Cubs direction under Jed Hoyer feels more optimistic than ever on Opening Day

The 2025 season ended on a sour note for Jed Hoyer and the Chicago Cubs. After the Cubs trended toward being the best team in baseball during the opening months of the season, the Milwaukee Brewers passed them up at the deadline. A moment that the Cubs didn't meet with urgency, considering a newly extended Hoyer scoffed at the asking prices for cost-controlled starting pitchers. By the time the Cubs were eliminated by the Brewers in the NLDS, it was no surprise to anyone.

Kyle Tucker wasn't the impact bat in October that the Cubs expected him to be, Craig Counsell ran out of effective starting pitchers to turn to, and the patched-together bullpen was running on empty. It was a true indictment of how Hoyer elected to construct last season's roster.

Things weren't looking great for Jed Hoyer and the Cubs at the start of the offseason.

There was reason to believe that the Cubs would be dormant during the offseason. The front office showed no inclination to be at the forefront of the bidding for Tucker; there was troubling news for the Marquee Sports Network, and a potential work stoppage in 2027 suggested that Tom Ricketts may handcuff spending capabilities.

It's why, in a stunning turn of events, Hoyer had an aggressive offseason.

The opening months of the winter were spent reconstructing the bullpen, and even in that regard, the Cubs' president of baseball operations was uncharacteristic. Hoyer spent nearly $30 million reconstructing a bullpen that had a free-agent exodus. While Hoyer may not have added an established closer, he added expected results at every level of the bullpen. And, as it turns out, Daniel Palencia may already be the lights-out closer the Cubs would have looked for at the deadline this season.

Alex Bregman, Edward Cabrera mark important shifts for the Cubs moving forward

While reconstructing the bullpen was necessary, the fact that it was the first order of business for Hoyer did him no favors. Cubs fans were anxious. It was clear at the end of the season that a gap remained between the Cubs and where the Brewers were at the top of the division. That reality, being faced with an emphasis on bullpen help, did little to silence the rising doubt of Hoyer.

That took a dramatic turn for the Cubs in January. It started with Hoyer being willing to make a trade with the Miami Marlins that he may not have been willing to do last July. Hoyer offered up a package of prospects headlined by Owen Caissie to the Marlins for Edward Cabrera. Sure, Cabrera is under control for multiple seasons and ascending toward being a top-of-the-rotation pitcher, and those are two reasons why the Cubs were justified in giving up their top prospect in Caissie. But, beyond that, his arrival helps the Cubs avoid the fate they had last October when they ran out of effective starting pitching.

Even after the trade for Cabrera, it felt like there was another shoe to drop. For the Cubs, it was very clear. Alex Bregman. Bregman may not have the on-field talent Tucker has, but the Cubs identified him last year as a player they needed in the clubhouse. Sure, he's an All-Star third baseman on the field, but the Cubs fell in love with the leader he has been throughout his career. Unlike last year, the Cubs stepped outside of their comfort zone this time around, signing Bregman to a $175 million contract that included deferrals. In many ways, it felt like the Cubs were embracing modern spending practices in baseball.

Pete Crow-Armstrong's contract extension gives the Cubs (and Jed Hoyer) an Opening Day feeling they haven't had in a long time

Even with just days before Opening Day, Hoyer had another reminder of the Cubs adapting their ways. Pete Crow-Armstrong signed a contract extension with the Cubs that will take him through his age-30 season. Crow-Armstrong is signed with the Cubs during his formative years, and it points to now being the time to get a deal done.

Crow-Armstrong's contract just heightens the excitement that has surrounded the Cubs ahead of Opening Day.

Now, we've arrived. The Cubs are hosting the Washington Nationals at Wrigley Field, and a new season is upon us. There remains uncertainty about what's ahead for the game of baseball after the 2026 season, but for the Cubs, Hoyer has removed the uncertainty surrounding the direction of the team. The contention window is fully open, and with how Hoyer has trended ahead of Opening Day, the dread that surrounded Cubs baseball at the end of last season should be erased from memory.