How the Chicago Cubs deadline moves stack up to the other NL Central teams

The 2023 MLB trade deadline has come and gone and the Chicago Cubs wound up being buyers for the first time in three years. With an extremely competitive race between the Cubs, the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Cincinnati Reds, this deadline could prove to be crucial in who ends up on top of the division in October. Here's what the Cubs' deadline moves look like compared to the rest of the division.

The St. Louis Cardinals

One of the most disappointing teams of 2023 has been the St. Louis Cardinals, who were expected to win the NL Central with relative ease, but instead, they moved some of their best assets at the deadline. Notably, however, the team did not trade its two best players in first baseman Paul Goldschmidt or third baseman Nolan Arenado. Both men would have fetched a hefty haul of prospects in return. The team was reportedly hearing offers for both men, but since neither were moved it could mean the Cardinals' front office was not committed to a full rebuild.

That's not to say the team didn't move significant players, such wasas starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery, former ace Jack Flaherty, as well as shortstop Paul DeJong and closer Jordan Hicks. Each of these players were keys parts of the Cardinals in recent years and although all four of them are on expiring contracts, the team indeed waved the white flag on the 2023 season by trading them.

What makes these moves oh so sweet from our perspective is the fact that the Cubs effectively made the decision for the Cardinals to sell by taking 6 out of 8 games against the red birds in the last two weeks. The Cardinals are also likely to post their first losing season since 2007.

2. The Pittsburgh Pirates

Similar to the Cardinals, but not to the same degree, was the Pittsburgh Pirates who were soft sellers at this year's deadline. With a lot of young and controllable assets in their organization like Bryan Reynolds, Oneil Cruz, and 1st overall pick Paul Skenes, the Pirates are likely looking to add some pieces in the offseason and try to compete again next year. That is why they only moved their aging players on expiring contracts like Carlos Santana, Rich Hill, Ji-Man Choi, and Austin Hedges.

These were probably the right moves by the Pittsburgh front office as even though they did start the season hot, the Pirates fell out of contention in the months of June and July. But with the haul of prospects they got back and a newly acquired phenom pitcher set to fast-track the minor leagues, the Pirates could be a problem in the division as soon as next year.

3. The Cincinnati Reds

There isn't much to say about the moves that the Reds made this deadline because they hardly did anything. For a team that is vying to win the division and has a serious need for starting pitching, and with a lot of pitching available, the Reds mostly stood pat. They made one small move for a left-handed reliever named Sam Moll from the Oakland Athletics. The 31-year-old has a 4.54 ERA in 37.2 innings this year so this deal wasn't exactly a blockbuster.

Since this is the first year the Reds look to be back in contention, perhaps they aren't ready to push their chips all the way in. Maybe they're banking on the injured starters Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo to carry their rotation for the rest of the season. But if I were a Reds fan, I would've wanted something a bit more from this deadline to add to what has admittedly been a very exciting team to watch.

4. The Milwaukee Brewers

The ever-competitive Milwaukee Brewers made a few lackluster moves at the deadline and one good one. Let's start with the good move, and it was a move that the Chicago Cubs were heavily rumored and should have made. In a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Brewers acquired former Cub left-handed pitcher Andrew Chafin in exchange for struggling reliever Peter Strzelecki. I'm not sure why the Diamondbacks were shopping Chafin considering they are also buyers but the Brewers snatched him up and he will be a factor in the upcoming playoff race against the Cubs.

Other than the Chafin, the Brewers made moves for former Mets outfielder Mark Cahna and former Pirates first baseman Carlos Santana. Both men have been mediocre (3.0 WAR combined) this season and will need to turn things around in a big way to significantly impact the Brewers' lineup. This wasn't a huge year at the deadline for the Brewers but with Brandon Woodruff coming back soon, they may be able to rely on their stellar starting pitching staff to vie for the division like they always do.

The Brewers also sent struggling infielder Luis Urias to the Red Sox for a pitching prospect named Bradley Blalock. That move will also unlikely move the needle for the Brewers, making this deadline not horrible but at the same time kind of insignificant for Milwaukee.