The Chicago Cubs have declared themselves to be “all in” when it comes to making the playoffs this season.
A lot has been made of that bold declaration, but has the Cubs front office really proven that they’re “all in?”
Chicago Cubs Pickups and Subtractions So Far
The biggest move they made this offseason was the trade for Houston Astros star right fielder Kyle Tucker, who is rightfully regarded as one of the best players in all of baseball.
They also acquired Eli Morgan via trade with the Cleveland Guardians to help shore up their bullpen. Infielder Vidal Morgan, meanwhile, came over from the Miami Marlins for Matt Mervis.
Via free agency, they picked up Cleveland Guardians left-handed starter Matthew Boyd on a two-year, $29 million deal.
They also signed backup catcher Carson Kelly on a two-year deal and lefty reliever Caleb Thielbar on a one-year deal.
On the minus side, they traded Cody Bellinger away to the New York Yankees in a blatant salary dump for the marginal return of pitcher Cody Poteet.
Honor Roll Grade For The Cubs
This was enough for Jim Bowden of The Athletic to give the Cubs an A-minus and predict a first place finish in the NL Central Division.
He did have one big question regarding the Cubs’ 2025 season:
Per Bowden:
“Biggest question: Have they done enough to improve their bullpen? They still have a shot to sign Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates or Carlos Estévez; adding one of those three would significantly improve their chances of winning the NL Central.”
Fair Grade?
Many would say that an A-minus is a very generous grade for a team still in need of some major pieces prior to the coming campaign.
The bullpen, of course, is a necessity. The closer position, as Bowden indicated, remains an obvious need. The Cubs will be tempted to ride with last season’s second-half closer Porter Hodge, who put up some good numbers in that role. But, seeing as how the bullpen takes on such a degree of importance in the post-season (and the ride up to the post-season), there really should be someone more experienced and battle-proven than a 23-year-old with 43 big league innings under his belt, closing games.
One would think that signing one of the top available free agent closers would be a must.
There are also questions regarding depth all across the field.
Nico Hoerner at second base may or may not be ready to play on opening day after offseason surgery. Dansby Swanson at shortstop also had offseason surgery. There is no third base starter, other than the hope of Matt Shaw. Heaven forbid Michael Busch should get hurt because there is nobody– in the entire system– who could fill in.
Even in their stronghold of starting pitching, a collapse of one key component would bring on some serious doubt. Could Jordan Wick fill in? Are Ben Brown and Cade Horton ready?
So, the Cubs are in need of depth across the board and, really, they’ve yet to add it. Until that need gets addressed, the team may be closer to the B-minus mark.
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