by Dylan Gantz
The 2025 offseason for the Chicago Cubs has been one of the better offseasons in recent history for the club, with the last good offseason being the 2023 offseason when they signed Dansby Swanson and Cody Bellinger to the squad. This year, they made big moves and acquired tons of talent like Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly. Even though these were some big moves that can benefit the Cubs, some people, me included, believe the team won’t be as great as they are on paper.
Let’s start with their ceiling. The team made a big move to acquire Kyle Tucker from the Astros, giving them a true 5 tool player. Along with that, they made moves to bolster the bullpen by getting Ryan Brasier from the Dodgers and Eli Morgan from the Guardians, and they signed Matthew Boyd in free agency, a move that could push Ben Brown to the bullpen.
Most spots on the lineup are the same except having a combination of Matt Shaw and Justin Turner at 3rd base. With these additions, I can say they’re a 90+ win team. They’ll make the playoffs as a wildcard, 1 win behind the Brewers in the NL Central. I think they’ll beat the Padres in the wildcard round and end up losing the Mets in the NLDS. Overall, this would be a successful year with significant progress. The key next offseason will be finding a 5th legitimate starter and resigning Kyle Tucker long term.
Now for the floor. Injuries can plague a season. The Orioles, for instance, lost closer Felix Bautista to an injury and then lost key games that they probably would’ve won with him on the mound. If the Cubs star players get hurt and are out for an extended period, it could really hurt them. Right now, Nico Hoerner and Matt Shaw are hurt and will most likely not be ready for the regular season opener in Japan.
This is a pretty good roster, but has its flaws. Pressly and Brasier are getting old and regression can happen to anyone. Some players, like Shota Imanaga and Matthew Boyd, could take steps back. Nothing normally goes to plan in a baseball season and because of that, I have the Cubs floor as a 78-win team. It’s a wild difference from their ceiling, but with the uncertainty of who plays when and who could get hurt, things can drastically change. In this scenario, they’ll miss the playoffs, and Tom Ricketts will have to decide whether or not to bring back Jed Hoyer.
This season could go either way for the Cubs. They have the chance to go all the way if everything goes right, but I’m cautiously optimistic. The talent is there, but injuries and underperforming could derail everything.
