The NL Central will be competitive in 2025 and the Chicago Cubs, ten years after breaking their World Series curse, are primed to strike.
It was a quietly interesting offseason for the Northsiders. The Cubbies won 83 games and tied for second with the rival St. Louis Cardinals. Their pitching staff ranked 10th in baseball with a 3.78 staff ERA, compensating for a meager 101 wRC+.
That combined with ranking just 20th in team home runs was enough to keep the Cubs out of the playoffs. They needed more of it in an open division race, and the front office delivered. The 2025 season figures to be a better one in Wrigleyville, or so everyone hopes.
It’s hard to pick a favorite in the NL Central, but the Cubs definitely deserve strong consideration.
Greatest Addition: Kyle Tucker. This is how a team addresses a lack of power in its lineup: By trading for one of the best outfielders in the game. Houston made Tucker available in trade talks back in December and the Cubs struck while the iron was hot, sending infielder Isaac Paredes and righty Hayden Wesneski to the Astros.
Injuries limited Tucker to 78 games in 2024, but he still hit .289 with 23 homers and a 180 wRC+. He’s a plus glove with a +40 career defensive runs saved (DRS) and more than capable of a 30-30 season. Even as a one-year rental, he boosts the Cubs’ lineup enough that they should at least be a Wild Card team.
Greatest Loss: Cody Bellinger. Tucker entered Chicago, and Bellinger soon made his exit from the Second City. He resurrected his career with the Cubs in just two years, signing two separate free agent deals with them. He proved a solid investment, posting a 136 wRC+ in 2023 and a more modest 109 in ’24.
But for one reason or another, Bellinger decided he wanted a change of scenery and pushed for a trade to the Yankees this winter. New York eventually acquired him for righty Cody Poteet in December.
Bellinger can be streaky to a fault, but is still a former MVP who’s special to watch at his best. The Cubs’ lineup has a serious power void without him in it.
Greatest Strength: Exciting prospects. What’s most exciting about the Cubs is that for all the talent at Wrigley now, there’s plenty brewing in the minors too. Third baseman Matt Shaw (No. 1) could debut as soon as this season along with slugging outfielder Owen Caissie (No. 3). Kevin Alcántara (No. 6) should also get some at-bats with the big league club.
Add Cade Horton and Brandon Birdsell on the pitching side, and the Cubs might have pulled off quite the quick rebuild. Baseball America ranks their farm system at 15th in MLB, smack dab in the middle. Most may call that mediocre.
We call it the Cubs having plenty of MLB-ready pieces.
Greatest Weakness: Lack of durable pitching. Even with a Top 10 staff last year, Chicago’s pitching has some warning signs. No pitcher reached 180 innings in 2024, with rookie Shota Imanaga’s 173.1 leading the way. Every starter behind him pitched at least 100 innings, but only Jameson Taillon managed over 150.
That’s a serious lack of innings-eaters, and the Cubs don’t have the stoppers in the bullpen to make up for it. Chicago only managed 38 total saves last season, with Hector Neris registering 17 of them before his August release. Porter Hodge had a sharp September in the closer’s role and added six saves, but that’s too small a sample size.
Granted, adding veteran Ryan Pressley and his 112 saves is a big help. But even so, no projected Cubs starter has ever thrown 200 innings in a season. That’s a flashing neon red flag considering the team’s lack of pitching depth.
Will the Cubs take the Central in 2025? We haven’t yet covered the entire NL Central, but I feel pretty confident in saying it should be Chicago’s to lose. Craig Counsell is a strong manager with a stronger team. Tucker is in his contract year and could be in for a career season if he stays healthy.
The key to it all is the pitching staff’s durability and health. Justin Steele should turn in another great year along with Imanaga. So should Javier Assad once he’s back sometime in April or May.
The division may be wide open, but the Cubs easily have the strongest roster on paper. Nothing short of an injury barrage stops this team from at least sniffing 90 wins.
FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: ESNY’s MLB Preview 2025: Are the Chicago Cubs charging back? | Elite Sports NY