3 burning questions the Chicago Cubs are nowhere close to answering

2025 is off to a much better start for the Chicago Cubs than we could've hoped for. Facing the toughest schedule of any team in March and April, they've managed to hang with the class of the National and American League, winning the season series against the Diamondbacks and taking series from the Dodgers, Padres, and Rangers. They still have tough opponents ahead, but a 14-10 start is impressive considering the caliber of competition thus far.

Also encouraging is that experts and projection systems are buying into this team as a real threat. MLB has the Cubs at #4 on their power rankings, and Baseball Reference recently gave the team the best odds in baseball to win the World Series. Their biggest offseason acquisitions have, for the most part, exceeded expectations in a big way to propel this team to new heights.

Not everything has been perfect, though. There are still noticeable flaws on the roster that have been exacerbated against great teams. Injuries and underperformance have also derailed some plans and created more questions for the immediate future. Things are good right now, but the 162-game season can bring with it a lot of questions that need to be answered before they blossom into bigger problems. Let's look at three of these questions that aren't particularly close to getting an answer, thus far.

1. Can the Cubs assemble an acceptable bullpen with what they have?

Early in the season, the biggest point of criticism levied at the Cubs has, once again, been the bullpen. Jed Hoyer's controversial approach of relying on reclamation pieces and cheaper options instead of more established arms has again caused early-season woes, with a collective 5.19 ERA ranking their bullpen as the fifth worst in MLB heading into the Dodgers series at Wrigley. The unit is responsible for some of the team's ugliest losses of the year thus far, including a disastrous blown lead to the Diamondbacks in the eighth courtesy of an eight-run inning.

Every team has bullpen issues at some point, and thankfully, the Cubs' offense has been good enough to pick the team up. They managed to save a near all-time brutal meltdown against Arizona last Friday after Porter Hodge and company gave up a 10-spot in the eighth with a 6-run lead. The defense, also, hasn't picked up the arms in a few crucial moments. But there have been too many moments where the corps has looked downright uncompetitive.

The churn has already begun, with Eli Morgan going to the injured list and Nate Pearson getting demoted while Ethan Roberts and Daniel Palencia have been called up. Both have been reliable thus far, and Roberts has become a particular favorite of Craig Counsell. Their other veteran arms also appear to be stabilizing, including newly-acquired closer Ryan Pressly, who has had several consecutive sharper outings after opening the year with far too many walks. Since showing up to spring with surprising velocity, Brad Keller has also been a revelation for the team with a 3.00 ERA and 1.71 FIP, at least until his own walk-laden outing against the Dodgers on Tuesday.

With an ever-expanding pile of arms in the minors and injured pitchers returning like Tyson Miller, they certainly have a lot of options to work with in addition to their major league group. Their current bullpen has shown they're capable of some impressive outings, but they're frighteningly prone to complete meltdowns when it's least acceptable. The question remains if the Cubs can get the best out of their current roster and make do, at least until they can look for a proper lockdown arm at the deadline. The circle of trust is a revolving door right now, and they'll have to get more shutdown innings if they want to stop the churn and build some confidence.

2. Can this rotation survive without Justin Steele?

Arguably, the one player the Cubs simply couldn't afford to lose to a significant injury this year was Justin Steele. The rotation already looked like it lacked a big arm heading into the season, with their only additions being Matthew Boyd and swingman Colin Rea. Season-ending surgery for the team's ace, however, has added even more uncertainty to a group that, barring a significant developmental win, isn't equipped to replicate his impact.

The good news is that, so far, the rotation has exceeded expectations. By FanGraphs WAR, Boyd and Rea have been the team's two most valuable pitchers so far, with respective 2.01 and 1.32 ERAs. Despite a couple of bumpy outings, Shota Imanaga has been impressive again as well, and, despite his 4.73 ERA, Jameson Taillon has been rock solid as well since giving up six runs in 4 1/3 innings to start his year in Arizona. The main question mark has been Ben Brown, who, at a 4.57 ERA and 4.52 FIP, has flashed both his potential and his inefficiency on the mound.

Hoping that all of these arms will continue to pitch consistently at this level might be wishful thinking, though. Can Boyd continue to pitch at this level and stay healthy? Can Brown get the walks under control? Will Imanaga beat the regression fears that come with his flyball-heavy profile? Just about everyone in this rotation has some questions that Steele, for the most part, lacked. He also brought a reputation for muscling through games and eating innings, even when he didn't have his best stuff.

The current rotation-mates will have to keep doing this deeper into the season to prove they can be trusted to consistently keep the Cubs in games and not wreck the bullpen. Fortunately, they also have some potential depth waiting in the wings, assuming Javier Assad comes back from the IL at some point or Chris Flexen continues his strong run in Iowa. Deeper in the summer, the team's #2 prospect should also make his debut, assuming he also continues his torrid pace against Triple-A batters. A report from Bruce Levine has also confirmed they're already eying a potential trade for an impact starter, meaning another big upgrade could be coming at the deadline.

How or if they'll survive Steele's absence depends on so many factors and decisions that we ultimately won't know until later this season whether the right levers were pulled to keep things together.

3. Will the Cubs find a real solution at third base?

The decision not to make a more aggressive push for Alex Bregman may come to haunt the Cubs by the end of the year. Although they liked the former Astros third baseman, the front office was handily beaten out in the bidding for his services, leaving them to go with their young top prospect Matt Shaw. Despite hitting at every level he's played at, it took only 68 plate appearances and a 64 wRC+ to pull the plug and send him back to Iowa.

Shaw's future isn't in question. Plenty of Cubs stars have experienced struggles and demotions on their way to becoming established regulars. It does, however, open a question about third base. As of now, the team's options aren't pretty with Gage Workman, Jon Berti, Vidal Brujan, and Justin Turner as their best options. Workman, a Rule 5 pick, may be in jeopardy, considering he isn't hitting and his supposedly strong glove isn't translating at all, as shown by his two routine errors in Tuesday's Dodgers game. Turner, meanwhile, is more of a DH at this point than a fielder and also isn't hitting yet.

Berti appears to be the best option as a big league veteran with a career 94 wRC+ and serviceable defense, but he's hardly what you would hope for from what's typically an offense-heavy position. Moreover, forcing him to cover third base regularly removes his value as a utility man. Brujan is the wild card of the bunch, bringing former top prospect status from the Marlins and Rays that has yet to translate to the majors. Mixing and matching all four of these options isn't much better and echoes the third base purgatory they were stuck in a year ago with Patrick Wisdom, Nick Madrigal, and more.

The offense is clicking well enough that the hole at third isn't too noticeable right now. Among all teams, the Cubs are second in wRC+ (122), third in home runs (34), and far and away first in RBIs (142) so far. There will likely come a time, though, when some of their hitters cool down, and having a bigger bat at the hot corner will feel necessary. Shaw might come back up in that time and become a more potent offensive force, but there's no guarantee he'll even blossom into a competent hitter this year. Development can take time. Is that the only option to hope for? Will they have to give up prospect capital for a temporary solution?

If the answer to the overall question of a solution at third base is "no," that says nothing good about the team's approach in what is billed as a "win now" season. The hope is that Shaw will take the necessary steps forward, or an unforeseen option will reveal itself, before we have to confront that reality. That answer might not come soon, though.