Thursday marks the beginning of the Spring Training schedule down in Arizona for the Chicago Cubs as they gear up for the 2025 season. After the addition of Kyle Tucker and losing out on Alex Bregman in free agency, the starting lineup appears to be set for manager Craig Counsell as he enters his second year as the team’s skipper.
What matters more than anything for the Chicago Cubs this season is their depth. Not having it in the bullpen hurt them big time last year and just having the guys necessary throughout the organization needed to complete the 162 game season was not there.
Jed Hoyer and the front office may have struck out on some of the bigger names that were on the open market this offseason, but they didn’t miss on bringing aboard as much depth as possible. The bullpen is in a better place now than it has been for a couple of years and the starting rotation will be leaned on heavily once again this year.
The everyday positions will have competition in Spring Training to finalize the 26-man roster for Opening Day, and Counsell made them known to the media this week.
The Chicago Cubs have plenty of backup options in centerfield
Per Counsell, it will be Kevin Alcantara, Alexander Canario and Vidal Brujan competing for the backup centerfielder role in Spring Training. Alacantara was acquired by the Cubs in the Anthony Rizzo trade with the Yankees during the 2021 deadline. Known as “The Jaguar” the 22-year-old has found plenty of success at the minor league level.
Alcantara spent 2024 with Tennessee and Iowa before getting the call to the show in the last week of the season. Between his two minor league stops, he slashed .278/.353/.428 while clubbing out 14 homers and driving in 61 runs. His defense is a major part of his game as well and although he’s competing to backup Pete Crow-Armstrong, the Cubs should look to play him anywhere they can in 2025.
Just like Alcantara, Canario also joined Chicago at the 2021 trade deadline in the Kris Bryant deal with the Giants. The 24-year-old has gotten a couple of cups of coffee in the show, but it has been hard for him to break through. The slugger played in six MLB games in 2023 and 15 a season ago.
Canario’s power is the most attractive part of his game and he should be taken seriously as a bench candidate this year. However, if the organization continues to add veteran depth with their strong farm system, the odds might be stacked against him before he even gets a real chance to prove himself.
Brujan will likely be the odd man out in this competition, solely because he might be needed more as an infielder for this group. The utilityman was acquired in the Matt Mervis trade at the end of December and will hope to break camp with the big league team this season.
First base depth might already be solidified for the Chicago Cubs
After the front office officially signed Justin Turner to a one-year deal on Tuesday, the competition to backup Michael Busch at first base could be all wrapped up. Counsell said that Jon Berti and Johnathan Long were getting reps at first base this week, but the focus will likely shift now that Turner has joined the Chicago Cubs.
Berti was signed in the offseason to a cheap one-year deal after spending 2024 with the New York Yankees. The veteran will now head back to second and third base where he will be extremely helpful when the season gets underway.
Due to Nico Hoerner’s injury, Berti could easily slot in as the Opening Day second baseman in a month. Having Matt Shaw at third base to begin the season is another reason why Berti’s presence on the roster is so important. The highly touted prospect hasn’t seen a big league pitch yet, so Berti’s ability to man the hot corner could be super useful on occasion this year.
Long was a ninth round pick of the Chicago Cubs in 2023 out of Long Beach State. He was a regular in camp a season ago and would have been a longshot to make the big league roster under the previous circumstances before Turner was signed. Long has almost 500 career at-bats in the minors and has played as high as Double-A.
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