Early preseason futures odds bring a lot of mixed emotions for Cubs fans

There’s always a turning point in the offseason when baseball withdrawals hit hardest. The hot stove burns like a candle dimly flickering toward the end of its wick. Many free agents remain unsigned. Potential trade rumors seemingly linger for weeks on end. However, the start of the season truly is right around the corner. We’re starting to see players training on social media. Pitchers and catchers report, followed soon after by full-team workouts in Arizona next month. And alongside the 2025 Cubs Convention this weekend, digging in on futures at sportsbooks always helps fill the void.

Taking a look at the early odds posted by FanDuel Sportsbook, there are plenty of reasons to get excited about the outlook of the 2025 campaign. The beloved Cubs are currently favored to win the NL Central, despite the desire to add more key pieces to the squad.

2025 NL Central Division Winner:

• Chicago Cubs +110
• Milwaukee Brewers +240
• Cincinnati Reds +500
• Pittsburgh Pirates +900
• St. Louis Cardinals +900

When matched with other divisions, these odds make it seem like everyone has a realistic shot but also that it isn’t a dead heat at the top either. That’s not to say that it’s anywhere remotely close to shaking out this way. Teams come out of the gate eager to make a statement and others sit back and falter thinking they have a chip on their shoulder. A glance at win totals takes this projection a little deeper.

Regular Season Wins 2025

• Cubs: over/under 85.5 wins
• Brewers over/under 82.5 wins
• Reds over/under 78.5 wins
• Pirates over/under 76.5 wins
• Cardinals over/under 75.5 wins

Top to bottom, the entire division is within just 10 games of each other and predicting a division winner to end the season with just 86 or so wins is nothing to write home about. But it is refreshing to see the Cubs out ahead of the pack despite some potential flaws.

The Dodgers expectedly blow the rest of the league out of the water at 103.5 wins. The Braves and Yankees sit at 93.5 wins. To see where the Cubs sit with the rest of the NL, the Mets (91.5), Phillies (91.5) and Padres (89.5) sit higher. The North Siders are right on par with the Diamondbacks, Giants, Astros and Mariners.

The pennant chase is not a close one but again, anything can happen. The Dodgers are favored by a considerable margin.

National League Pennant Winner 2025

• Dodgers +180
• Braves +490
• Mets +550
• Phillies +550
• Padres +900
• Cubs +1400
• D-Backs +1500

Much of the same is duplicated in the overall World Series prices. Dodgers sit on top above the Yankees for this honor and then the rest of the league falls off precipitously. The Cubs are 11th in this regard at +2800.

The futures being posted don’t just end at the team level. We are already starting to see odds coming out for many awards as well. Namely, new Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker rounds out the top 5 for NL MVP voting.

National League MVP 2025

• Ohtani +180
• Soto +550
• Tatís Jr. +800
• Betts +1100
• Tucker +1200
• Acuña Jr. +1500
• Harper +1600

Seeing Tucker on this list just goes to show the immediate impact his bat will have on a lineup that finished 21st in home runs and 17th in slugging a season ago. It’s refreshing to see a Cub have a remote shot at an MVP, something they haven’t even sniffed since Báez finished second in 2018. Only Cody Bellinger finished in the top 10 since then, back in 2023. Seiya Suzuki is also available to take at +10000. Tucker’s over/under home prop is currently set at 29.5.

As for the Cy Young odds, Shota Imanaga and Justin Steele are considered longshots, currently posted at +3000 and +3500, respectively. Paul Skenes is heavily favored at +240. Individual pitcher season strikeout props have also slowly trickled out over the course of the week. No Cub is currently listed.