Heading into the upcoming season, the Chicago Cubs are facing some concerning injury issues that have popped up for many of their expected contributors throughout the spring.
Ian Happ, Nick Madrigal, Jameson Taillon, and Patrick Wisdom all figured to play major roles this season.
Happ and Madrigal should be ready for Opening Day, but Taillon and Wisdom might be placed on the injured list.
That is not what they wanted after a slow start to last year hindered their ability to make the playoffs.
But, the Cubs still are entering the year with an interesting advantage over many of the other teams in Major League Baseball.
According to Offers, Chicago travels the fourth-fewest miles out of any organization during the 2024 season with their total milage at 28,007.
Why is that an advantage?
The long, 162-game slate forces players to basically uproot from their normal schedules while playing at home when they go on the road, before turning around and heading back to their cities to do the same cycle again.
The Cubs also travel the fifth-least in average miles per road trip, another benefit to their schedule.
Now, it should be pointed out that the only three teams who travel fewer miles throughout the year are all in the NL Central.
Because of how close in relation every team is, it makes sense that this is the least-traveled division out of any in the MLB.
Still, Chicago isn't always playing their NL Central foes. They have to go on the road to different locations around the country.
Maybe this is a bit overblown, but it's also not nothing.
The Cubs will have less miles traveled on their bodies throughout the year than other teams they are potentially battling it out with for a spot in the playoffs.
Whether they can take advantage of this aspect remains to be seen, but this is certainly something that could help them during the dog days of the long season.
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