By Tom Golon ‘22

With the MLB lockout officially coming to an end, Opening Day is scheduled for Apr. 9. The Cubs will open up at home against the Milwaukee Brewers.

There are many uncertainties within the Cubs roster and I am very excited to see how it will play out. Manager David Ross signed a 3-year extension securing him until 2024.

“I don’t think Ross is the man for the job,” said Ray Barkmeier ‘22. He has yet to show Chicago what he is all about; one year is not enough to determine whether he deserves the job.

Cubs fans are still recovering from the loss of the powerhouse trio of Javy Baez, Anthony Rizzo, and Kris Bryant.

“I cannot imagine what the front office was thinking when they made these trades,” said Joe Ternes ‘22.

It was truly heartbreaking to lose 3 of the team’s best players over the span of one week. These studs led the Cubs to their first World Series in 108 years and the fans will never forget them.

The Cubs will look to rally behind rising star, Patrick Wisdom, who led all rookies in home runs after playing for only half the season.

“Watch out for Pwizzy this season, he’s a dog,” said Jim Hogan ‘22.

As well as a seasoned veteran in Wilson, Contreras who is one of the few remaining members of the 2016 World Series team. Players like Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner, and Jason Heyward will also return looking to make an impact.

The Cubs bullpen is clearly the weak spot of the team, as it has been for years. They always seem to land closer, but it never seems to work out. Luckily they did manage to hold onto their ace, Kyle Hendricks, who plans to continue his success this season.

The rivalry between the Cubs and White Sox is hitting a peak right now as the White Sox actually have a good team for the first time since the early 2000s. As a Cubs fan it is tough to see your rival outplaying you. The Sox have talent, but I truly don’t think they have what it takes to go all of the way. Abreu has maybe 4 seasons left and the departure of Rodon will hurt their rotation big time.