Former GM, MLB insider heaps preseason praise on Jed Hoyer and the Cubs

In just over a week, Chicago Cubs pitchers and catchers will have their first official workout in Mesa - and, just like that, spring training begins. There will be plenty of new faces in camp after a busy offseason from president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, who continues to garner plenty of praise for his efforts this winter.

The latest, courtesy of The Athletic's Jim Bowden, comes in the former GM's 2026 MLB report card, which includes offseason grades, takeaways and predictions heading into spring training.

Bowden called the Cubs' winter 'arguably their best offseason' since Hoyer took the reins in Nov. 2020 - and it's hard to disagree with him. Tasked with rebuilding his bullpen from scratch, Hoyer wasted no time bringing in a full assortment of new arms, including the likes of Hoby Milner, Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey and Jacob Webb - not to mention the re-signing of Caleb Thielbar, who turned in a career year with Chicago last season.

Cubs are widely viewed as major winners of the MLB offseason

The two headline-making moves, though, came last month when, in the span of a just days, Hoyer sent top prospect Owen Caissie to the Miami Marlins in exchange for Edward Cabrera, then signing Alex Bregman to the third-largest deal in Cubs franchise history.

Cabrera brings tremendous upside, albeit not without risk, and three years of remaining team control. He'll figure into a rotation mix that includes an embarrassment of depth, including Shota Imanaga (who returned via a qualifying offer), Cade Horton, Matthew Boyd, Jameson Taillon, Colin Rea, Javier Assad, Jaxon Wiggins and Jordan Wicks.

That doesn't even include Justin Steele, who Bowden singled out as his biggest question with this team, wondering what the left-hander will look like upon his return, which is expected sometime in the first half. A healthy and effective Steele could be a real difference-maker for Hoyer's Cubs.

And there's no denying the impact Bregman will have on the clubhouse. A three-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion, the former LSU standout has appeared in the postseason every year dating back to 2017. He understands what it takes to get there and can help the team's young core build on their October experiences from a year ago as they look to take that next step.

Obviously, if you're talking playoffs, you've got to punch your ticket first - and Bowden has the Cubs winning the National League Central for the first time since 2020. Now, I'm not ready to annoint Chicago as the favorites, but this is a roster that certainly looks capable of de-throning the Brewers, who look poised to be a problem for years to come with one of baseball's top farm systems that was only bolstered by this winter's trade of Freddy Peralta.

So, on paper, all good news. This time of year, hope springs eternal - and that's certainly the case in Wrigleyville.