Andrew Wright

Welcome to Chicago, Kyle Tucker! The Cubs got their guy, and now it is time to look ahead at how Craig Counsell will craft the lineup come Opening Day 2025. Image courtesy of © Kyle Ross-Imagn Images We know that Cody Bellinger is (more than likely) a goner. With that knowledge (but otherwise assuming no lineup-altering moves between now and mid-March), here's a look ahead at the Cubs' potential 2025 lineup. Nico Hoerner (2B) Ian Happ (LF) Seiya Suzuki (DH) Kyle Tucker (RF) Dansby Swanson (SS) Michael Busch (1B) Matt Shaw (3B) Pete Crow-Armstrong (CF) Miguel Amaya/Carson Kelly (C) There's an argument made for Crow-Armstrong and Hoerner to trade spots in the lineup, if you buy very heavily into the surge Crow-Armstrong enjoyed late in the 2024 campaign. It ultimately comes down to this lineup not getting too right-handed heavy toward the bottom. Having Swanson-Hoerner-Shaw in sequence could get worrisome when facing high-leverage righties in late-game situations. Hoerner has proven that he can be a successful leadoff hitter and sliding him back into that role would help break up the cluster of righties at the bottom of the order. The Cubs will only do so, though, if they're satisfied that the second baseman is fully recovered from his forearm injury and will be something akin to his second-half self from each of the last two years (2023: .768 OPS; 2024: .741) for the whole season in 2025. The 8-9 duo of Crow-Armstrong and Amaya was probably the best in baseball over the final two months of this season, so there is no reason to break that up. Having Carson Kelly, a known lefty killer will also be huge to platoon with Amaya, who has reverse splits. This lineup won't be confused for that of the Dodgers, but it's an increasingly threatening group. Depending on how healthy and productive Hoerner, Crow-Armstrong, and even Shaw appear to be in spring training and the early stages of the season, it could take a lot of variant shapes, but they all figure to score more runs than last year's team did. View full article

Amid all the Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger, and Nico Hoerner trade rumors, the Cubs could still greatly benefit from adding at least one, if not two, relief pitchers. With plenty of options still out on the open market, here are three that the Cubs should go after to help bolster the bullpen. Image courtesy of © Rhona Wise-Imagn Images Tanner Scott Coming off of a career year in 2024, Scott would be a welcome addition to a Cubs bullpen that has felt like it needed a left-handed flamethrower for years. Scott uses just two pitches 99.9% of the time, with those pitches being a fastball and a slider. He throws the fastball 59.2% of the time and uses the slider 40.7% of the time. The occasional changeup from Scott makes up for the other 0.1%. Righties hit just .155 against Scott's fastball in 2024 and had just two extra base-hits in 103 at-bats. The slider was not as effective, as opponent hit .250 with two homers against it. Scott finished 2024 with a 1.95 ERA and 22 saves and would likely slide straight into the closer role for Chicago. Scott would be a great addition to the back end of the bullpen, featuring Julian Merryweather and Porter Hodge. Scott possesses a career K/9 rate of 11.9. Cub fans have wanted a hard-throwing lefty who gets strikeouts since the departure of Aroldis Chapman in 2016. AJ Minter Minter appeared in just 39 games for the Braves last season but was efficient when he was available to come out of the Atlanta bullpen. Minter has a three-pitch mix that includes a fastball, cutter and changeup. He throws the fastball the most at 47.7% of the time. The cutter is his second most frequented pitch at 34.5% and the changeup is thrown 17.8%. The changeup is Minter's best pitch to get a strikeout, as the pitch has a whiff rate of over 40%. Opponents were just 3-for-89 on the pitch with no extra base hits and 10 strikeouts. He finished the season with a record of 5-4 and a 2.62 ERA, the third-lowest ERA in his eight-year career. Much like Scott, Minter would be a great left-handed addition to the bullpen, as he brings a K/9 rate of 10.9 for his career. Andrew Chafin Cub fans would love a reunion with "The Sheriff," as he's called by most around the MLB. Chafin spent parts of Chicago's 2020 and 2021 seasons and was quite good. Chafin finished his 2020 stint with an ERA of 3.00 and topped that with a 2.06 ERA in 43 games in 2021. Besides being a fan favorite, Chafin is a solid pitcher, as the statistics show. His last two seasons have not been what he hoped for, so maybe a return to Chicago could be exactly what Chafin needs to return to form. Chafin is an outlier from the other two, as he throws a slider the most at 45.7% of the time. He mixes in a sinker and a fastball also. Chafin has an impressive 56.8% whiff rate on his slider and opponents hit just .141 against the pitch. A combo of the fastball heavy Scott and slider heavy Chafin would be a great left-handed combo out of the Cubs bullpen. As has been the theme with these three relievers, the Cubs need a solid left-handed option out of the bullpen for 2025 and beyond. Any one of these three names would be an excellent signing for the Cubs. Pair a Tanner Scott signing with a trade for Kyle Tucker, and the Cubs will have had a successful offseason and set themselves up nicely for the 2025 season. View full article