectively a co-closer situation where matchups could dictate who finishes on any particular night.

Beyond those two, the depth is impressive. Jared Koenig has quietly been one of the most effective lefties in the league over the past two seasons, and Aaron Ashby functions as a multi-inning weapon who can open, close, or bridge any gap in between.

The addition of Ángel Zerpa from Kansas City brings an elite ground-ball profile, and his scoreless WBC performance for Venezuela only added to the intrigue. Rob Zastryzny and Grant Anderson also pitched well this spring and could be contributors this season.

Chicago Cubs

Chicago's offseason bullpen overhaul brought in four new arms, headlined by Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, Hoby Milner, and Jacob Webb, alongside the return of Caleb Thielbar. It's a more veteran-heavy group than what the Cubs ran out last year, when they cycled through 26 different relievers over the course of the season.

The centerpiece, though, is Daniel Palencia. The young right-hander's WBC performance for Venezuela was nothing short of electric: five innings of work, no hits, no runs, nine strikeouts, and three saves. Palencia also pitched 4 innings of scoreless work across 4 outings during spring training. If he can sustain that dominance over a full MLB season, the back end of this bullpen goes from solid to scary.

The middle-inning picture is more of a patchwork. Milner is an extreme platoon lefty whose sidearm delivery devastates left-handed batters but leaves him exposed against righties. Maton is expected to handle the eighth, and Ben Brown's transition from failed starter to potential high-leverage reliever is one of the more intriguing storylines in camp. Porter Hodge and Ethan Roberts provide additional depth, though both have been inconsistent.

The front office is widely expected to add more relief help via trade as the season progresses, particularly if the Cubs are in contention as anticipated.

Pittsburgh Pirates

For the first time in five years, the Pirates won't have a designated closer. David Bednar and his 101 career saves are now in pinstripes, and Pittsburgh plans to fill the void with a flexible committee approach built around Dennis Santana, Gregory Soto, and Justin Lawrence.

Santana has the strongest case for primary closing duties, having converted 16 of 19 save chances last year with a sub-1.00 WHIP when he was in the closer role. Soto, a two-time All-Star, gives the Pirates the option of playing matchups in the late innings since he can neutralize left-handed lineups. Lawrence was dominant in limited action before spending most of 2025 on the injured list with forearm issues, so his health will be a key variable. Don Kelly has said he won't pigeonhole anyone into one specific inning, preferring to deploy his high-leverage arms where the matchups dictate.

The depth behind them includes Isaac Mattson, whose disappearing fastball held opposing hitters to a .083 spring average, and Mason Montgomery, a lefty acquired from Tampa Bay who can reach triple digits.

The Pirates opted for José Urquidy over Mike Clevinger for long relief, valuing his ability to absorb multiple innings and protect a young rotation that features four starters under 28.

Hunter Barco and Yohan Ramírez also ate some innings this spring and looked pretty good doing it, sporting ERAs of 2.31 and 3.24 respectively.

Cincinnati Reds

The Reds' right-handed relief options are in good shape. Emilio Pagán (the expected closer), Tony Santillan, and Graham Ashcraft form a capable late-inning trio. The problem is on the other side of the rubber.

Caleb Ferguson, signed this offseason as the answer to the left-handed question, will open 2026 on the injured list with an oblique strain. That leaves Sam Moll as the primary southpaw option after he earned the final bullpen spot with a scoreless spring. Brock Burke is another lefty in the mix, though his spring performance was concerning.

Connor Phillips and Pierce Johnson combined for 17.2 innings pitched during the spring, so we'll likely see them this season. Deeper in the system, Cincinnati has a cluster of hard-throwing young arms in Luis Mey, Zach Maxwell, and Kyle Nicolas, all of whom are close but need to sharpen their command before they can contribute consistently at the big-league level.

St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals' bullpen is, by design, built for evaluation rather than wins. With Chaim Bloom's rebuild underway and a projected win total in the low-to-mid 70s, save opportunities will be rare, and the players closing games at the start of the year may well be wearing different uniforms by July.

JoJo Romero has the closing experience after handling late-inning duties last season, but he's widely viewed as a trade chip whose value Bloom hopes to grow in the first half. Riley O'Brien and Matt Svanson are the most likely candidates to inherit the ninth-inning role once Romero departs, with O'Brien getting the first shot. Ryne Stanek could also see save chances, but he too is a candidate to be moved mid-season.

The most interesting newcomers are George Soriano, acquired from Washington in a February trade, who struck out nine in seven scoreless spring innings, and Rule 5 pick Matt Pushard, whose 96-mph fastball gives him a real chance to stick despite the restrictions that come with his roster status.

Justin Bruihl and Chris Roycroft, who looked good in spring training, will likely round out the group. Gordon Graceffo, once a starting pitching prospect, has been permanently shifted to the bullpen and will begin the year in Triple-A working on multi-inning assignments.

— InsidethePen Staff

2026 Division Previews

NL West NL Central NL East AL Central AL East AL West