MLB insiders rank the Cubs as one of the NL's most improved clubs

This time next week, spring training games will be underway and all will be right with the world. It certainly helps that temperatures in the Chicagoland area are set to push 60 degrees Sunday afternoon (and that I fly to Florida for work this week) - but the buzz is certainly in the air.

On the heels of an offseason highlighted by an Alex Bregman signing, Edward Cabrera trade and the return of Shota Imanaga via the qualifying offer, there's an excitement in Cubs camp that's evident to everyone in attendance.

“There’s unfinished business,” Jed Hoyer told reporters last week in Arizona. “In a lot of ways, that’s the best kind of spring training when there’s hunger. So I think the expectations don’t create anxiety, they create hunger with this group, and this group’s excited to get started.”

Last season, Chicago won 92 games - its highest total since 2018 - and took the NLDS to the final game before bowing out to the Milwaukee Brewers, who captured the NL Central crown thanks to a historic 26-4 run over a 30-game stretch in the second half. While a return to the postseason was a big step forward, the goal in 2026 is a World Series championship, plain and simple.

MLB insiders love the Mets, Dodgers and Cubs' offseason moves

In a recent poll of MLB insiders at The Athletic (subscription required), the Cubs were noted as one of the most improved teams in the Senior Circuit, but actually fell well shy of both the back-to-back reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers and Steve Cohen's New York Mets.

The Dodgers cemented their place as baseball's anti-hero, especially ahead of what's expected to be particularly contentious CBA talks next winter, signing Kyle Tucker to a four-year, $240 million deal - setting a new all-time AAV high-water mark on a player who was a near-non-factor for the Cubs down the stretch last year. Throw in the signing of Edwin Diaz and it's hard not to at least appreciate how good this team could be again.

Meanwhile, the Mets shook the roster up like a snow globe, parting ways with Diaz, face of the franchise Pete Alonso, veteran outfielder Brandon Nimmo and former batting champ Jeff McNeil. New faces include Freddy Peralta, Bo Bichette, Marcus Semien, Jorge Polanco, Luis Robert Jr., Devin Williams and Luke Weaver.

New York edged Los Angeles in the voting - and that makes sense given the sheer volume of turnover on the roster. But slotted in just behind them are the Cubs and, given the Mets won just 83 games last year in a disappointing showing, they needed more improvement than Chicago if they want to be relevant come next fall.

The big takeaway? It's all eyes on the big market clubs in the National League and high hopes are running rampant in LA, Chicago and New York.