Coming into the 2025 MLB regular season, the Chicago Cubs were viewed by many people as the favorites to win the National League Central.
They made the biggest move out of any franchise in the division, acquiring right fielder Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros in a blockbuster trade over the winter.
But, there were some skeptics because of how the rest of the offseason unfolded.
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Despite trading for Tucker and only guaranteed to have him for one season, since they didn’t agree to an extension with him as part of the deal, they scaled back their payroll compared to what it was in 2024.
It was an unprecedented move, leaving agents and fans perplexed. Despite being in one of the biggest markets in the league, ownership was pinching pennies and scaling back spending.
President Jed Hoyer and general manager Carter Hawkins were not phased, making the most of the situation with some stellar bargain bin signings that have produced incredible results.
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Starting pitcher Matthew Boyd has been excellent, anchoring a rotation that has been hit hard by injuries. He has remained healthy, producing a 2.79 ERA across 80.2 innings.
Catcher Carson Kelly, who signed a two-year, $11.5 million deal, is having a career year and is a borderline All-Star.
He has been a big part of an explosive offense, which has benefited the most from center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong emerging as a bona fide star and NL MVP candidate.
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Everything has gone right for Chicago when it comes to their additions, as even Drew Pomeranz and Chris Flexen, who were in the minor leagues to start the 2025 campaign, have helped stabilize the bullpen. That duo has yet to allow an earned run in 36.2 combined innings.
Brad Keller has been a great find for the bullpen as well, with a 2.16 ERA across 33.1 innings with a 0.5 bWAR.
That has helped the team exceed all expectations thus far this season, with their focus now shifting to cementing their status as legitimate World Series contenders.
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“It doesn’t appear that anyone else in the Central is going to threaten them. The focus is now on setting up the roster at the trade deadline to be built for a deep October run,” wrote Levi Weaver of The Athletic (subscription required) in the most recent edition of their MLB power rankings.
The theme for this week’s rankings was comparing where teams stood coming into the year and their place in the hierarchy now.
The Cubs were No. 12 in the preseason and have vaulted up the rankings, currently sitting at No. 5.
If they want to stay near the top, ownership needs to loosen the reins a bit on the front office and allow them to spend what is necessary to bring in upgrades.
A true front-line starter and another late-game option for the bullpen would solidify their standing.
For more Cubs news, head over to Cubs On SI.
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While the 2025 class is preparing to be officially inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., it's worth peeking ahead to see which MLB stars could find their places among baseball's immortals over the next three years. To be elected to the Hall of Fame, players must earn at least 75% of the votes from eligible members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). Only active and honorary members of the BBWAA, who have been active baseball writers for at least 10 years, are eligible to vote. So which players will be elected in the next three years? Here's a best guess. 2026 class Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones A pair of holdovers from this year's ballot will finally get their place in Cooperstown with Beltran earning it in his fifth year and Jones in his ninth. The duo will benefit from a less-heralded first-year class that includes Ryan Braun, Cole Hamels and Alex Gordon. None of this year's rookie members is expected to gather a great deal of support, opening up the door for previous vote-getters to finally get the call. Both Beltran (70.0 bWAR in a 20-year career) and Jones (62.7 in a 17-year career) were close in 2025, with Beltran getting 70.3% of the vote and Jones earning 66.2%. The highest votes after that went to Chase Utley at 39.8%, but it's unlikely he will make a huge jump in the next voting cycle. 2027 class Buster Posey and Chase Utley One of the game's most impactful catchers over this century, Posey, who earned National League Rookie of the Year and MVP honors, should enter the Hall during his first run on the ballot. Other first-year ballot members include Jon Lester, who notched 200 wins in his 16-year MLB career and could gain a strong amount of support. Utley, a six-time All-Star over his 16-year MLB career, will likely benefit from a first- and second-year class that will still need to gather more support as the years go along. 2028 class Jon Lester, Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols The potential for the first-year members of the 2028 ballot to jump straight to Cooperstown will be very interesting to watch. Of particular note are a pair of former St. Louis Cardinals who could enter baseball immortality together in Molina and Pujols. Adding Posey and Molina into Cooperstown in consecutive years will certainly give a tip of the cap to catchers who were at the top of their game for numerous seasons in San Francisco and St. Louis, respectively. Pujols, meanwhile, will be the latest member of the 700-homer club to be inducted. Over the course of 22 seasons, Pujols earned three NL MVP awards and 11 All-Star Game berths. Lester pitched the final 12 games of his career in St. Louis, so the Cardinals fans may include him in the mix as well in what could be a very red-themed induction ceremony. However, Lester's nine seasons in Boston (with two World Series rings) and six seasons with the Chicago Cubs (helping the Cubs finally win a World Series in 2016) stand out much more.
Matthew Stafford's latest injury raises concerns about the depth of the Los Angeles Rams' quarterback room. Stafford suffered a back injury last season, and it's bothering him again at training camp. Rams head coach Sean McVay said the medical concern will force the QB to miss five practices, but it's not season-ending. "He's been throwing, feeling good. It's not necessarily anything that's new. Something that he's dealt with before," the coach told the media. "Going into year 17, we were going to take a modified approach with him, kind of similar to what we did in the offseason program. And so we'll allow him to kind of just work off to the side, on his own, getting himself feeling as good as possible." Stafford's durability has already been waning. The 37-year-old QB missed eight games because of a spine injury and concussion during the 2022 season. The following season, he missed one game because of a right thumb injury. The Rams have a capable backup QB, Jimmy Garoppolo. He has a 43-21 starting record in the regular season in 11 years with the San Francisco 49ers, Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots and Rams. Garoppolo, however, is injury-prone. He has battled foot, ankle, knee and shoulder issues over the course of his career. Rams QB Stetson Bennett — a fourth-rounder in the 2023 NFL Draft — has yet to throw a pass in a regular-season game. Plenty of solid free-agent QBs are still available, including one-time Pro Bowler Carson Wentz. He would be a more trustworthy option than Bennett and already knows the Rams' system. The 2016 first-rounder played for the team during the 2023 season. The Rams hope to win their third Super Bowl after consecutive playoff appearances. Injuries at the most important position could derail their aspirations. McVay doesn't seem too concerned about Stafford's health, but L.A. should still consider adding another QB as a precaution.
Malcom-Jamal Warner, who portrayed the beloved character Theo Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” died at 54 in Costa Rica in a drowning accident, according to the Associated Press. The report claimed that Warner drowned on Sunday afternoon on a beach on the country’s Caribbean coast. He was swimming at Playa Cocles in Limon province when a current pulled him deeper into the water. Following his death, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2002 inductee Magic Johnson mourned his passing. “Cookie and I are sad to hear about the passing of our dear friend Malcom-Jamal Warner,” he wrote on X. “We were both super fans of the hit Cosby Show and continued to follow his career on shows like Malcom and Eddie and The Resident.” Warner was on “The Cosby Show” from 1984-92. He also appeared in television series such as “Jeremiah,” “A Different World” and “Here and Now,” while Johnson led the Los Angeles Lakers from 1979-91 before making a brief comeback in 1995-96. “Every time I ran into Malcom, we would have deep and fun conversations about basketball, life and business,” Johnson added. “He will truly be missed . Cookie and I are praying [for] his family and close friends during this difficult time.” Warner was in films such as “Drop Zone” (1994), “Fool’s Gold” (2008), “The Tuskegee Airmen” (1995) and “Tyson” (1995). He also received a Grammy Award for Best Traditional R B Performance for the song “Jesus Children” alongside Robert Glasper Experiment and Lalah Hathaway. On the other hand, Johnson became a successful businessman after his NBA career ended by becoming a part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Trey Hendrickson has officially begun his training camp holdout, and the Cincinnati Bengals star says there has been one main issue in his contract negotiations with the team. Hendrickson, who is set to make a base salary of $16M in the final season of his deal this year, has been seeking an extension since the start of the offseason. Bengals veterans reported to training camp on Tuesday, and Hendrickson shared a photo on social media that showed he is in Florida. Hendrickson later told Dianna Russini of The Athletic that he had recently been at home in Cincinnati, but he and his wife decided to go to Jacksonville as training camp approached with no long-term deal in place. Hendrickson said he received two offers from the Bengals in a 24-hour span leading up to training camp, but neither contained any guaranteed money beyond the 2026 season. "I was more than willing to take less in some ways in order to make this work," Hendrickson told Russini. Based on what he has said, Hendrickson is not seeking to become the highest-paid defensive player in football. In order to accomplish that, he would have to top the three-year, $123M extension T.J. Watt signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. As Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported on Monday night, the issue is guaranteed money. For whatever reason, the Bengals appear to be unwilling to offer Hendrickson guarantees beyond next season. Hendrickson had 35 sacks over the past two seasons, which was the most in the NFL during that span. He had 17.5 sacks each season and finished second in NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2024. The Bengals probably have concerns about Hendrickson's age, as he will turn 31 during the upcoming season. Still, their defense is in desperate need of help, so they are taking a significant risk by playing hardball with their most impactful defensive player.