Ranking the 3 most valuable Cubs players in terms of their value heading into 2025

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The Chicago Cubs get a glimpse of a World Series favorite this week in Philadelphia before closing out the season at Wrigley Field against a lowly Cincinnati Reds team that heads into the offseason with a major question to answer.

Craig Counsell dropped the hammer on the organization in a not-so-subtle way recently, pushing everyone involved to set their sights higher than just being in the wild-card hunt moving forward. The pressure is ratcheted up on Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, who will have to show a willingness to get creative and take some risks if he's going to build a legitimate contender.

But even with new additions a given, we're going to see a lot of familiar faces come Opening Day 2025. Here are the three Cubs players who could make the biggest difference for the team next season.

3. Shota Imanaga set the bar unimaginably high in his rookie campaign

To say Hoyer and the Cubs hit on their free-agent signing of Shota Imanaga is a massive understatement. The Japanese left-hander has dazzled, single-handedly keeping this team relevant deep into the summer, with Chicago going 23-6 in his starts heading into the final week of the season.

Expecting him to match what he's done this year (2.91 ERA in 173.1 IP with one start left) is a lofty ask of the 31-year-old. He'll play a critical role in the starting rotation next year, but Hoyer should target a legitimate front-of-the-rotation arm to slot in alongside Imanaga and Justin Steele. They might not be in the market for Corbin Burnes, but that doesn't mean there aren't options out there.

If Imanaga manages to replicate his rookie season success, the Cubs will have struck gold in this signing. Heading into 2025 expecting at least a touch of regression isn't a knock on the southpaw; he'll be a key piece of the puzzle, but given the team's offensive ups and downs this year, two other players will be even more critical.

2. Michael Busch checked every box, emerged as a first base answer

Similar to Imanaga, the addition of Michael Busch looks better than ever with only days left in the 2024 campaign. Acquired from the Dodgers on the eve of Cubs Convention back in January, the former top prospect has blossomed on the North Side, giving the team its first legitimate first baseman since Anthony Rizzo.

Entering this week's matchup with the Phillies, Busch had already set a new Cubs rookie first basemaen home run record and was a 3.0 bWAR player, according to Baseball Reference. He overcame early-season defensive struggles at first to become a Gold Glove-caliber defender and figures to be a must-watch player next spring.

The only reason Busch isn't the top name on this list is he's, more or less, shown us what he is and what to expect consistently all year long. He's a legitimate defender with 25-30+ homer power who is capable of riding the waves a 162-game season brings. There could be more to his game as he settles in as a big-leaguer, but even if there isn't, there's a lot to like already.

1. Cubs are desperately hoping this is the real Pete Crow-Armstrong

Pete Crow-Armstrong has been on an insane heater over the last six-plus weeks, not only playing the elite center field defense we've come to know and love, but carrying the team offensively, as well.

Dating back to Aug. 9, the Cubs rookie is slashing .296/.354/.508 - raising his OPS+ on the year to 91, which is more than respectable given his defensive prowess. The big question 2025 will answer is whether or not this is what we can expect from Crow-Armstrong moving forward or if it'll be more of a middle-ground between this recent stretch and what we saw earlier in the year.

If this is the new 'normal' for PCA, the Cubs have one of the best outfielders in all of Major League Baseball. Regardless of whether or not Cody Bellinger is back next year, Crow-Armstrong is the Opening Day starting center fielder - if he can replicate his late-season production over the course of 162 games, this could be a lineup far more steady than the one we saw this year.

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3. Shota Imanaga set the bar unimaginably high in his rookie campaign

2. Michael Busch checked every box, emerged as a first base answer

1. Cubs are desperately hoping this is the real Pete Crow-Armstrong

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