Lincoln Zdunich
Milwaukee Brewers
- Chad Patrick
- Jacob Misiorowski
- Brandon Woodruff
- Kyle Harrison
- Brandon Sproat
With reports that Quinn Priester is dealing with a wrist injury that will keep him out for the start of the season, Patrick will likely start Opening Day. After trading Freddy Peralta to the New York Mets, the rotation depth in Milwaukee is a little light.
In return for Peralta, the Brew Crew added top prospect Sproat to their starting group. Harrison was added in the trade that sent Caleb Durbin to the Boston Red Sox. Adding to that, Woodruff is seeking to rebound in his first full season removed from injury (though his status for the start of this year is still somewhat in question).
Chicago Cubs
- Matthew Boyd
- Cade Horton
- Edward Cabrera
- Shota Imanaga
- Colin Rea
The Cubs are mostly running it back aside from their trade for Cabrera with the Miami Marlins. Boyd has been named the Opening Day starter for Chicago with Horton trying to build on his incredible rookie campaign.
Imanaga had a bit of back-and-forth with the Cubbies with free agency before eventually rejoining the club. Rea factors in as the final piece of a pretty robust starting group for Chicago. Between the pitching and their elite defense, expect some low-scoring games in the Windy City that could end up with the Cubs running the NL Central.
Pittsburgh Pirates
- Paul Skenes
- Mitch Keller
- Bubba Chandler
- Braxton Ashcraft
- José Urquidy
Anchored by one of the best pitchers in the sport, Pittsburgh is seeking to improve on a disappointing 2025. With Skenes and Keller heading it up, and top pitching prospect Bubba Chandler wanting to build on last season’s mediocre MLB debut.
Ashcraft is looking to rebound off of a rougher ’25. After being plagued by several injuries the last few years, he is fully healthy and two years removed from the forearm issue that sidelined him in 2024. The Pirates signed former Detroit Tigers starter Urquidy to a short-term deal to add a playoff-tested pitcher to the group.
St. Louis Cardinals
- Matthew Liberatore
- Dustin May
- Michael McGreevy
- Andre Pallante
- Kyle Leahy
St. Louis lost Miles Mikolas to free agency and traded away Sonny Gray to the Red Sox. Beyond that they don’t have much. Signing May and retaining Liberatore helps, but the Cards need some pitchers to eat innings. What they currently have will make it more difficult to shorten games.
With a robust and young offense, it’ll be exciting to watch games in St. Louis without the pressure of expecting a playoff spot. They’ll get serviceable outings from these five, giving the club a good chance to win in most games.
Cincinnati Reds
- Andrew Abbott
- Nick Lodolo
- Brady Singer
- Chase Burns
- Rhett Lowder
News came this week that star pitcher Hunter Greene could be out as late as July due to a surgery to remove bone chips from his arm. Without him the Reds still have a solid pitching staff. Abbott, Lodolo, and Singer are solid contributors alongside impressive rookie Chase Burns.
The loss of Zack Littell to free agency will certainly hurt them, as he was a solid innings-eater for the club. Issues with his forearm kept Lowder out in 2025 after an impressive 2024 campaign. After a surprising postseason appearance for Cincinnati, they’ll hope to return on the backs of this starting group.
