3 Chicago Cubs players who are spending their last Opening Day with the team

Opening Day is here and for the first time since Jed Hoyer took over as President of Baseball Operations, it feels like the Chicago Cubs fielded a roster they knew had the expectation of contending for the National League Central crown.

While some may point to the 2024 season as the one where Hoyer had that expectation, the construction of that roster proved otherwise.

Entering the 2025 season, the arrival of Kyle Tucker signals the Cubs having a win-now seasons. Tucker is a free agent after this season and if the Cubs don't reach the postseason, it could become a significant mark against Hoyer. In part, that is due to Cam Smith already reaching the Major League level with the Houston Astros but it's also predicated on the idea that the Cubs won't be able to sign Tucker to a new contract following this season.

Tucker is where we begin for this exercise.

3 Chicago Cubs players spending their last Opening Day with the team

1. Kyle Tucker, RF

Hand up, I would love for the Cubs to prove me wrong here. The problem is anytime I have begged the Cubs to prove me wrong, their actions send a resounding message that they won't. Or, in the case of Tom Ricketts, his own words.

Hoyer is aware of the fact that Tucker is the type of player the Cubs should want to have for the long-term. Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto would also be characterized as those types of players, and the Cubs willingly avoided their respective sweepstakes. I would like to think that things will be different for Tucker, being that the Cubs already have him, but I've seen this story play out far too many times.

2. Nico Hoerner, 2B

Dating back to the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline, it feels like the Cubs have walked right up to the line of trading Nico Hoerner before ultimately deciding not to. The Cubs were reportedly in talks with the Cleveland Guardians at the deadline last season. The trade would have seen Hoerner dealt to the Guardians for an outfield prospect.

Had Hoerner been healthy this offseason, I'm not so sure that he would be the Cubs' starting second baseman on the eve of Opening Day. If the Cubs are going to avoid the top-of-the-market next offseason in free agency, the team will need to be creative with their trades. That could open the door for Hoerner being moved, either at the Trade Deadline or, more likely, next offseason.

3. Jameson Taillon, SP

Following the 2025 season, Jameson Taillon will have one more year on the four-year contract he signed with the Cubs prior to the 2023 season. Taillon's first season with the Cubs was inconsistent but in 2024, he proved to be a capable middle-of-the-rotation starting pitcher. Doubling back on the Cubs likely searching for creative trades next offseason, moving Taillon could be an option in the right deal. With Ben Brown already in the Major League rotation, and Jordan Wicks and Cade Horton in the waiting at Triple-A Iowa, Taillon could find himself on the trade block if the Cubs are looking for creative ways to change their roster.