1 free agent from each NL Central rival the Cubs should zero in on

The Chicago Cubs need to be heavily involved in the free agent market this offseason, and the NL Central could be a bountiful spot to look for talent. There are a handful of underrated guys that could make sense in Chicago, as the team looks to address holes in the corner outfield and across the entire pitching staff.

The Cubs are likely to leave no stone unturned as they look for improvements to their roster this offseason, and that could see them target players from division rivals. At least, the ones expected to become free agents.

Brewers: OF/1B Jake Bauers

Milwaukee's most prominent free agent will be Jake Bauers, who enjoyed a breakout season in 2026. The lefty power hitter would be a cheaper alternative for the Cubs front office to target if they don't want to dip into the upper levels of the free-agent class. The team might be able to nab the 31-year-old for a two-year deal worth around $30 million, much friendlier than the projected $120 million it would likely take to bring Seiya Suzuki back.

Bauers showed off decent power with 26 homers, 86 RBIs and an elite 16.3% walk rate in 2026. He did most of his damage while facing righties, his splits against left-handed pitching were excellent last year, with a .901 OPS and 147 wRC+. The Cubs would sacrifice defense if they signed Bauers to play right field regularly, but his bat is worth it if he can continue on this trajectory.

Pirates: Reliever Gregory Soto

Gregory Soto is a left-handed reliever who has spent time with five different ball clubs over his eight-year career in the majors. He's primarily a sinker/ slider guy who can consistently touch 97 mph on his fastball, giving him a nice blend of inducing groundballs (46.2%) and striking out batters (27.7%).

Soto would give the Cubs some velocity to pair with Daniel Palencia in the back of Chicago's bullpen. Even though he lost the closer job in Pittsburgh last year, Soto still collected 16 saves and continued to find success as a setup man with 13 holds.

Reds: Reliever Brock Burke

With the Cubs hunting for effective pitching this offseason, Brock Burke checks a lot of boxes. Since the beginning of 2025, Burke has been a productive high-leverage arm with 38 holds, 126 strikeouts, and a cumulative 2.78 ERA over 136 innings pitched.

Those are very healthy numbers worthy of at least a two-year deal as Burke heads into his age-30 season. But I'm skeptical about how willing Chicago is to dip into the multi-year reliever market after getting burned on Phil Maton last season.

Cardinals: Reliever Caleb Ferguson

After committing to a full rebuild, Chaim Bloom and the St. Louis Cardinals front office sold at the 2026 trade deadline. They moved most of their pending free agents, including pitchers Dustin May and Jojo Romero, who went to the Brewers. The only player the Cardinals have hitting free agency is reliever Caleb Ferguson. Ironically, this is a pitcher I could see the Cubs signing.

The southpaw missed roughly half the season with an oblique injury and wasn't very effective when he was on the mound, so he'd be a cheap, low-risk, high-reward signing. The Cubs usually target at least one guy every offseason with that profile, hoping to find a diamond in the rough. Ferguson has a decent track record as a groundball/ lefty specialist. He also posted a 3.58 ERA across 65 1/3 innings in 2025, so he can be effective if he stays healthy.

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