Sportscaster shares feelings on Cubs' Tokyo Series potential with Kyle Tucker, Ryan Pressly additions

Unlike the LA Dodgers who dominated the offseason using free agency, the Chicago Cubs bolstered their roster via trade. While they let go of Cody Bellinger to the Yankees, they replaced, or better say, upgraded him with the addition of Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly from the Houston Astros in two separate trades.

Outfielder Tucker landed in Chicago, and, for that, the Cubs traded away third baseman Isaac Paredes, right-hander Hayden Wesneski and MLB Pipeline’s No. 73 overall prospect, third baseman Cam Smith. Meanwhile, reliever Pressly came along with $5 million cash considerations from Houston for Minor League right-hander Juan Bello.

On Monday, sportscaster Taylor McGregor expressed confidence in the Cubs' potential this season. Reflecting on her time covering the Cubs since 2020, she emphasized that this is the best version of the team she has seen during his tenure.

"I think you look at bringing in Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly, and you could list some other moves as well," McGregor said. "It was an indication to players — hey, we really want to try to go for this, win the National League Central, and get into the playoffs. Because that’s where the Chicago Cubs belong, and so the players have bought into that and they’re really excited.

"They think they have a really, really good group. It’s a group that’s bonded. You have some veterans, some young players, and I think it’s a good group to get this season rolling. So, these couple of games against the Dodgers will certainly be a good litmus test."

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Cubs start their 2025 campaign in Game 1 of Tokyo Series vs Dodgers

Left-handed Shota Imanaga will have the ball in hand as he will start MLB regular season opener in Game 1 of the Tokyo Series against the Dodgers. Yoshinobu Yamamoto will rival him in the other half of the inning.

The only regular player who will miss the series will be Nico Hoerner, who's out since undergoing surgery in October. The likes of Ian Happ, Kyle Tucker, Seiya Suzuki, Dansby Swanson and other stars will have to take the mantle of hitting and put up enough runs on board to restrict Dodgers from winning.

The two games in this series will be played on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Cubs enter the season with high hopes of returning to the postseason after four years. They last played in October in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, where they went 34-26 in the regular season.