The NL Central has exploded into baseball’s most cutthroat division this season, and the Chicago Cubs are about to learn a brutal lesson they never saw coming. While Chicago thought they had the division locked up, the Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, and Cincinnati Reds have turned this into a bloodbath that’s rewriting MLB history books. Want to guess which team is quietly sharpening their knives for Chicago’s throne? It’s the Brewers, who aren’t just knocking on the door; they’re kicking it down.

Milwaukee delivered a harsh reality check to Chicago with a stunning 8-7 thriller over the mighty Dodgers on Saturday night, one that should have every Cubs fan sweating. While the Cubs have been stumbling through their “championship window,” the Brewers just extended their winning streak to nine games by dismantling the same Dodgers team that’s supposed to be untouchable. Here’s the kicker: Milwaukee has now gone 5-0 against LA this season, outscoring opponents 50-21 during this scorching hot streak. While Chicago’s been playing checkers, Milwaukee’s been playing chess.

MLB Network Radio’s Jeff Joyce didn’t mince words when he dropped this bombshell: “I would not be surprised one bit if the Brewers beat them out to win the division. No, it doesn’t surprise me at all, and it’s only a game lead right now.”

But the Brewers’ success isn’t the only thing becoming a nightmare for the Cubs. Joyce is dissecting the Cubs’ situation, saying, “The funny thing is that when the Cubs hired or signed Craig Counsell last year. One of the things Jed Hoyer said was, ‘You know, we got tired of every year.’ … The Brewers were always right there, and we’re like, ‘How are they doing this?’ So they take Craig Counsell. And yet what happens again? The Brewers did it again last year, and they’re doing it again this year.”

So what exactly are the Cubs planning to do about this brewing problem? Here’s where it gets interesting: Jed Hoyer is actively targeting starting pitching and third base before the July 31st deadline. The Matt Shaw experiment at third has been defensively solid but offensively brutal, forcing Chicago to eye expensive veterans like Ryan McMahon or Eugenio Suárez. Want to take a guess at what happens when wishful thinking becomes roster construction? Well, you know the answer. Milwaukee keeps developing contributors like Misiorowski while Chicago chases Band-Aid solutions. Speaking of those solutions, Chicago may have tipped the first domino in its desperate attempt to fix what’s broken by signing a veteran player.

Spencer Turnbull signs as Chicago looks to bolster rotation

The Cubs just made their first post-All-Star break move, and it’s exactly the kind of under-the-radar signing that could pay dividends down the stretch. According to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, former Alabama Crimson Tide right-hander Spencer Turnbull has officially joined the Cubs organization, giving Chicago another veteran arm as they chase their first division title since 2020.

Turnbull’s journey to Wrigley hasn’t been smooth sailing this season. The Toronto Blue Jays cut the seven-year MLB veteran loose in June, and he has been searching for a new home ever since, originally selected in the second round of the draft out of Alabama. His 2025 numbers tell a story of struggle, posting a 1-1 record with a concerning 7.11 ERA across just 6.1 major league innings, striking out four while walking four in three appearances.

The numbers get even more troubling when you dig deeper into his minor league stint with Toronto’s system. Turnbull managed just a 0-3 record with a 7.13 ERA across five starts, spanning 17.2 innings while maintaining a modest 14:9 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Those aren’t exactly the statistics that scream “difference-maker,” but sometimes teams see potential where others see problems.

The Cubs are sitting pretty at 57-39 atop the NL Central, but depth is never a bad thing when October looms. Whether Turnbull joins the big league club immediately or starts in the minors remains unclear, but this signing shows the Cubs aren’t content to coast into the playoffs.