For the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers, the MLB regular season is here. For at least two games.
The Cubs and Dodgers will play their opening day at the Tokyo Dome in Japan on Tuesday and will have one more contest on Wednesday before traveling back to the United States to finish spring training. “Domestic” opening day will kick off for Chicago on March 27 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Cubs are projected by most analysts to be the top team in the NL Central, but the division isn’t thought highly of in the preseason.
Did the Chicago Cubs do enough to justify the Kyle Tucker trade?
Per The Athletic‘s preseason power rankings released on Monday, the Cubs were ranked as the No. 12 team in the MLB. Stephen J. Nesbitt thinks Chicago could “regret” not doing more to boost the roster after trading for outfielder Kyle Tucker this offseason.
“Finally, a Central division team,” Nesbitt wrote, giving Chicago the highest ranking of any NL Central team. (The Milwaukee Brewers were the next NL Central team at No. 15.) “The Cubs clearly improved this offseason, counting Kyle Tucker, Ryan Pressly, Matthew Boyd and Justin Turner among their many additions to the major-league roster.
“They still project as just an 84-win team, according to FanGraphs, but when no other NL Central team projects to break .500, well, that .516 might get the job done. Given that Tucker is a free agent this fall, the Cubs may come to regret not pushing the chips in and betting big this winter. If you only get one shot with Tucker, it had better work.”
The Athletic gives the Cubs playoff odds of 56.5% for 2025.
The Cubs missed out on Alex Bregman
The Cubs had a chance to land Alex Bregman to pair with Tucker but missed out as the Boston Red Sox signed the third baseman to a three-year deal worth $120 million.
Instead of adding the two-time All-Star, the Cubs will bank on rookie Matt Shaw to have a stellar campaign in 2025. While Shaw is expected to develop into a key starter this season, he’s not the sure thing that Bregman would have brought Chicago.
One question will stick with the Cubs throughout the season: Did they do enough to justify the trade for Tucker?
It could become a major talking point between the series in Tokyo and March 27 if Chicago doesn’t match up well with the defending World Series champs on Tuesday and Wednesday.
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