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As the resident Chicago Cubs fan here on Brewer Fanatic (boo me all you want, I’ve seen what makes you cheer), I figured I’d graciously lend you all my knowledge about the Cubbies ahead of the 2025 season. This is part one of four in a series we’ll be doing on each of the Crew’s division rivals heading into the upcoming season. We’re starting with the Cubs because, let’s be honest, it’s probably going to be a two-horse race for the division title this season.
What’s Changed Since Last Year?
For those of you who have been living under a baseball-less rock, the Cubs have been busy this offseason. They made perhaps the biggest blockbuster trade of the winter, landing star right fielder Kyle Tucker for a package that cost them third baseman Isaac Paredes, pitcher Hayden Wesneski, and top prospect Cam Smith. They also acquired Houston Astros closer Ryan Pressly in a separate deal, and got agonizingly close to signing Alex Bregman. If anyone has trash cans around here, keep them away from Chicago.
They’ve otherwise completely remodeled their bench from last season. Gone are Patrick Wisdom, Nick Madrigal, Christian Bethancourt, and Alexander Canario (which I am still very upset about). In are Jon Berti, Justin Turner, Vidal Bruján, Carson Kelly, and Gage Workman (yes, the Cubs seriously cut a former top outfield prospect so they could keep four infielders on their bench… Jed Hoyer remains a mysterious man).
On the pitching side of things, the North Siders added Matthew Boyd, former Brewer Colin Rea, and Cody Poteet to their rotation mix. In the bullpen, they’ve secured the services of Pressly, Ryan Brasier, Caleb Thielbar, and Eli Morgan.
Looking past the addition of Tucker, the Cubs did not go big fish hunting this offseason. Instead, they opted to add huge amounts of depth after dealing with numerous injuries last year. What results is a roster that lacks star power but is probably the deepest in the division.
What Remains The Same?
The entire starting lineup returns, save for Paredes. Seiya Suzuki will handle designated hitter duties and top prospect Matt Shaw will man third base, which just goes to show how much the addition of one star player can lengthen a lineup. What has long been a punchless heart of the order now features Ian Happ, Suzuki, Tucker, Michael Busch, and Dansby Swanson. Beyond them, Gold Glove winner Nico Hoerner is still manning second base, while all-universe defender Pete Crow-Armstrong (CF) and improving power threat Miguel Amaya (C) make up the bottom of the lineup.
The top three in the Cubs’ rotation is also still intact, with co-aces Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga helming a lefty-heavy group. Jameson Taillon survived the offseason and he’ll serve as a playoff-tested No. 3. Javier Assad, Jordan Wicks, Ben Brown, and top prospects Brandon Birdsell and Cade Horton comprise a high-upside group of young arms competing for one of the back-end rotation jobs.
Relievers are a volatile bunch, and most of the guys the Cubs kept around through the winter aren’t household names. Luke Little and Daniel Palencia have been hitting 100 mph in spring camp, and Porter Hodge, Tyson Miller, Keegan Thompson, and Julian Merryweather are a quartet of right-handed relievers with track records of success. Chicago really needs to hope that either Little or Thielbar has a breakout this year, because their bullpen is perilously short on lefties beyond that.
Where Do The Cubs Stand in the 2025 NL Central Hierarchy?
Look, as a Cubs fan writing on a Brewers site, this is going to sound insanely biased, but I genuinely believe that this is the first time since the 2021 trade deadline that the Brewers don’t have the best team in the division (which includes 2022, when all the geriatrics on the St. Louis Cardinals found the fountain of youth).
According to PECOTA projections, the Cubs have an 81.6% chance to win the division, followed by the Brewers at 7.9%. According to FanGraphs projections, only Kyle Tucker and Dansby Swanson are projected to be worth at least 4.0 WAR in 2025… but a whopping eight others are above 2.0 WAR, and another six are beyond the 1.0 WAR threshold in their forecast. This isn’t a top-heavy roster like the Atlanta Braves. The Cubs are going to win games thanks to their unparalleled depth and slightly above-average contributors at every spot on the roster.
Despite making marked improvements this offseason, the Cubs have also slashed their payroll by nearly $30 million since last year. Though that fact continues to draw the ire of many fans, it does mean they have a lot of financial flexibility to “go for it” at the trade deadline. They are also $26.5 million below the first luxury tax threshold, in case they want to add one of the few remaining free agents on a short-term, high-AAV deal.
Chicago can’t hold a candle to the superteam in Los Angeles, and it would probably get trampled in the bloodbath that’s forming in the NL East. But in a division where the only real competition is a Devin Williams-less Brewers squad, calling them the favorites probably isn’t a stretch.
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