Cubs Exceeding Lofty Preseason Expectations With Stellar All-Around Production

The Chicago Cubs entered the 2025 MLB regular season with some sizable expectations.

After acquiring star right fielder Kyle Tucker in an offseason trade with the Houston Astros, many people were picking them as the class of the National League Central.

His addition was expected to be a major boost for the lineup, but outside of Tucker, the team didn’t make any other major additions. Shockingly, they slashed their payroll compared to what their roster cost in 2024.

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Sometimes, heightened expectations like that can lead to a team crumbling, unable to play at the requisite level to achieve that level of success.

That has not been the case for the Cubs, who have faced the challenge of being called the preseason favorites in their division head-on, exceeding even those expectations.

Coming into the season, Chicago had playoff odds of 48.3%, as shared by The Athletic (subscription required). Those odds have nearly doubled to 94.8%, as the Cubs are nearing lock territory for a playoff spot in the NL.

“Call it the PCA effect or the brilliance of Kyle Tucker, but the fact of the matter remains the same — the Cubs have nearly doubled their playoff odds and could even challenge for the best record in the National League,” wrote Johnny Flores Jr. of The Athletic.

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What has made the team’s success all the more impressive is how they are achieving it.

Chicago hasn’t been without some obstacles, such as pitcher Justin Steele being lost to a season-ending injury and fellow starter Shota Imanaga only making 10 starts to this point.

There were a few early hiccups in the bullpen as well, but Daniel Palencia, Chris Flexen, Drew Pomeranz, Ryan Brasier, Caleb Thielbar and Brad Keller have all been excellent out of the bullpen for manager Craig Counsell.

Third base remains a troublesome spot in their lineup as well, with rookie Matt Shaw struggling to produce outside of one solid stretch.

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But that hasn’t stopped the Cubs from having one of the most explosive offenses in baseball, along with an ever-improving bullpen.

“The offense, which has the third-best OPS in baseball, has done a lot of the heavy lifting, but the emergence of Matthew Boyd (2.52 ERA in 18 starts), plus a bullpen that ranks fourth in all of baseball by ERA (3.26) has also gone a long way in solidifying the Cubs as one of baseball’s best teams,” Flores added.

Chicago should aggressively seek out some upgrades ahead of the MLB trade deadline. 

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An experienced late-game arm could be targeted along with starting pitching depth ahead of the trade deadline. It wouldn’t hurt to see if a stopgap upgrade at the hot corner could be found as well.

This is a team that can certainly compete with the best in baseball and they need to take advantage of having Tucker in the fold for now, as he is set to hit free agency after the season.

For more Cubs news, head over to Cubs On SI.