The Chicago Cubs have gotten off to an incredible start this season.
Everything seems to be cooking, clicking, or whatever other metaphor one would like to use.
The team’s outstanding showing has been spearheaded by a red-hot offense that sees the team hitting for power, hitting for average, displaying aggression on the base baths, and coming through with clutch hits.
Chicago Cubs Have Done Their Best Against The Best
And, maybe best of all, their 16-10 record, which is good enough to give them a 2.5 game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central, has come versus some of the best teams in baseball.
When the 2025 season schedule was released, the Cubs’ difficult early slate– loaded with games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Arizona Diamondbacks– was pointed to as a key reason the team might struggle to win their division and/or make the playoffs.
However, to the surprise of many, the Cubs not only held their own against the rough NL West, but they excelled. Their recent games against the Dodgers, especially, showcased a playoff atmosphere at Wrigley Field, as the fans have latched on to the enthusiasm the team brings to the field.
MLB Insider Weighs In
MLB Insider Ken Rosenthal recently declared the Cubs the real deal, writing in a piece for The Athletic that Chicago was “so back” from the days of mediocre muddling as a second-tier team.
The veteran baseball scribe pointed out that, although the sizzling pace set by the offense most likely won’t continue, the Cubs have plenty of steady excellence built into the lineup that should continue to thrive, such as the disciplined, productive top of the order crew of Ian Happ, Kyle Tucker, Seiya Suzuki, and Michael Busch.
For Rosenthal, the real key to the Cubs’ offense lies at the lower part of the order where Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Miguel Amaya, and Carson Kelly will have to maintain productivity.
Third base will also be a big question mark which, the Cubs hope, will be re-filled by a returning, re-tooled Matt Shaw.
The Real Deal
Per Rosenthal, even with rose colored glasses off and a dead stare right at reality, things still look very good for the team hoping to make postseason play for the first time since 2020:
“…In the giddiness of the Cubs’ early-season surge, their failed bid for [free agent third baseman Alex] Bregman is all but forgotten. Even the season-ending loss of ace lefty Justin Steele, at least thus far, stings less than it should. The crowds at Wrigley Field for the team’s back-to-back, one-run wins over the Dodgers were electric. The addition of Tucker has been nothing short of transformative.
Which isn’t to say the Cubs will run away with the NL Central. The Milwaukee Brewers, who already have used nine starting pitchers, will be their usual pesky selves. The Cincinnati Reds, in their first year under manager Terry Francona, also should be a threat.
Those are concerns for another day. The Cubs are back.”
Needless to say, we are still very early into the season and there is a near-eternity of baseball yet to play.
There are also some real points of concern– like replacing a top-of-rotation starter for a playoff push and stabilizing a bullpen that has been all over the place. Unexpected injury is also a never-ending concern.
But everything in the Cubs’ world seems to be trending upwards and there’s no denying the confidence with which the team takes the field. There’s also no denying that the Cubs have that “something special” electricity crackling all around them.
The fans feel it, the team feels it, and even the media experts feel it.
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