It’s been a busy two weeks for the Cubs.

First, they acquired a superstar bat in Kyle Tucker in a blockbuster trade with Houston. Then, they supplemented their catching depth with veteran Carson Kelly. To top it all off, Sammy Sosa and the team seemingly repaired their fraught relationship on Thursday.

With the bevy of news, we thought it was time for a mailbag and took some of your questions regarding the team.

Who’s going to hit the first HR of the season? I say Dansby! – Ryker Colon

This is a fun one. I actually had to double check who hit the first home run for the Cubs in 2024 and it was — drumroll, please — Dansby Swanson. So, Ryker, you’re on to something. 

Speaking of Ryker, check out his story here from his emotional day at Wrigley Field.

These are hard to predict, but I’ll go with a safe bet and say Kyle Tucker. He figures to hit near the top of the lineup and profiles as the perfect No. 2 hitter in Craig Counsell’s lineup. Again, though, sometimes things like this could be random. Maybe it’s Pete Crow-Armstrong. Seiya Suzuki could electrify the crowd in the Tokyo Dome with a home run. I’ll go with Tucker and feel absolutely no confidence in the pick, purely because of the randomness. 

Are the Cubs going to pay to keep Tucker around long term? They gave up a lot for 1 year! – Robert B.

Is trading for Kyle Tucker really worth the price tag the Cubs just paid to acquire him if he doesn’t sign an extension? I am taking into account the fact that this roster immensely under performed & they again are without a starting 3B (currently). – Kevin H.

These are all valid concerns in regards to the Tucker deal. Isaac Paredes could really thrive in Houston with the short distance to left. Hayden Wesneski’s departure hurts their pitching depth — both in the rotation and in the bullpen. And Cam Smith, by many scouting reports, could be a really good big leaguer. 

But — especially with prospects — I always go back to the uncertainty around them. Smith could be a really good player and manned third for the Cubs. Wesneski could have gotten things to click and been a really good “out-getter”. Paredes could have proved that Wrigley Field was a massive hindrance to him in 2024 and return to his 2023, All-Star form. But Tucker is a star. He is a bonafide hitter that this lineup missed. He is one of the top 10 players in baseball. 

As Jed Hoyer mentioned, when you have a chance to get a player like this, you go get him. Of course, it could turn out to be like Juan Soto and the Yankees and Tucker could leave after a year. But the Cubs will engage Tucker — and he says he’ll be open to anything. And actually playing at Wrigley Field, the Cubs believe, is a better recruiting pitch than a PowerPoint presentation or a video put together by Cubs Productions that is watched in December. 

Who will be the Cubs backup 1B now. Wisdom, Paredes,and Bellinger are gone? Does Michael Busch profile as Lou Gehrig at 1B? – Stan M.

Comparing Busch to a Hall of Fame iron man isn’t fair, but the Cubs are extremely bullish on him as a defender at first. The improvements he made defensively from Spring Training to the end of the year were remarkable. This was a player who had limited experience at the position, looked like he hadn’t played the position much and, by the end of the year, looked like a premier glove. 

He’s entrenched himself as the Cubs everyday first baseman in his first season, but his backup, Stan, isn’t as clear. Matt Mervis is on the 40-man roster and could profile as that. But it’s another lefty bat that wouldn’t necessarily give pitchers a different look if Busch had the day off. 

It’s very possible that the backup first baseman isn’t on the roster yet. Jed Hoyer and the Cubs know their bench is far from a finished product and adding a versatile, veteran infielder would be a priority. 

Don’t rule out top prospect Moisés Ballesteros, either. While he won’t be the full-time backup first baseman, his bat looks real and with some questions defensively, having some reps at first base could be a way to have his name in the lineup. 

Do you think the Cubs would move to a six-man rotation to attract Sasaki? – Dan T.

This question was asked a lot last year in the offseason and in Spring Training after the team signed Shota Imanaga. Craig Counsell and the Cubs never really went to a 6-man rotation, but they did find creative ways to give Imanaga some extra rest with off-days and moving his starts back.

Imanaga isn’t an apples to apples comparison to Sasaki — Imanaga is older and has much more experience, likely being more in-tune with his body and knowing what he needs to do to adjust to pitching more frequently than in Japan. If the Cubs can land Sasaki, they might not actually go to an out-and-out “6-man” rotation, but they’d find ways to get creative with off days and the like to keep him fresh as he makes an incredibly difficult transition. 

This will be one of — if not — the biggest question the Cubs have the rest of the offseason. If you’re going purely on roster construction, then right now you’d have to say it’s either Gage Workman or Miles Mastrobuoni. Why not top prospect Matt Shaw? Well, Workman and Mastrobuoni are both on the 40-man roster and Shaw is not. Workman was a Rule 5 draft pick earlier this month, too, and must be on the 26-man roster all season. He can’t be optioned to the minor leagues without first being offered back to the Tigers. 

But Shaw will have every chance to be the long-term starter at the hot corner for the Cubs. It was the one position he played the most at in the minors in 2024 and his bat profiles as his biggest tool, meaning the Cubs might be ready to turn the keys over to him at some point in 2025. 

To Mark’s question, that’s a big one the Cubs will face in Spring Training and throughout 2025. Shaw didn’t really start playing third base until he became a pro and — for a team that emphasizes defense — defensive shortcomings at that position can’t be overlooked. 

Who is going to be the Cubs’ closer? – Bill G.

Depending on your comfort level of Shaw at third base, then this might be the biggest question the Cubs roster has. Rookie Porter Hodge developed into the team’s closer late in 2024 and would seemingly have the inside track on the role going into 2025. 

But the offseason is far from over and the relief market has yet to really take hold. The Cubs will want to add more relief options for Counsell because of the volatility of the position. Hodge’s success in 2024 does not guarantee he will be a shutdown closer again in 2025. 

Beyond Hodge, internally, Julian Merryweather would be another name to keep an eye on. He was arguably the Cubs’ best reliever in 2023 and the injury bug limited him to just 15 appearances in 2024. He has the stuff to be a leverage arm and — with health — could close games for Counsell next season. Tyson Miller and Nate Pearson pitched leverage innings in 2024, too, and could be in line for the role. 

Ben Brown is an interesting name to keep an eye on in that role, too. He too has the stuff to be a dominant reliever, but he was pretty good as a starter in 2024 before injuries curtailed his season. Brown will likely be stretched out in spring, but if the Cubs starting depth is healthy and performing, he could be a multi-inning relief weapon.