Fantasy Baseball: Cubs' offense is red hot and includes one of the week's top hitters to add
There's one MLB club outscoring everyone else right now, and it's by a wide margin. And it's not the Yankees or the Dodgers, it's not the Mets or the Padres. It's not the Red Sox. It's not even the perennially-underrated Diamondbacks, who quietly led the majors in scoring last year.
Meet the 2025 Chicago Cubs. Offense as it oughta be.
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Okay, it's been just 18 games and they have a few games in hand over most teams because of the two-game opening series in Japan, we get it. But the Cubs are 21 runs ahead of the No. 2 offense (Yankees), and it's been a variety of things working. The Cubs have the sixth-best average (.256), the fourth-best OBP (.348) and the third-best slugging (.439). They can whack the ball over the fence (25 homers, fourth) and they'll take a base when they want it (26 steals, first, and caught just twice).
This is a lineup to get excited about.
Skeptics might point to some outliers coming down. Kyle Tucker is a star, but nobody keeps a 214 OPS+ all season. Seiya Suzuki is outperforming expectations (.292/.390/.538). Michael Busch has been terrific (.315/.393/.593) at first base.
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But there are plenty of proven players who should pick up from slow stats, too. Dansby Swanson is at .188. Ian Happ has a 73 OPS+. Pete Crow-Armstrong just hit his first two homers of the year Sunday.
What's exciting about this group is that most of the players get on base and most of the players have some combo of power and speed. Happ perfectly symbolizes what this offense is about. So what if he's batted .243 and .248 the last two years? He has a plus walk rate, he conks 20-25 homers a year, he's usually good for double-digit stolen bases. The perfect triggerman for this efficient offense.
If Chicago is going to stay on top of the NL Central, the offense needs to keep humming. Star left-hander Justin Steele (elbow) is out for the year. Shota Imanaga and Matthew Boyd have pitched well; Ben Brown and Jameson Taillon have not. The bullpen has a 4.28 ERA. Settle in for some scoring days at Wrigley Field.
Because it's always fun to look at team leaderboards, we'll knock off some other surprising things before we get to the hitter pickups. The Angels, of all teams, lead everyone with 30 home runs. The Red Sox, Padres and Mariners all have 23 stolen bases, nipping at Chicago's heels (a near-week without Oneil Cruz pushed the running Pirates back). The Padres have the highest average (.283), followed by the Cardinals (.280). St. Louis has the best OBP (.350).
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Not everything is surprising, of course. The Yankees still rule the world in slugging and OPS, by a healthy margin. Damn the torpedoes.
Let's work the waiver wire.
Michael Busch, 1B, Cubs (35% rostered)
He'll sit against left-handers but so long as he keeps crushing righties, no one will care. Busch collected six hits and two homers in the final two games of the Chavez Ravine series, and the Cubs face eight straight right-handed opponents over the next week and change. Giddy up.
Sean Murphy, C, Braves (37% rostered)
He's had rotten injury luck since the beginning of the 2024 season but perhaps the fantasy gods are ready to cut him a break. Murphy already has three homers since rejoining the Atlanta lineup about a week ago, and he graded as the C9 back in 2023 despite a modest 108 games played. There's still plenty of upside to this Atlanta offense.
Zach McKinstry, 2B/3B/SS/OF, Tigers (37% rostered)
We always like to provide you with a Swiss-Army knife, someone who can grab multiple positions (McKinstry qualifies at four) and chip in with production. McKinstry is playing over his head with an early .298/.382/.447 slash, but his walk skills and decent wheels will give him occasional run at the top of the Detroit order. If you have daily transactions, he can be a useful player.
Jorge Polanco, 2B/3B, Mariners (22% rostered)
I'm not sure what to make of Polanco, who's limited to DH duties (he's dealing with side soreness) and isn't batting right-handed yet. But when he's been in the lineup, the numbers are a smash (.378 average, three homers, one steal). He had a 33-homer season just four years ago in Minnesota and this is merely his age-31 campaign. Maybe there's some plausible upside here.
Ty France, 1B, Twins (7%)
For about three years France was a staple of the Seattle lineup, making the All-Star team in 2022. He dipped back to a league-average hitter in 2023, and last year he never got things going in Seattle or Cincinnati. Maybe the move to Minnesota has sparked something because his contact rate has been excellent and he's off to a .298/.355/.456 push with a couple of homers. He's also started 15-of-16 games; manager Rocco Baldelli believes in him. This could be a nifty comeback for a professional hitter who's still just 30.
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Chase Meidroth, 2B/SS/3B, White Sox (5%)
Power will never be Meidroth's game, but he offers elite pitch recognition skills and will get on base easily. Note the .293/.437/.401 slash he carried at Triple-A last year, or the three-walk debut he posted against his former Boston club on Friday. Meidroth could help fantasy managers in average and steals, and although Chicago is currently using him in the lower half of the lineup, he has the skill set to potentially bat leadoff at some point this year.
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