The Chicago Cubs play baseball this month. Let that sink in. We've gone 5 long months without baseball but we're finally here. I know I'm not the greatest judge of how a season will go because I can get excited about pretty much anything and everything when it comes to this team. If they're projected 70 wins, well then there's probably a crop of young prospects to look forward to. But this season is different. They enter the 2025 season with 6 top 100 prospects looking to make their debut, one of the most electric players in baseball in PCA, 2 pitcher in the top 10 for Cy Young odds....and oh yeah, they added one of the BEST players in baseball with Kyle Tucker. It's playoffs or bust for the 2025 Chicago Cubs and while all roads lead to the Dodgers, I wouldn't be surprised to see this team in the NL Championship series in October.
I wrote the above before I had 5 beers at the Admiral Club at LAX and now I think I'm going to get sappy. I love baseball and I love Wrigley field. The lows are low and I've gone through dark stretches where I lose sleep, go to bed in silence, and let it effect (don't care if this is supposed to be affect) my personal relationships. But the highs are the greatest thing on earth. The green grass, the smell of grilled onions, the cold Bud Light, the walkoffs, the blow outs, and Go Cubs Go after a win. 162 baseball games means 81 chances to see Wrigley in all it's glory. Cherish every moment. And revisit this blog when this team is in the NLCS after you texted me "this team sucks" mid April. Ride the rollercoaster and thank me later.
Pitching Staff
Starting Rotation:
The first 3 are locks. Steele, Imanaga, and Taillon give you a nice 1-3 but after that it's a little questionable. The good news is they have 4 or 5 guys fighting for the last 2 spots. Boyd is guaranteed a spot in that rotation to start the season but having some option in case he fails is important. That 5th spot will be a battle between Assad, Brown, Wicks, and Colin Rea. Assad proved to be fairly consistent last year but really only gave the Cubs around 4ish innings each outing. Ben Brown would be an exciting power piece at the back end of the rotation while Wicks gives you that change of speed soft stuff. Wicks was shaky last year but has shown plenty of upside. After the most recent spring training outing I'd give the keys to Ben Brown for that last spot.
Justin Steele
Shota Imanaga
Jameson Taillon
Mathew Boyd
Ben Brown
Bullpen:
Ryan Pressly (Closer), Nate Pearson, Julian Merryweather, Tyson Miller, Porter Hodge, Keegan Thompson, Ethan Roberts, Ryan Brasier, Eli Morgan, Caleb Thielbar, Cody Poteet, Colin Rea
The bullpen is shaping up to be sneakily effective, thanks to a clear emphasis on depth. In today’s game, it’s less about having one or two dominant shutdown arms and more about stockpiling reliable inning-eaters. Would it be nice to have a Mason Miller or a Devin Williams? Of course. But I’ll take the versatility, durability, and sheer number of options this bullpen provides.
Offense/Bats
This is the deepest, most complete starting lineup the team has had since 2017. For the first time in years, the batting order doesn’t feel like it falls off a cliff after the top half—it’s a lineup that keeps coming at you, much like the Braves and Dodgers. Gone are the days of grinding through at-bats from Nick Madrigal, Eric Hosmer, Miles Mastrobuoni, or Rafael Ortega. There’s no easy out here, and that’s going to make life miserable for opposing pitchers. On top of that, this might be the best defensive team in baseball, boasting four Gold Glovers with Pete Crow-Armstrong as the 5th when the season ends.
There are a few lingering injuries that make predicting the starting 9 a little tough but this is the ideal look.
'
Opening Day Starting 9:
Happ - LF
Busch - 1B
Tucker - RF
Suzuki - DH
Swanson - SS
Hoerner - 2B
Shaw - 3B
Crow-Armstrong - CF
Amaya - C
Bench: Justin Turner, Vidal Brujan, Gage Workman, Jon Berti, and Carson Kelly
Prospect Watch
Matt Shaw
The obvious one here, Shaw will start the year with the big league team and is a top 3 favorite for NL ROTY. The Cubs 2023 1st round pick quickly climbed to the top of the minor leagues hitting at every level. High hopes for the kid.
Owen Caissie
Caissie has been a consistent offensive contributor and hits for power and average. If there's an outfield injury it's between him and El Jaguar for the next man up. I think he has some swing and miss problems which will be noticeable early on in a call up especially in a temporary role.
Moisés Ballesteros
Mo Baller. My guy. Stocky build, no real position, doesn't look like an "athlete"....but hits the PISS out of the ball. He slashed .289/.354/.471 with 19 homers in 124 games between Double-A and Triple-A in 2024, winning Chicago's Minor League Player of the Year Award for the second straight season. I think he could DH or possibly get a shot at 1st if things open up or fall apart.
Kevin Alcántara
Not much to be said about El Jaguar. He's long, strong, fast, and just a freak. Kind of the opposite build to Mo Baller. Currently slashing .300/.364/.400 in spring training. I could see the call up but again, only if there's an injury.
Bold Predictions
In 2024 I predicted that Shota Imanaga would be in ROTY conversations and that Matt Shaw would be the breakout star. While I had a few predictions wrong (Nico did not in fact steal 50 bags and Belly was a few homers short of 40 ding dongs) I was pretty spot on with those 2.
Kyle Tucker MVP Race
Currently sitting at 15-1 (6th best odds), I don't think this is crazy. Obviously, you're competing with Shohei here but KT could easily win this if the Chicago weather plays nice.
PCA Face of the League
I know this is weird without calling him to be in the MVP race or something but I think his energy, personality, and playmaking ability makes him the perfect face of the league. And a few Prime Time baseball games will kick start that
Matt Shaw ROTY
See above. He'll be competing with Roki Sasaki and Dylan Crews here but I don't think this one is that hot of a take.
Kevin Alcantara Call Up
He'll be up by July and he might just stay up.
James Triantos Traded
Too much Minor League talent and they'll need to make a move at the deadline for a pitcher. Won't be surprised to see him gone.
Dates To Circle On The Calendar
3/18 - Cubs vs Dodgers in Tokyo - Bright lights on this Cubs team as they take on the big bad Dodgers.
4/4 - Cubs Opening Day
4/22 - Dodger At Home
4/26 - Phillies Saturday Game
5/17 - White Sox Saturday (I hate the Crosstown series but this blog is for the people and some people like it)
5/26 - Rockies and Kris Bryant (if healthy)
6/21 - Mariners Saturday. They might have the best rotation in baseball so this is a playoff test.
7/5 - Saturday Cards series. They won't be any good but this will be a hot ticket
7/19 - Boston Saturday. HOT ticket here with a pretty decent team. Crochet, Bregman, Duran, Devers, etc.
8/2 - Orioles Saturday game. Another playoff test here.
9/1 - Braves Monday day game. Playoff test again.
9/6 - Hasn't been announced yet BUT D-Lee said that the Cubs 2025 HOF festivities were taking place on his birthday which would be 9/6 Saturday against the Nats. Sammy back at Wrigley.
9/23 - Mets
Giveaways
A few giveaways that might actually be worth it this year...
If that sliding mitt is available for 31 year old adults then I'll be wearing 2 of them to every game.
New To Wrigley Field
"The Yard"
new outdoor space with five semi-private rental areas in the Budweiser Bleachers, designed to resemble a backyard tailgate. I think this looks pretty cool and decently affordable all you can drink space
Rooftop Buildings: 3 Wrigley rooftop buildings have been/are being torn down in right field to make way for some high-cost condos with rooftop pickleball courts. Eat shit Tommy Ricketts.
Probably more and I'll report back after opening day!
Vegas Odds
Win Total: 85.5 (PECOTA has them at 90 wins)
Odds to win the NL Central: +125 (Down from +185 entering 2024)
Odds to make playoffs: -140 (Down from -115 entering 2024)
Odds to win the World Series: 30/1 (Same Odds as 2024)
Shota Imanaga Cy Young: +3000
Tucker NL MVP: +1500
Shaw ROY: +425
PCA 40+ Stolen Bases: +240
I'm sitting here on March 7th at the Los Angeles International Airport killing 6 hours before the next flight home to Chicago a few beers deep and all I can think about is this Cubs team. Marquee Network has been purchased, Cubs futures have been placed, and opening day has been blocked on the work calendar.
Instead of my normal romanticizing about baseball and this team rant, I'd like to dedicate this blog to an amazing person, my wife's Grandma Judy. Judy was an avid listener (My wife's mom would read her the blogs because her vision wasn't great) of Jacksbackstop. There are very few people in this world who I can connect with about this team. It's a deep love that not many people understand. She did. Although she couldn't watch the games, she listened to Pat and Ron on the radio 162 times a season. I'd go and sit with her for dinner and she'd talk in detail about a Seiya Susuki error or the most recent acquisition of Carson Kelly. Things that normal "Cubs Fans" have no idea about. But she wasn't a normal Cubs fan, she was a die hard. She could've worked for 670 The Score the way she knew the cadence of every White Claw and Benjamin Moore Ad.
I will forever think about her when I'm tuned in to Pat, Ron, and Zach Zaidman (who she started to like better than Pat because Pat spent too much time talking about random stories). Glad she was able to see them win one and hopefully they'll win another in honor of her.
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