Cubs pitchers and catchers lined up on the agility field at the team’s spring training complex in Mesa, Arizona on Sunday, signaling the start of spring training. Even the sun complied with the baseball holiday, despite the team’s early arrival.
“You get to that place in the offseason towards the end, where it feels like you’re waiting for the first day of school,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “… It feels a little bit early because of [the Tokyo Series], but I think that’s a good thing, and it is a really good vibe.”
The Cubs will continue to at least supplement the roster – and questions remain about whether they could land free agent third baseman Alex Bregman. But the first day of spring training begets offseason reflection.
“We’ve worked really hard to improve the team,” general manager Carter Hawkins said. “We’ve made decisions to move wins forward. You don’t make a trade for Kyle Tucker if you don’t feel like you have a really strong team going into that year.”
Acquiring Tucker from the Astros was the crowning achievement of the Cubs’ offseason. But even beyond that trade, it was a busy offseason for the Cubs.
They traded Cody Bellinger to the Yankees, which gave them a little more flexibility within budget constraints set by ownership. They fortified their bullpen in both numbers and veterans with high-leverage experience, including Ryan Pressly and Ryan Brasier. They added left-hander Matthew Boyd to the rotation. They brought in veteran catcher Carson Kelly to pair with Miguel Amaya. They tinkered with their infield depth, including the signing of established utility man Jon Berti.
“We’re encouraged about the talent that we have and encouraged about the opportunities that presents us,” Hawkins said. “It’s going to be a dog fight in the NL Central. It’s going to be a dog fight in the NL. And we know that, and we’re prepared for that, and preparing for that.”
Going into Sunday, PECOTA projected the Cubs to win 90.1 games this season, with a 77.5% chance of winning the division. The Brewers were projected to finish in second place with 80.1 wins.
Imanaga lined up for Tokyo
Manager Craig Counsell confirmed the obvious Sunday: the Cubs plan to pitch left-hander Shota Imanaga during the Tokyo Series against the Dodgers.
“I think that’s mandated, kind of,” Counsell quipped. “I don’t think I have a choice, actually.”
Imanaga, who was born in Kitakyushu, played for Nippon Professional Baseball’s Yokohama Bay Stars for eight years before coming to MLB last year.
Counsell hinted last September, when Imanaga and the Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto matched up in a possible Opening Day 2025 preview, that Imanaga would likely take the ball the first game.
“I’ve always refused to answer that question for as long as I possibly could,” Counsell said of naming his Opening Day starter, “But that one might be hard for me to punt on.”
This and that
Second baseman Nico Hoerner (flexor tendon surgery) has begun a throwing program and “it’s all going well,” Hawkins said. Hoerner has also started hitting. But the Cubs have yet to determine whether he will be ready in time for Opening Day, in Japan or Arizona.
- Even with Hoerner’s timeline uncertain, Councell said the plan, for now, is to have top prospect Matt Shaw focus on third base. Hoyer described it as a “competition” for the position. “I don’t think we’re in the world of anointing a rookie and giving him a job,” Hoyer said. “I think he’s going to have to win a job. But, certainly, there’s real opportunity there.”
- Cubs left-hander Justin Steele said Sunday morning that he’d be rooting for the Eagles that day, for a very specific reason: his Jalen Hurts cards. “If he could get a Super Bowl under his belt, that’d be really big for my card collection.”
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