When the Chicago Cubs added Edward Cabrera to their pitching staff in a blockbuster trade with the Miami Marlins last week, it sounded some alarms among the other NL Central competitors who have taken things slowly this offseason.
If that sounded the alarms, then I suppose Alex Bregman joining forces with the Windy City natives probably set the air raid sirens off. A near one-for-one replacement with departing outfielder Kyle Tucker, Bregman immediately infuses the middle of the Cubs' lineup with a World Series champion and multi-time All-Star.
It's fair to say that, in their general malaise this winter, the Milwaukee Brewers have been surpassed (at least in some respects) by the wheeling-and-dealing Cubs, who have also rebuilt their depleted bullpen on the fly; the odds-makers are already deeming Chicago the favorites in the division.