Who is the biggest threat to the Cardinals in the NL Central?

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Spring Training is just a couple of weeks away. For the Cardinals, pitchers and catchers report on February 14.

That means it's almost time to dig into making predictions and determining which team will have the most success in 2024.

The NL Central is wide open, as it was entering last season. It's hard to determine a clear favorite since it is one of the weaker divisions in the league.

But the Cardinals could easily emerge as the best team within the Central and reclaim the top spot in the division. They won the NL Central with 93 wins in 2022.

Things are different this time around, as all teams play each other at least once. This is the second year of the new schedule format. This means that it won't be as easy to win a weak division when the Cardinals aren't playing NL Central opponents all the time.

And even with the NL Central being a weak division, that doesn't mean that the Cardinals' path to the top is going to be easy. Other teams have made some big moves this offseason and will more than likely challenge the Cardinals for the top spot.

For example, the Cubs have signed Shota Imanaga and may not be done just yet. The Reds have also had a respectable offseason, signing Frankie Montas and Nick Martinez to bolster the pitching staff.

I think it's safe to say that these are the two biggest threats to the Cardinals in the NL Central, especially with the Brewers likely taking a step back and the Pirates still a year or two away.

In this piece, we will rank the Reds and Cubs and determine who the bigger threat is.

2. Cincinnati Reds

As previously mentioned, the Reds have had a fairly good offseason for the first time in a while. Nick Martinez and Frankie Montas are their two biggest additions, but they also brought in Brent Suter and Jeimer Candelario.

After a surprising 82-80 finish, the Reds are looking like a team that is close to contending again. Matt McLain, Spencer Steer, Elly De La Cruz, and other young stars should help them take that next step.

On the pitching side, they have Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Andrew Abbott, and Alexis Diaz.

Because the division is so wide open, I could see the Reds potentially taking the top spot if all goes according to plan for them, especially if the Cardinals fall apart again. They definitely have taken some very important steps towards respectability.

The future is bright for this young core of stars.

Last year, they took advantage of the struggling Cardinals. While the Cardinals still won the season series by going 7-6 against Cincy, the Reds played them tough and ultimately won 82 games.

For the Reds to threaten the Cardinals again and contend, they'll need their young pitchers to take the next step, which could help them form a truly scary starting rotation with a couple of young fireballers at the top.

Still, they probably aren't the biggest threat to the Cardinals, which leads us to the next slide.

1. Chicago Cubs

In my opinion, it's the Cubs who are the biggest threats to the Cardinals. I think you could make a case that the Cubs should be considered favorites.

I wrote a piece on whether or not the Cardinals should be favorites a while back, making a case for both sides. Granted, the Cubs haven't done a whole lot. They added Michael Busch in a trade with the Dodgers and signed Shota Imanaga, and those are good moves to be fair.

But what makes the Cubs the biggest threat to the Cardinals is the fact that they may not be done. As each day passes, it appears more and more likely that they'll have a clear path to adding another star to their lineup.

Whether it's re-signing Cody Bellinger or bringing in Matt Chapman, the Cubs can't be taken lightly. The frustrating thing is that the Cardinals probably won't do anything big to counter if the Cubs add another bat.

We can only hope that the Cubs are unable to do anything else, but they have the money to do more and are a team that shouldn't be slept on. They came close to reaching the postseason last year after all.

If they do make another big move, then I think they'll end up being considered the favorites in the Central, mostly because the Cardinals appear to be done making big splashes, even though they shouldn't be.

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