Chicago Cubs Incredible Performance Has Surprised Some MLB Executives

The Chicago Cubs were a popular pick to win the National League Central coming into the 2025 MLB regular season.

Analysts liked most of the offseason moves they made, headlined by the blockbuster acquisition of Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros. He has been everything the team had hoped he would and more, anchoring their lineup and having his teammates feed off of that.

The offense has been the catalyst for the team’s success to this point.

Through May 4, the Cubs are leading the MLB with 5.94 runs per game. That has helped get them off to a 21-14 start, putting them three games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds in the NL Central.

How well they have played has caught the attention of executives around the MLB.

In a recent piece done by Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, executives were polled on different questions. One of them was which team has been the biggest surprise.

Three of the voters selected Chicago.

“Where they’re at record-wise, given the schedule they’ve played -- and losing [Justin] Steele -- is impressive,” an NL executive said. “Especially the offense and aggression on the bases.”

They are third in the MLB with 52 home runs, fifth with 63 doubles and first with 45 stolen bases. Their team slash line of .262/.339/.455 are ranked first, second and third, respectively.

Tucker was the biggest move, but he is far from the only impact addition the team has made.

Veteran catcher Carson Kelly has been tearing the cover off the ball, producing a team-high OPS+ of 269. He has a slash line of .368/.513/.807 with seven home runs, two doubles, one triple and 22 RBI in only 76 plate appearances, resulting in an incredible 1.7 WAR.

The only player on the team who has a higher WAR than Kelly is center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, who is in the midst of announcing his presence as an All-Star contributor, figuring things out at the plate while providing elite defense.

They have needed all of those contributions with their pitching staff struggling to the extent which it has. The bullpen has been shaky and the injury to Justin Steele is testing the starting pitching depth with Javier Assad already sidelined.

At the time, how the Cubs navigated free agency was frustrating, with ownership slashing pay roll. But all of the moves they have made, which were considered bargain bin hunting at the time, have paid off.

Matthew Boyd has been excellent in the rotation and Colin Rea has been outstanding, transitioning from a reliever to starter with Steele’s injury.

“I think they're being rewarded for pushing it and being aggressive this winter,” an AL exec said.

There is still work for the Cubs to do, but this start has been about as good as the team could have hoped for. Keep an eye on them in the coming weeks as they are an addition or two away from being legitimate World Series contenders if they aren’t already.