We did it, everyone. Opening Day is here, and baseball is back. It’s been a long winter, a weird free agency, and a productive spring. The Chicago Cubs are primed to make a run at the weak NL Central division and return to the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
New Manager Craig Counsell is learning to love wearing Cubbie Blue and singing Go, Cubs, Go after a win. His next step will be going to the correct clubhouse and dugout at Wrigley Field. But he had a great spring with an organization deep with talent.
Baseball writers have said that just by adding Counsell, the Cubs have gained six to seven wins for the season. But he won’t be on the field; the players will. Adding Shota Imanaga to the starting rotation, trading for Michael Busch, and re-signing Cody Bellinger were by far the most significant on-field moves of the offseason. All three will have a major impact on the Cubs’ competitiveness.
We’ll find out if Christopher Morel has what it takes defensively to be the Cubs’ everyday third baseman. He has the bat; there’s no question. But his glove has been shaky at times this spring. He, Nick Madrigal, and Miles Mastrobouni will start the year as the three eligible for the hot corner (Patrick Wisdom will be starting on the IL). But remember, reinforcements are ready in Iowa (Matt Shaw).
Michael Busch will get his opportunity to be the star the Los Angeles Dodgers were expecting him to be before trading him to the Cubs. The Cubs now believe they have their first baseman of the future in Busch. But Busch has not played first base daily since high school/college. He worked this spring to bring his skills back and will hope his defense and bat put him in the discussion to be in the running for Rookie of the Year.
Justin Steele, Kyle Hendricks, Jordan Wicks, Imanaga, and Javier Assad will make up the starting rotation. Jameson Taillon will take Assad’s spot once he returns to being healthy. However, Counsell has repeatedly mentioned how this rotation will be fluid and change. The minors have so much pitching depth on the cusp of being ready for major league action. Ben Brown and Cade Horton are two guys almost guaranteed to be part of the Cubs’ 2024.
Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Nico Hoerner, and Dansby Swanson will all be looking for redemption after the collapse at the end of 2023. They know how close they were to being the final wild-card team and making a run in the playoffs. While they don’t want to let that happen again, they’ll need patience through April as things come together. The opening schedule is ferocious.
The Cubs season will start in Arlington, Texas. They’ll be taking on the defending World Series champion Rangers while they celebrate their first World Series title in franchise history. Then they’ll come home and open the Wrigley Field schedule against the Colorado Rockies, welcoming Kris Bryant back to Chicago again.
The Cubs will then play three games against the top-ranked Los Angeles Dodgers. They will then head to the West Coast to take on the San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, and Arizona Diamondbacks. Returning home on April 18th, they’ll take on the Miami Marlins and Houston Astros.
In the first eight series of the year, seven of those teams had winning records in 2023, and six were playoff teams. This includes both teams who made it to the World Series. The Cubs will be playing some of the best teams in baseball right off the bat. We will know exactly what they have in the first month of play. But most importantly, we’ll find out what they need to make a serious run in 2024.
Having this competitive schedule to begin a season may not end pretty, but it is the best thing for this team. They will either prove they have what it takes to be a force in the National League or learn they have work to do to get to that level. If the Cubs make it out of April as a .500 team, that may be about as good as we could ask.
