National MLB insider gives Cubs' offseason moves, Jed Hoyer a glowing review

With a month or so until Chicago Cubs pitchers and catchers report to the team's spring training complex in Arizona, there's still work to be done. Even so, the moves Jed Hoyer and the front office have made to this point drew high praise from The Athletic's Jim Bowden (subscription required) in his latest piece doling out offseason grades to all 30 MLB teams.

Bowden raves about Chicago's offseason one week shy of Cubs Convention, highlighting the blockbuster trade for Kyle Tucker, the early offseason signing of Matthew Boyd and other moves like the Eli Morgan acquisition and Carson Kelly signing - and giving the team an A- grade. The one question he rightly raises concerns the quality of arms in the bullpen, but that's an area we know the Cubs are still actively looking to upgrade.

Fangraphs' ZiPS projections are wildly bullish on the position player mix, but has very real concerns about the pitching staff. Even internally, the Cubs are braced for some regression from the arms after Wrigley Field played extraordinarily pitcher-friendly in 2024; between those concerns and safe-guarding against injuries, arms will be the team's primary focus for the rest of the offseason.

Tucker represents a massive upgrade in right field - and it's not hard to make the case he's the most talented position player the Cubs have had since peak Kris Bryant nearly a decade ago. That addition slides Seiya Suzuki to a full-time DH role that he's reportedly less than thrilled with, but that he thrived in late last season.

It's too soon to tell what Boyd will mean to this team. He hasn't thrown 100 innings since 2019 and, while very impressive down the stretch and in the postseason, it's too soon to tell what kind of impact he'll make on the Cubs' starting rotation. There's decent depth behind him in the form of guys like Ben Brown and Jordan Wicks.

The signing of Kelly wasn't sexy by any stretch, but it might end up being one of the most prudent moves Hoyer makes this offseason. Addressing the huge question marks behind the plate was a must heading into the winter and, in Kelly, the Cubs get a respected game-caller capable of platooning with Miguel Amaya and handle the pitching staff well.

No one is disputing Bowden's claim that the bullpen could be further improved - and the hope is there's more to come there. But Hoyer has shored up some major areas of concern and if he can round out the relievers mix and bolster the bench, he'll have the Cubs poised to punch a postseason ticket in 2025.