In less than 24 hours, the Chicago Cubs restart their season. This time, in the United States as they face the Arizona Diamondbacks for a four-game set on Thursday night.

During the 2025 Season Preview show on Marquee Sports Network, Cole Wright, Elise Menaker and Cliff Floyd played a game where they finish sentences surrounding the Cubs’ 2025 season.

The sentences ranged from numerous topics from the bullpen, starting rotation and who or what the identity of the Cubs offense will be.

The identity of the Cubs’ offense this season had an obvious answer – new outfielder Kyle Tucker. So the former big leaguer went with another choice. Floyd believes Swanson can resurrect the offense if he plays like he used to when he was a Brave.

“This team is so much better if he balls out like we saw him in his Atlanta days,” Floyd said. “You go back to those days when he was healthy, he’d be hitting the ball out of the ballpark, playing great defense, all those things. If he can add that type of length to the lineup, with how good he can be when he’s healthy – which he is right now – man it’s a different team.”

Swanson dealt with a knee injury last season as well as playing through a sports hernia that required surgery in the offseason. He did not miss any time in spring training and looks to be fully healthy for the regular season.

[MORE: Cubs president Jed Hoyer says team must ‘outperform expectations’]

Looking at the starting rotation that features Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd and newly named Ben Brown, Menaker believes the tandem of Imanaga and Steele will be the strength of the pitching staff.

“I think that they’re the two guys you’re looking at especially to anchor the rotation,” Menaker said. “You can even throw Matt Boyd in there and just how he finished last year and what he can do for the rotation this year. But for this year specifically, all of us are watching the guys at the top.”

One of the biggest needs that was addressed in the offseason by the Cubs front office was the bullpen. With the additions of Ryan Pressly, Ryan Braiser, Caleb Thielbar, Colin Rea and Eli Morgan, Floyd believes they are more stable heading into the season.

“It’ll be more solid. And when you say solid, for me, they paid attention to details this offseason and went out and addressed it,” Floyd said of the Cubs bullpen. “You went out there and went and got Ryan Pressly, you got guys that will give you a chance, Ryan Brasier’s of the world, that will give you a chance to close the gap, shorten the game and then get those precious three outs in the end.”

With the Cubs looking to get back into the postseason and win the NL Central, there’s a lot of pressure that’s riding on Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer. That’s why for Menaker, she used ‘intense’ to describe the pressure for the Cubs in 2025.

“The first thing that came to mind when I saw the word pressure is Jed Hoyer. We know his situation and I appreciated that in spring training, he just acknowledged that, ‘Yeah. Like I am feeling the pressure and this is a different year for me.'” Menaker said. “And this is why I’m using the word intense.

“A lot is on the line for him and this team and this is the year they need to step up.”

Head over to the Marquee Sports Network app to watch the full 2025 Season Preview show.