Chicago Cubs Major Additions Will Help Push Team to Top of National League Central

The Chicago Cubs were one of the most active teams this offseason, making several splashes to upgrade their roster.

May 17, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros designated hitter Kyle Tucker (30) hits a single during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Minute Maid Park. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The 2024 MLB season was summed up in one word by Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts at its conclusion in a letter to the fans: disappointing.

For the second consecutive campaign, the team won 83 games. The addition of manager Craig Counsell wasn’t as impactful as they had hoped, finishing 10 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central standings.

A big reason for their struggles was an inconsistent offense and a bullpen that struggled mightly and was completely overhauled during the season.

Coming into the winter, addressing those two needs was at the top of their to-do list.

In two separate trades with the Houston Astros, major additions were made to upgrade the lineup and solidify the bullpen. Those two players in spring training will be the No. 2 storyline for the team, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.

The first deal made between the teams sent shockwaves through the baseball world as the Cubs acquired star right fielder Kyle Tucker.

Despite playing in only 78 games because of injury last year, he recorded an eye-opening 4.7 WAR, hitting 23 home runs with 13 doubles in only 277 at-bats. In 2023, he led the American League with 112 RBI as he is talented enough to anchor a lineup.

Tucker hits the ball hard with regularity with an average exit velocity of 90.6 mph in his career and a hard-hit rate of 45.5%. He isn’t an all-or-nothing hitter either, as his strikeout rate of 16% and a walk rate of 10.8% are both better than the league average.

As an added bonus, he is no slouch in the field.

He won the Gold Glove Award in 2022 and is one of the better defensive right fielders in baseball, providing the team with stellar two-way play.

His adjustment to Chicago will be a little easier with Ryan Pressly making the move with him, since they have been teammates together since 2018.

A two-time All-Star, his experience late in games was exactly what the Cubs were looking for in their bullpen.

He should be the closer out of the gate, combined with Porter Hodge, who emerged in the role down the stretch of 2024, as a dynamic late-game duo.

Pressly was reliable as the Astros closer, racking up all but one of his 112 career saves during his tenure with the franchise.

If the former Houston duo can provide the same level of production in Chicago as they have in recent years, the Cubs are going to move up the ranks in the National League and make some postseason noise.