3 Up, 3 Down: Spring Training Games Are Here

The crack of the bat. The pop of the glove. Boog Sciambi’s pipes quickly replaced by up-and-coming Alex Cohen. Spring baseball is here, and just in time because I was running out of things to be seasonally depressed about. I am Jeff “CandidCubs” Ragauskis. You may have seen my tweets in the Cubs space, or stumbled upon my podcast, Bricks Behind the Ivy.

Now I’m here with Cubs Insider to bring you a new segment called “3 Up, 3 Down.”

The goal?

Each Monday, I will look at three positives and three negatives for our North Siders, while prepping you with information on the coming series and matchups.

Here. We. Go.

The Week Ahead:

The Cubs wrap up February as they get closer to their uniquely early Opening Day on March 18. Games include:

2/24: @ Padres, 2:10 PM CST
2/25: vs. DBacks, 2:05 PM CST
2/26: @ Giants, 2:05 PM CST
2/27: vs. Angels, 2:05 PM CST
2/28: @ Rangers, 2:05 PM CST
3/1: SS: vs Guardians, 2:05 PM CST; SS @ Royals, 7:05 PM CST
3/2: vs Reds, 2:05 CST

3 Up

1.) Games that (don’t) matter

It’s time to get our fandom sea legs back and to see the boys in blue end our long baseball-less drought with four straight wins, especially with two of them coming against the Dodgers. Is it time to fit the squad for Catcus League championship rings? If that’s the case, I will give the way to early spring Cy Young to…

2.) Justin Steele

Craig Counsell insinuated that Steele was “in line” to get the March 19 matchup in Japan vs the Dodgers after naming Shōta Imanaga the Opening Day starter. Steele started against the White Sox and looked great with five strikeouts in two innings. Yes, it was a very light-hitting opponent, but Steele being healthy and in good form will be key to the Cubs’ success.

It helps that the pitching staff has gotten contributions from several prospects, including…

3.) Kevin Alcántara

*SMALL SAMPLE SIZE ALERT*

Alcántara came into Cactus League action as the 90th-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline and has started out hot. In just a few games, he is 5-for-8 with two doubles, three runs, three RBI, and a steal. He is still only 22 years old and has some room to grow. With Iowa likely his destination, the Cubs would like to see him elevate the ball more to improve his 51.4% groundball rate in 2024.

3 Down

1.) Health

Nico Hoerner. Matt Shaw. Owen Caissie. We do not yet have a timetable on game action for Shaw or Hoerner, and Caissie has been completely shut down due to a groin strain. Given the already thin third base situation, getting Shaw healthy should be a top priority. At least they aren’t as bad as…

2.) Prospects received in the Kris Bryant deal

We all remember the dismantling of “The Core” in 2021. It was painful at the time, but the post-Cubs careers of Bryant, Javier Baez, and Anthony Rizzo have proven that it was the correct decision. The Cubs traded Bryant to the Giants for Caleb Kilian and Alexander Canario.

This past week, the Cubs DFA’d Canario to make room on the 40-man for the Justin Turner signing. They mentioned potentially giving reps to Canario this spring at first base, but that seemed too little too late and he remained the odd man out of the outfield mix. If the Cubs had confidence in Canario reducing his 30.3% MiLB K-rate in the majors, they may have played that versatility card last fall. We will see if they work out a trade for him or if he accepts an assignment.

In addition, Kilian has struggled in his short stints. I am not sure if this is as low as…

3.) The 2025 Cubs Payroll

This has been discussed ad nauseam, but I couldn’t help myself. Spend more money, guys.

What were your highs and lows of the week, and are you as happy as I am to have the Cubs back?