Cubs get early warning from Brewers that NL Central race won't be easy

We are less than a week into the 2026 MLB season, but the Chicago Cubs got an early taste of what the National League Central race could look like this year. And it already feels very familiar for Cubs fans, who have watched the Milwaukee Brewers dominate the division for the better part of the last decade.

After winning 97 games and defeating the Cubs in the National League Division Series last October, the Brewers picked up right where they left off this weekend. En route to a three-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox, the Brewers entered Monday leading the league in runs scored (29) and run differential (+19).

Milwaukee dropped a close one to the Rays Monday night for its first loss of the year, but the message is unchanged: this team isn't going to roll over and let the Cubs take the division.

The Cubs haven't won the NL Central in a full-length season since 2017, while the Brewers have five division titles under their belt in that time. They've been a frustrating thorn in the Cubs' side in the last decade, and they appear to be just as dangerous as ever despite another offseason where they lost vital players from last season.

First baseman Rhys Hoskins, starting pitcher Jose Quintana (3.96 ERA) and catcher Danny Jansen all left Milwaukee in free agency. The team also traded their ace, Freddy Peralta, to the New York Mets, leaving a significant hole in their starting rotation. If that weren't enough, they sent NL Rookie of the Year finalist Caleb Durbin to Boston in a separate trade. These moves should have weakened the Brewers, who are notorious for not spending money in free agency, and they contributed to negative projections for Milwaukee.

But the Brewers have shown an uncanny ability to supplement their team by developing young talent into capable MLB players, and they've had great success with that formula recently.

The Cubs need to win the division in 2026 - no matter what

The Brewers' voodoo magic can't last forever, though, and the Cubs finally leveraged their main advantage over Milwaukee this offseason. And that's money. After Chicago locked Nico Hoerner and Pete Crow-Armstrong into contract extensions last week, the team officially spent more money than any other team this offseason, so this is the year to capitalize and put the Brewers in their place.

They signed Alex Bregman, one of the market's top position-player free agents, to a $175 million deal, completely rebuilt the bullpen with free agents, and traded for starting pitcher Edward Cabrera. These moves give the Cubs a better team than Milwaukee on paper, and hopefully the standings reflect that reality in September.