The time to construct a 2025 winner begins now. Well, actually, I hope the Chicago Cubs have been on that project for a good long while. Not as if they had the postseason to distract them …
It’s just that now, with the World Series over last night, the MLB offseason officially begins today. The roster management, the trade talks, the free agency (opens today, though players can’t sign with new teams for five days), the full run of coaching and front office moves, etc., etc. The 2024 season is now behind us, and only glory lies ahead.
The Cubs have a fair bit of work to do, which will be made all the more challenging by virtue of a roster that does not have a lot of openings baked in. The team absolutely needs another impact bat, but where will it fit? The team absolutely needs another starting pitcher, but how aggressively will the Cubs go? And the team absolutely needs a reliable veteran reliever or two, but does that mean they’ll finally spend there?
The money is there to spend. The assets are there to make trades. The front office infrastructure has to be set by now. The new manager has had a year to acclimate and vice versa. The road ahead may be challenging, but there simply are no transition-related excuses available.
The ultimate goal of the offseason has to look pretty similar to what it was at this time last year: build a roster that is clearly the best on paper in the NL Central. It’s debatable whether the Cubs ever got there last season, and what do you know, they wound up posting the exact same record in 2024 as they did in 2023.
Let’s hope that this offseason does not presage another 83-79 season.