The Chicago Cubs are hopeful this year after finishing 83-79 last year and in second place. The Chicago Cubs signed Kyle Tucker to hit right in the middle of their lineup and play right field. The Chicago Cubs traded away former Most Valuable Player Cody Bellinger to the New York Yankees for reliever Cody Poteet and five million dollars in cash. That move was puzzling, though the Chicago Cubs wanted to get rid of Bellinger. The Cubs roster has changed a little, but the question is, will they be better in 2025 than in 2024?
Chicago Cubs Starting Rotation
Shota Imanaga does not throw hard but is the ace of this team. He finished fourth in the National League in earned run average. Justin Steele is the second starting pitcher for the Chicago Cubs. The left-handed has had an earned run average of less than 3.20 in the past three seasons. Jameson Taillon is the third starter for the Chicago Cubs. The longtime Pittsburgh Pirate had an excellent season last year.
Longtime Detroit Tigers Starting Pitcher Matthew Boyd signed with the Cubs in December from the Cleveland Guardians. He too is a control artist. Javier Assad is slated to be the fifth starter for the Cubs but is on the injured list with forearm problems. This is worrying and look for Ben Brown to be the fifth starter in his absence.
Chicago Cubs Bullpen
Ryan Pressly, who signed with the Cubs from the Houston Astros, will be the closer. However, Porter Hodge, who will set him up throws hard and became the closer in his rookie year last year. Keegan Thompson is also in the Cubs bullpen and can pitch multiple innings. That gives him nice versatility.
Julian Merryweather could be a factor as well provided he has overcome the injuries that limited him to just 15 innings last season. Ryan Brasier and former Toronto Blue Jays prospect Nate Pearson are also out there. Pearson logged a 23:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio last season.
Catcher
Miguel Amaya was the starting catcher for the Cubs last season. He wore down and has since lost his starting job to his backup Carson Kelly. He signed a two-year contract in December after coming over to the Chicago Cubs from the Texas Rangers in December. He is light-hitting but has excellent defensive skills.
Infield
In the infield, the Chicago Cubs have Michael Busch at first base. He has the potential to make some power improvements, but he must improve a career 29.2% strikeout rate. Nico Hoerner is hurt, so he will not start at second base for the Cubs. Instead, former New York Yankee Jon Berti will play second base. That is a step down because Hoerner had a strong finish to last season. Berti will team with Dansby Swanson in the middle of the Cubs infield.
Swanson is the Cubs shortstop and is one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball. He finished strong last season and should return to hitting 20 home runs. Third base is wide open and could have been Isaac Paredes, but he signed a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. So, Matt Shaw will get the chance there. He was a 2023 first-round draft pick, and he has a great deal of potential.
Outfield
The right fielder will be Tucker. He is headed into his age 28 season and entering his prime as a superstar. He had a .993 OPS last year. Anything approaching 1.0 is very good. Gone is center fielder Bellinger, so the center fielder for the Cubs this season will be Pete Crow-Armstrong. He is one of the fastest players in baseball.
The left fielder is Ian Happ. He has won a gold glove in each of the past two seasons but is an unspectacular offensive player. He has had an OPS between .781 and .791 in the past three seasons.
Designated Hitter
Former Right Fielder Seiya Suzuki will get most of the at-bats at designated hitter. He can contribute offensively in several ways and last season finished 14th in the league in OPS. Though Suzuki will get most of the time here, the designated hitter spot in the batting order could be used to spell the team’s biggest sluggers.
Management
Owner Tom Ricketts generally will spend to improve the Chicago Cubs as evidenced by the trade for Kyle Tucker. Now they need to resign him as he has only one year left on his contract. Jed Hoyer is the Cub’s President of baseball operations and makes good decisions. Craig Counsell is the manager now after being the manager for the Milwaukee Brewers. He is now baseball’s highest-paid manager.
Conclusion
Is this the year for the Chicago Cubs? Maybe. They had one of the biggest acquisitions in baseball when they traded for Tucker. Adding him to the middle of the lineup was important for the Cubs, who are certain to score more runs than last year.
