The Chicago Cubs will become the first team to kick off spring training Sunday when pitchers and catchers report for their first workout in Mesa, Ariz.
President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and the front office spent the last three-plus months trying to upgrade a roster coming off a fourth straight year without a playoff appearance. Between overhauling the bullpen and acquiring a bona fide superstar in Kyle Tucker, the Cubs begin camp as the division favorites with their National League Central rivals largely quiet this offseason.
With their season opener less than six weeks — March 18 against the world champion Los Angeles Dodgers in Tokyo — here are three Cubs spring training storylines to monitor.
1. Can they add another impact player?
A lineup that went collectively cold for two months for a second straight season contributed to torpedoing their playoff chances in 2024, and the Cubs could not risk that playing out yet again. Trading to get an all-around offensive force with Tucker — who will be a free agent after the season — was a move they had to make.
While Hoyer and general manager Carter Hawkins indicated last month at the Cubs Convention that the franchise would feel comfortable with prospect Matt Shaw earning the third-base job in camp, free agent Alex Bregman’s continued availability presents an intriguing opportunity for the organization to continue to raise the floor and upside of the group. Bregman reportedly is seeking a deal of at least six years.
It will cost more than just money to sign Bregman: Because they went over the first competitive balance tax (CBT) threshold last year, the Cubs would lose their second- and fifth-highest picks in the 2025 draft and $1 million from their international bonus pool allotment if they do so again.
Bregman makes sense to pursue for a team clearly entering a window in which it should be competing for division titles and more consistently winning 90-plus games. Their top prospects are at the upper levels of the minor-league system, and without knowing whether Tucker will re-sign with the Cubs — or if they will make him the kind of offer that would be necessary for him to stay — adding proven talent always should be a goal for a team built like the Cubs.
They played the waiting game with Cody Bellinger last spring and showed it can work to their advantage when it comes to getting an All-Star-caliber player.
2. How will the bullpen shake out?
The Cubs have six additions to the 40-man roster — Eli Morgan, Cody Poteet, Colin Rea, Caleb Thielbar, Ryan Pressly and Ryan Brasier — who could play a role out of the bullpen. How the Cubs want to deploy and utilize their new arms to complement key returners Porter Hodge, Tyson Miller, Julian Merryweather, Luke Little and Keegan Thompson will be among manager Craig Counsell’s key tasks as the organization builds its pitching staff.
The Cubs were hurt by their lack of relief depth early last season when injuries to the back end of the bullpen sidelined their top high-leverage options. They addressed both the depth as well as giving Counsell more experienced late-inning arms by bringing in Pressly and Braiser. Hodge pitched well when he was eventually slotted in as their closer, but he will need to replicate his rookie-year success to continue to get called on in big spots.
The presence of Pressly, Brasier, Miller and Merryweather, in particular, means the Cubs won’t have to rely on just one guy to get the job done in the ninth, though Pressly indicated after approving a trade from Houston that he will be given an opportunity to close again following a shift to a setup man role when the Astros signed Josh Hader last year.
3. How will they handle an early, overseas start to the season?
An unconventional beginning to the season with two games in Tokyo in mid-March forces the Cubs, and Dodgers, to be ready more than a week before the rest of major-league teams.
It will most affect pitchers, especially the starters chosen for those two games, and anyone who is either entering camp coming back from an injury — second baseman Nico Hoerner (flexor tendon surgery) said last month that he did not have a date yet of when he would be ready to play — or deals with an injury that pops up during camp.
For that reason, left-hander Justin Steele adjusted his throwing schedule and instead of taking his normal break opted to keep his arm active throughout the offseason. Expect to the Cubs to make adjustments in camp to address their preparation for the Tokyo Series.
