The Chicago Cubs held their first full-squad workout on Friday, with position players gathering for the first time as they start an important season for the team. The Cubs haven’t made it to the postseason since 2020 and haven’t won a playoff game since 2017.
The team that won the World Series in 2016 is now a distant memory. In recent years, the Cubs have had some likable players, but the team has mostly been defined by average performances and disappointment.
The Cubs of 2025 are determined to change that. With an NL Central division that seems open, it’s time for Chicago to step up as a true contender, rather than just a team waiting to see how things go.
After a busy offseason that included a major addition in Kyle Tucker and an unsuccessful attempt to sign another star in Alex Bregman, the Cubs have been in the news since early November, right up until the start of camp this week. Some believe they’ve built a roster that positions them as serious contenders. Now, they must prove it on the field.
Alex Bregman is not a Cub — and that’s OK
With Friday being the first full day of spring activities for Cubs position players, nearly all the main hitters spoke with reporters about the offseason and shared their early expectations for the upcoming season.
But because of the timing of these first spring sessions, reporters kept asking about a player who wasn’t anywhere near the Cubs’ camp: Bregman. He recently chose a three-year deal with the Red Sox over offers from other teams, including Chicago.
“I think everyone figured he’d be a really good fit for this team,” shortstop Dansby Swanson said. “Obviously, it didn’t end up happening, but Jed’s done such a tremendous job in putting together what I feel like is probably our best roster yet, just in terms of the depth, in terms of filling needs that we may have had in previous years.”
Alex Bregman flips his bat after hitting a home runSeveral of Swanson’s teammates shared this view, expressing strong belief that the Cubs improved significantly this winter, even without Bregman. They replaced Cody Bellinger with Kyle Tucker, strengthened the rotation with left-handed pitcher Matthew Boyd, and added four veteran relievers to improve the bullpen: Ryan Pressly, Ryan Brasier, Eli Morgan, and Caleb Thielbar.
“They’ve been really thoughtful and intentional about building this roster out to give us the best chance to succeed,” Swanson added.
Matt Shaw is ready to step up
Even though the Cubs missed out on Bregman, there are still plenty of reasons to be excited about this roster, as Swanson pointed out. Losing out on Bregman would have been a bigger deal if the Cubs didn’t have one of baseball’s top infield prospects, 23-year-old Matt Shaw, who looks ready to take on the third base role in Chicago.
Shaw’s rise has been fast—he was drafted 13th from the University of Maryland just 20 months ago, and he performed well in 35 Triple-A games (.929 OPS) to end 2024. He now has a clear shot at winning the starting job in Chicago during spring training.
Shaw was aware of the chance that Bregman might come to Chicago and block his path to the majors, at least temporarily. Interestingly, Shaw, who is from Massachusetts, found out that Bregman chose the Red Sox when his friends, many of whom are Red Sox fans, texted him. With Bregman now officially heading elsewhere, Shaw isn’t taking his opportunity for granted:
“Obviously, that’s my goal for the spring,” he said about making the team out of camp. “Being able to do that would be amazing, be a dream come true, something I’ve been dreaming of for a long time.
“Having the front office, coaching staff, players believing in me and believing that I can help this team win a division and move forward with that would be amazing.”
Manager Craig Counsell mentioned on Friday that Shaw is currently day-to-day with a mild oblique injury from some recent swings in the cage, but the team doesn’t expect this to affect his spring training too much. Shaw will have a lot of attention on him once he’s fully involved in workouts and games, with support from his teammates.
“He’s such a gifted player, and he’s a natural-born baseball player,” Swanson said about the promising prospect, who could play alongside him on the left side of the Cubs’ infield for years to come.
“He knows that I’m available for him, whether it’s questions, advice or an ear that will listen. But I’m just going to kind of let him do his thing, and I think that experience will be the best teacher for him.”
Chicago Cubs players pumped up after winningThe Cubs missed on Bregman but landed a star in Kyle Tucker
After missing out on Bregman, the Cubs found some comfort knowing that a key player from the recent successful era of Astros baseball showed up at Cubs camp on Friday: Tucker, the 28-year-old All-Star right fielder, who is great at almost everything on the field. From his power and patience at the plate to his range in the outfield and speed on the bases, Tucker does it all.
“He’s a true superstar, an incredible player,” second baseman Nico Hoerner said about his new teammate. “He does absolutely every part of baseball well, which you don’t really see from many players. Even guys that are All-Stars every year, there’s not many guys that truly do all parts of the game at a high level. And he does that.”
Swanson added, “His body of work is impressive. If you look at what he’s been able to do over his career to this point, I think he’s a star in our game and somebody that’s going to make our team a lot better.”
Tucker will be a free agent at the end of this upcoming season, and there’s already talk about whether the Cubs could secure a contract extension before he hits the open market. However, Tucker was careful when asked if this year will feel any different because of his contract situation.
“You never know how the future is gonna play out,” he said. “Just trying to take it one day at a time, and whatever happens later happens.”
Because of his immense talent, Tucker’s future with the team will be a topic of interest throughout the season, no matter what. But what matters most right now for him and the Cubs is where he is today—and what he could bring to a team that has been waiting for a star like him.
“Right now,” Tucker said, looking down and pointing to the “CHICAGO” on his blue hoodie, “I’m a Chicago Cub. And I’m excited to be here and try to win games for the Cubbies.”
