Rival NL Central exec is quickly and quietly bringing Cubs fans' nightmares to life

The Chicago Cubs look like the favorites to win the National League Central in 2026. But we've seen this story before and until Game 162 is in the books and I see 'CHICAGO' atop the standings, there will be no counting of chickens.

Short-term, I like the Cubs' chances. The arrival of Alex Bregman and a bold trade for Edward Cabrera were big-time moves for Jed Hoyer and his front office, a group more known for playing it safe than making potentially transformative moves. Long-term, though, both the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals have the makings of a real problem.

It's funny to say that Milwaukee is a long-term problem, becuase they've pretty clearly been a problem for awhile now. The bigger concern is the fact that shows no signs of changing anytime soon, thanks to a series of savvy moves from president of baseball operations Matt Arnold. One of the game's top farm systems only got better this winter, thanks to the trade that sent Freddy Peralta to Queens.

Cardinals and Chaim Bloom continue reloading the farm system with this week's long-anticipated Brendan Donovan trade with the Mariners

But we're not here to talk about the Brewers. On the heels of Monday's Brendan Donovan trade, I want to focus on the Chaim Bloom-led St. Louis Cardinals, who have added a staggering 13 of their top 30 prospects since July.

The Donovan trade is just the latest move Bloom has made with his eye on the future, following trades of Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado and former Cubs backstop Willson Contreras. Make no mistake, this is a full-blown teardown and 2026 is probably going to be pretty ugly at the big-league level. But looking down the road toward the back of the decade, St. Louis has amassed a serious collection of minor-league talent.

The Cardinals join the Brewers with five top-100 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline (the Cubs have just two - Moises Ballesteros, who will graduate off that list in 2026, and Jaxon Wiggins - a testament to the work Bloom has done since taking over the top job in St. Louis from longtime executive John Mozeliak.

Things are looking up at Wrigley Field after a busy offseason from Hoyer. But don't sleep on the winters turned in by two of the Cubs' most hated rivals - because they're laying the groundwork to be major forces in years to come.