Three biggest free-agent needs for Brewers, Cardinals, Cubs, Reds, Pirates

The Hot Stove has been cold through the first three weeks of November, but the action is expected to heat up soon with MLB’s winter meetings nearing. In the meantime, we’re examining each team to identify its three biggest needs this offseason and which free agents could fulfill them.

Our series begins with the National League Central.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS

1. Shortstop: The Brewers, as always, will be more active on the trade front than they will be in free agency following Willy Adames‘ departure. They can get creative and move either one of Brice Turang or Joey Ortiz to shortstop full time and then aim to fill second and third base to cover their ground that way. Since Rhys Hoskins opted in on his player option, the Brewers have a surplus of first basemen, in which Jake Bauers seems likeliest to go. Orlando Arcia could be a good bounce-back candidate if Milwaukee wants to do a deal with Atlanta.

2. Second base: If the Brewers wind up moving Turang or Ortiz to short, they could look to trade for Angels infielder Luis Rengifo, who will be in the final year of arbitration in 2025. It’s a boon for Milwaukee that Rengifo plays both second and third, and he shouldn’t cost them too many prospects or flashy players since he would be a one-year stop-gap option. Rangers infielder Justin Foscue could be another trade target, since he has no path to regular playing time in Texas.

3. Third base: It seems more and more likely that this will be the winter Milwaukee trades closer Devin Williams, as he’s set to enter free agency next offseason and the Brewers are not expected to extend him. Dangling a star pitcher like Williams in front of contenders that need bullpen help should net the Brewers a big return, so perhaps they could aim to land Orioles third base prospect Coby Mayo, who has a ton of upside but has been somewhat held back by Baltimore’s influx of infielders.

1. Starting pitching: Even though Chicago’s rotation could use a top-of-the-market starter like Burnes, it seems unlikely the club will shoot that high given its most recent, low-cost deals for Jameson Taillon and Shota Imanaga. Free agent starting pitchers with lesser price points who could fit into the rotation include Luis Severino, Frankie Montas, Jose Quintana, Adrian Houser and Trevor Williams. If they want to get creative in the trade market, the Cubs have a top-10 farm system in baseball and could try to win the Crochet sweepstakes.

2. Bullpen: After last year’s plan of Adbert Alzolay (Tommy John) and Hector Neris (setup man pushed into a closer role) didn’t work out, the Cubs should be focusing on adding a volume of high-leverage arms — and let’s face it, that’s every bullpen’s dream. Guys like Clay Holmes, Kenley Jansen, Danny Coulombe and Chris Martin would be solid fits.

3. Catcher: The Cubs did a solid job trading for Angels catcher Matt Thaiss this offseason, but he’s ideally a backup option rather than the upgrade that Jed Hoyer indicated he wanted to add. For that, Chicago should be looking at the free-agent market, where Kyle Higashioka would make a lot of sense as the Cubs’ starter. Danny Jansen would be another premiere option. Cubs catchers produced a 69 wRC+ this past year (26th in MLB).

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

1. Starting pitching: Since Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson are free agents after decent one-year stints with the Cardinals, and Miles Mikolas shouldn’t be counted on to bounce back after his abysmal 2024 season, St. Louis could use a top-end starting pitcher who is, preferably, left-handed. The top two southpaws on the market are Blake Snell and Max Fried, and a tier or two below is left-hander Jose Quintana. After a 4.33 rotation ERA that ranked 20th in baseball, the Cardinals should be shooting for significant upgrades here.

2. Outfielder: The Cardinals could use another everyday outfielder to join Brendan Donovan and Lars Nootbaar. Rather than dipping into the free-agent market, the still retooling Cardinals appear likely to turn in-house for outfield upgrades. Former prospects Jordan Walker and Victor Scott have yet to find consistency in the majors, but they could get more runway from the Cardinals to prove they belong. Outfielder Michael Siani also has a lot to prove to earn a potential full-time role.

3. Relief pitching: The relief corps needs a solid high-leverage arm who can pair well with closer Ryan Helsey since setup man Andrew Kittredge hit free agency. Perhaps veterans David Robertson or Aroldis Chapman could be of some help in St. Louis.

1. Outfield: Cincinnati could stand to upgrade at least two outfield spots, with a slugging outfielder being the club’s most pressing need. Since the Reds have a surplus of left-handed hitting outfielders in Luke Fraley and Will Benson, it would make sense to trade one of them for someone with more power. Over in San Francisco, Mike Yastrzemski and LaMonte Wade Jr. are both one year removed from free agency, so that could be a good place to start for Cincy. Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu could be another option.

2. Starting pitching: They could use another top-end rotation arm to pair with Hunter Greene, who’s coming off a sneaky Cy-Young caliber campaign and career year. Cincy probably feels good about three spots in the rotation along with the brief stint from former first-rounder Rhett Lowder, who was stellar following his August call-up. But overall, the talent in the rotation is a step behind the rest of the roster, so they should look to acquire a starter either via trade or free agency. Maybe Cincy could swing a deal for southpaw Jesus Luzardo, who’s under Marlins control for two more seasons but seems like a candidate to be traded at some point in the next several months.

3. Designated hitter: The Reds’ OPS at DH in 2024 was .599, good for 29th in the major leagues, and their -3.0 fWAR from DH was worst in baseball. For comparison, the league’s average OPS at DH was .742. The top available DH this year is Joc Pederson, followed by J.D. Martinez and Andrew McCutchen, and there’s a steep drop-off after that. A’s outfielder/DH Brent Rooker could be a trade target for the Reds.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES

1. First base: Pittsburgh’s biggest need is debatable between first base and a corner outfielder. Rowdy Tellez is a free agent and the team stood to upgrade from him anyway. The Pirates have plenty of solid arms to try and fill their roster holes through the trade market, and Ryan Mountcastle is someone they could be targeting. The Orioles are teeming with position players and could use some of Pittsburgh’s arms. These two clubs appear to be obvious partners this winter.

2. Corner outfielder: In that same token, the Red Sox are another club that could benefit from the Pirates’ boatload of young arms, and they have a right fielder who makes sense for the Bucs. The lefty-swinging Wilyer Abreu enjoyed a promising rookie season in 2024, crushing 15 home runs with a 114 wRC+ to boot. The Red Sox might be desperate for great pitching, so this could be the ideal time for the Pirates to strike.

3. Relief pitching: Pittsburgh’s bullpen ERA (4.49) ranked 27th in baseball, which shouldn’t be surprising given the relief unit blew 36 leads. As much as the Pirates have received recognition for their arms, they need to revamp the bullpen to make any pitching headway actually count for something. Perhaps another free-agent deal for a proven veteran reliever, like last year’s acquisition of Aroldis Chapman, could work in their favor. Kenley Jansen would be a name to look out for. They could also choose to develop one of their multiple minor-league arms into more of a sure-thing relief option.

RELATED: NL East | NL West | AL East | AL Central | AL West

Deesha Thosar is an MLB reporter for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.