MLB insider identifies biggest concern surrounding first-place Cubs

After 4 consecutive seasons of missing nan Major League Baseball postseason, nan Chicago Cubs person bounced backmost successful a large measurement successful 2025. 

Boosted by nan summation of three-time All-Star Kyle Tucker, their discourtesy leads MLB successful runs scored. Though Tucker has been h his accustomed dependable self, it has been nan astonishing breakout of Peter-Crow Armstrong that has transformed nan lineup, arsenic he leads nan squad pinch 17 location runs on pinch a 140 OPS+. Veterans Seiya Suzuki (16 location runs, 56 RBI) and Dansby Swanson (12 location runs) person besides played awesome roles, while catcher Carson Kelly has been 1 of nan offseason’s champion pickups pinch a .857 OPS. 

On nan pitching side, it has been unheralded journeymen for illustration Matthew Boyd, Colin Rea, Drew Pomeranz and Brad Keller picking up nan slack successful nan aftermath of injuries to Shota Imanaga and Justin Steele and underperformance from nan likes of Ryan Pressly and Porter Hodge, resulting successful nan National League’s fourth-best pitching unit by ERA. The full sum of these parts is simply a 41-26 nine that leads nan National League Central by 5 games and is conscionable 1.5 games backmost of nan New York Mets for nan National League’s champion record. 

Though nan Cubs look to beryllium successful nan driver's spot for a section title, location are still evident concerns arsenic they move their sights to October. The astir evident request is different frontline starter to switch Steele, arsenic nan soft-tossing Boyd and Rea are not nan benignant of pitchers you want to dangle connected successful October. Names specified arsenic Sandy Alcantara, Zac Gallen and perchance moreover Chris Sale are expected to beryllium connected nan waste and acquisition market, but The Athletic’s Johnny Flores Jr. questions whether wide head Jed Hoyer will beryllium fixed nan clearance to spell all-in. 

“To this point, nan club’s hitting (.774 OPS, 3rd) and pitching (3.67 ERA, 10th) person been among nan league’s best, but Chicago could still usage different frontline starter and possibly an other bat for nan agelong run,” Flores wrote. “So will Hoyer, who is successful a statement year, beryllium fixed nan chance to get nan Cubs to wherever they request to beryllium for a imaginable heavy postseason run?

In caller years, nan Cubs person seldom been among nan astir fierce off-season bidders, opting for second-tier free agents for illustration Suzuki, Imanaga, Swanson, and Taillon alternatively of nan likes of Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani. The Cubs person besides held onto galore of their apical prospects, but nan caller waste and acquisition of erstwhile first-round prime Cam Smith successful nan Tucker waste and acquisition could beryllium a motion that their mentality has changed. Whether aliases not Hoyer has support to sacrifice early assets for short-term gains could beryllium nan quality betwixt an early postseason exit and a heavy October run. 

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