Let's Road Trip Cubs 2025: Trip #2 - Warm and Winning?

The Cubs don't get to return to Wrigley Field until April 4th. In the meantime, they must finish spring training, take on an upstart Diamondbacks squad in a grueling four-game opening series, and be one of the first to face off against whatever the Athletics are now in their new-to-them minor league Sacramento surroundings. Seven games are stateside to either get 2025 on a roll or to make a hole that takes months to dig out of. Each series offers unique opportunities to the intrepid Cubs traveler.

Arizona Diamondbacks - March 27-30
Chase Field - Capacity 48,405
2024 Attendance: 2,341,876 (Averaged 28,912, ranked 11th out of 15 NL parks, 18th overall MLB)

In mid-April 2024, the Cubs swarmed the desert and took a three-game series from the Diamondbacks. The series featured two extra-inning games and returned the Cubs to their recent winning ways in Phoenix after getting swept there in 2023.  The Cubs have gone 40-52 at Chase Field since it opened in 1998. This re-start to the 2025 season will take place on the road and in temperature-controlled confines, but in a month that started across an ocean, will this west coast swing find the Cubs energized or road weary before the season's even started in earnest?

Chase Field is in and of itself worth the trip. The stadium opened in 1998, boasting a retractable roof and plenty of room to roam. From the outfield swimming pool and restaurants to the kid-friendly experiences, Chase Field has plenty to offer a visiting fan. As the fourth oldest stadium in the National League, renovations are in order, and the funding fight has been circling the media again. Will another playoff run seal the deal, or will the fickle fans in Arizona see their team chase a new home?

A 20th Anniversary Museum display opened in 2022, pointing out that this young franchise had won a World Series against the Yankees during my lifetime. While it seemed a bit overambitious at the time, in 2023, they almost repeated the feat but ultimately fell to the Rangers. This balanced and youthful team remains loaded and ready to keep aiming for championships, while the MLB remains the media rights owner of the team. How will the finances support keeping the young nucleus intact? 

The Phoenix area offers many hiking and outdoor activities, delicious local eateries, and indoor entertainment venues. The abundance of spring training parks also allows you to catch a rookie league game or two while you are there. However, since the trip happens this early in the season, it is not as optimal. 

From Chase Field, the Cubs will head west, but not as far west as they usually would, because the Athletics are no longer waiting for them in Oakland. It's to the bustling metropolis of Sacramento that we must now turn our attention to!

The Athletics - March 31 - April 2
Sutter Health Park - Capacity 14,014
2024 Attendance (@ Oakland): 922,286 (Averaged 11,528, ranked 15th out of 15 NL parks, 30th overall MLB)

The Athletics were the only club to draw less than 1 million fans in 2024. This isn't surprising because Oakland had already decided to leave the community, but it's still a harsh reality for the players. The offseason has seen the Athletics finalize their Las Vegas Stadium plan, spend to retain Brent Rooker, and add Luis Severino and Gio Urshela. They appear to be a team on the rise and will enter Vegas strong in 2028.

In the meantime, Sutter Health Park will provide an intimate setting for any visiting team's fans to get extremely close to their favorite team. California's state capital has a surprising amount to offer tourists and baseball fans alike. The Sacramento River offers recreation, wineries, and restaurants, and it shows some of California's best but off the beaten trail of the coast. The Crocker Art Museum and the State Railroad Museum trend as popular destinations, and Cubs fans should be able to track around town with their team with a Spring Training vibe but with games that count!

After these two series, the Cubs will travel back to Chicago for the home opener against the Padres and another series against the Rangers. They will journey roughly 2800 miles from the desert to Sacramento and back to Chicago. Will this road trip put the Cubs on top of the division to start the season? Or will this extended life on the road put the Cubs in a tough spot to begin 2025?

How do you think this western journey will go, Cubs fans? Is anyone going to make the trip?!?