MESA, Ariz. — The Chicago Cubs reported for spring training on Super Bowl Sunday, and their season will begin before the first tipoff in the NCAA tournament. The Tokyo Series rearranged their calendar, a minor inconvenience given the vast potential for team-bonding moments, cultural enrichment and marketing opportunities.
Players can get annoyed with disruptions to their routines, and organizations constantly worry about pitchers getting injured. Staging Opening Day in Japan speeds up some personnel decisions that can typically wait until the end of March. The Cubs, however, have consistently framed this upcoming international trip around the rewards instead of the risks.
“It’s created some urgency for our players,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Friday at the Sloan Park training complex. “Our pitching department did a fabulous job over the offseason in getting these guys ready and coming into Feb. 9 in a more prepared place. That’s kind of borne out through this last month. I’m really proud of the work that (everyone) did.
“If you’ve been through a lot of springs, different is good. You look forward to something different. We’re getting ready to go do something really fun. That’s how our guys are treating it.”
The Cubs’ traveling party is scheduled to leave Arizona on Tuesday, meaning the bulk of the roster decisions will be made by the end of this weekend or no later than Monday so players can prepare accordingly. This is a snapshot of the group projected to face the Los Angeles Dodgers:
The lineup
- Ian Happ, LF
- Kyle Tucker, RF
- Seiya Suzuki, DH
- Michael Busch, 1B
- Matt Shaw, 3B
- Dansby Swanson, SS
- Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF
- Miguel Amaya, C
- Jon Berti, 2B
Major League Baseball allows 31 players on the traveling squad for this event, three inactive spots and a 26-man roster for the two games against the Dodgers at the Tokyo Dome. This is how the Cubs can avoid putting Nico Hoerner on the injured list while not playing short-handed. Hoerner, the Gold Glove second baseman who underwent flexor tendon surgery last October, is on track to be ready for “domestic Opening Day” (March 27) when the Cubs return to Arizona.
The club has not yet decided on Shaw, the top prospect whose full participation in spring training was delayed by an oblique issue. “All things with Matt are still on the table,” Counsell said. But it’s clear how much the Cubs value Shaw, the first-round pick they rapidly promoted through the farm system and kept out of the Tucker trade with the Houston Astros. If he’s healthy, Shaw looks like the Opening Day third baseman.
Matt Shaw’s first RBI of #SpringTraining! pic.twitter.com/7p6jps3O8V
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) March 4, 2025
Bench
Carson Kelly, the veteran catcher who signed a two-year, $11.5 million contract this offseason, is essentially a co-starter with Amaya. Counsell will find the right matchups for Justin Turner, the 40-year-old hitting expert who experienced many big moments with the Dodgers. The Cubs can carry Gage Workman, a Rule 5 pick from the Detroit Tigers organization, and Vidal Bruján and reassess their options later.
Reese McGuire, a non-roster player, is expected to be the team’s third catcher in Japan, available for exhibition games or in case of an emergency. The Cubs may wait to add Nicky Lopez, another non-roster player, but the versatile infielder could provide good defensive depth over the remaining 160 games.
‘Out-getters’
The term frequently used by Counsell is particularly applicable here. The Cubs will have to cover innings in their exhibitions against the Hanshin Tigers (March 14) and Yomiuri Giants (March 16) while maintaining pitching plans for their two-game series against the defending World Series champs (March 18-19). The Cubs won’t activate a traditional five-man rotation or overextend their pitchers.
Game 1 starter: Shota Imanaga
Game 2 starter: Justin Steele
Imanaga appreciates the historic significance of facing off against Yoshinobu Yamamoto in their home country. Steele was scratched from Thursday night’s Cactus League start due to flu-like symptoms, but the Cubs do not expect that to sidetrack the All-Star lefty. In this scenario, the Cubs can utilize Jameson Taillon and Matthew Boyd in the exhibitions against the Nippon Professional Baseball clubs and then temporarily put them on the inactive list.
Bullpen: Ryan Pressly, Porter Hodge, Ryan Brasier, Colin Rea, Nate Pearson, Tyson Miller, Caleb Thielbar, Julian Merryweather, Keegan Thompson, Eli Morgan and Brad Keller.
If the Cubs decide to add another lefty to the mix, Brandon Hughes is a name to keep in mind.
Do the Cubs have 13 pitchers with more talent and upside than Ben Brown? Probably not, but his versatility and minor-league option will likely work against him. “Our operating mode is to continue to keep him stretched out because that’s what’s best for the team right now,” Counsell said. That plan is, of course, subject to change. Every year, bullpen issues arise, and established starters get hurt.
“When we get to the domestic Opening Day, we probably got to pick a lane,” Counsell said. “Ben experienced both sides of it last year. He did a great job with that last year, so he’s familiar with it. You try not to do it. The injuries are what cause you to do it. You look up, something happens, you get an injury and this is our next best guy, so you want him to start games.”
Roster cuts
The spring roster is down to 42 players after Friday’s extensive cuts. The Cubs optioned right-handed reliever Ethan Roberts and lefty reliever Luke Little to Triple-A Iowa while reassigning the following players to minor-league camp: pitchers Phil Bickford, Chris Flexen, Ben Heller, Brooks Kriske and Trevor Richards; infielders Jonathon Long and James Triantos; and outfielders Greg Allen and Christian Franklin. In the next round, the decisions will become increasingly difficult.
(Photo of Shota Imanaga: Rick Scuteri / Imagn Images)
