The Cubs look to be one of the better teams in the National League for this year and that looks to be true with them rising in the power rankings.
The Chicago Cubs have made a ton of quality acquisitions so far this offseason with their biggest move coming with the trade they made with the Houston Astros to acquire outfielder Kyle Tucker. His acquisition as well as other hasn’t gone unnoticed with the Chicago Cubs moving up three spots in the MLBs Power Rankings.
Adding Kyle Tucker is a big reason why
The Cubs made a lot of solid moves this offseason to better their roster to hopefully add at least seven wins to their win total from last season which was 83-79. The big acquisition of the Cubs offseason so far was acquiring superstar outfielder and 3x All-Star Kyle Tucker. Needing a superstar who can hit at least 40 HRs and 110 RBI and be a force in the middle of their lineup making the move to acquire Tucker was a move the Chicago Cubs to make.
Adding Kyle Tucker to be ‘that guy’ for the Cubs is exactly what they needed do and why they jumped from 16th place to 13th in the power rankings. According to FanGraphs they project Kyle Tucker to bat second behind Ian Happ, in front of Seiya Suzuki, and having Michael Busch batting cleanup, this figures to be a solid 1-4 for the Cubs.
Other acquisitions and subtractions
The Chicago Cubs also added veteran catcher Carson Kelly on a two-year deal to pair with Miguel Amaya to possibly compete for the starting catching position. The Cubs also brought over right-handed reliever Eli Morgan in a trade with the Cleveland Guardians to bolster their bullpen. As well as adding Caleb Thielbar, Colin Rea, Ben Heller, and adding Rob Zastryzny off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers as other bullpen options.
Adding to their depth the Chicago Cubs also trade for Vidal Brujan from the Miami Marlins to be their utility guy, as well as signing veteran catcher Carlos Perez to a minor league deal who figures to help top prospect Moise Ballesteros become a better overall catcher. The Cubs also added starter Matthew Boyd on a two-year free agent contract to be a big part of the Cubs rotation this season.
Some notable subtractions the Cubs had this season were losing longtime starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks to free agency who ended up signing a deal with the Los Angeles Angels. The Cubs also lost nontendered outfield Mike Tauchman earlier this offseason given he didn’t have a spot avaialable to play on the Cubs roster, Tauchman signed with a deal with the Chicago White Sox shortly after his release.
Can the Chicago Cubs climb higher?
The possibility that the Cubs climb higher in the power rankings is certainly could happen with them still looking to add another high-end starting pitcher this offseason. With being linked to the Minnesota Twins Pablo Lopez and the Seattle Mariners Louis Castillo, the Cubs could jump into the top ten if they add either of them to their rotation this offseason. The Cubs also could possibly jump higher if they get an unexpected season from their top prospect Matt Shaw who could figure to be the Cubs starting third basemen come Opening Day.
The Chicago Cubs have the chance to be one of the better teams this year in the National League and it’s all thanks to the moves that President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer has made so far. With Japanese superstar Roki Sasaki about to be posted in the next week, and the Cubs being one of the teams in on signing him, his acquisition could propel the Cubs even higher into the rankings, possibly into the top five. Whatever the case may be the Cubs are primed not only to try and make a playoff run this season but dethrone the Milwaukee Brewers as National League Central Champions.
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