The Chicago Cubs declared themselves “all- in” when it came to making the postseason as the offseason had just begun.
Aside from the 3-for-1 trade acquisition of multi-tool right fielder Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros, however, there was plenty of debate as to whether that was truly the case.
They made just a token stab at landing free agent third baseman Alex Bregman. They whiffed in their effort to sign free agent closer Tanner Scott. They didn’t even try to target a big-ticket free agent starting pitcher and reportedly backed out of a trade to acquire starter Jesus Luzardo.
What they did do, though, was stock the team with smart acquisitions on team-friendly terms such as Matthew Boyd, Carson Kelly, Colin Rea, Brad Keller, and Caleb Thielbar.
While reaping the benefits of smart pickups and of returning veterans, they are also enjoying the emergence of young impact players such as Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, Daniel Palencia, Miguel Amaya, and Cade Horton.
Put all this together and you get the 2025 Cubs– a team sitting atop the NL Central Division and one whose talent, versatility, and true grit seem to indicate “for real” status.
Chicago Cubs’ stellar outfield acknowledged by fans
If All-Star Game voting (as of June 16) is any indication of the depth and ability of this team, then the current updated voting tallies indeed sing the Cubs’ praises.
Right off the bat, one will notice the very obvious– the Cubs have a stellar outfield.
23-year-old center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong leads the tally among National League outfielders with 1,126,119 votes. Right below him, with 704,740 votes, is right fielder Kyle Tucker showing up ahead of the Dodgers’ Teoscar Hernandez and the Mets’ Juan Soto. Left fielder Ian Happ, by the way, also places relatively high at no. 11 in outfielder voting.
There’s no mystery as to why PCA and Tucker lead the outfield voting. Crow-Armstrong is proving himself to be one of the most electrifying field presences in recent memory, with an eye-catching mix of power, speed, and impact defense. Tucker, meanwhile, has been his usual self as a steady and talented asset who does just about everything well.
Cubs are well-represented in ALL-Star Game voting
All in all, the Cubs have placed highly in All-Star voting at every position.
Catcher Carson Kelly, powered by his monstrous offensive output early in the season, is at No. 2 among National League catchers, but well behind the Dodgers’ Will Smith.
Second baseman Nico Hoerner and first baseman Michael Busch are third in NL voting at their respective positions. Rookie Matt Shaw is placing fourth among third basemen. Dansby Swanson, in a very deep shortstop talent pool, is fifth in voting. Seiya Suzuki, meanwhile, is coming in third at the designated hitter spot, well behind NL top vote-getter, the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani.
Campaigning for Seiya Suzuki
The possible All-Star omission of Suzuki, who ranks among the top players in the league in many offensive categories, has recently been a topic of discussion among fans, media, and even Cubs teammates, themselves.
“It’s pretty obvious that Shohei is going to be the guy in that spot,” Ian Happ recently said on the Rahimi & Harris Show. “But I really hope the coaches vote and Seiya gets in there. He really, really deserves it. The year he’s had, what he’s done in his career to this point, like, he deserves to be in that game. So, I really hope that he gets in there.”
“I think the world of Seiya,” Nico Hoerner said on the Spiegel & Holmes Show. “He’s been a great player in this league for a while. But I think he’s taken another step this year. And I think an All-Star nod would really solidify that in a pretty cool way.”
Whatever happens with Suzuki, it looks as though Crow-Armstrong and Tucker are locks to be two-thirds of the starting NL All-Star outfield, with a couple more Cubs likely to make the team as well.
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