Craig Counsell came to the Chicago Cubs from the Milwaukee Brewers with high expectations. Unfortunately for Counsell and the Cubs, those expectations weren’t met in year one. But Counsell didn’t sign a one-year contract, so he has quite a bit of time to right the ship.

Chicago might not have been competitive down the stretch last year, but they still swung a mid-season trade to acquire Tampa Bay Rays infielder Isaac Paredes. Outfielder Cody Bellinger shockingly accepted his player option, opting to return to the Windy City for 2025. There have been rumors that Chicago could explore the idea of trading Bellinger and potentially even second baseman Nico Hoerner.

If the Cubs do everything correctly this offseason, they have the opportunity to build the dream lineup heading into next season. They could put together a lineup that could chase the Brewers down and win the NL Central next season.

What would the Cubs dream Opening Day lineup look like for 2025?

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Cubs win Pete Alonso sweepstakes with massive contract offer

The biggest move that Chicago could make this offseason would be to add the second-best position player in free agency: Pete Alonso. Some argue that the Cubs don’t need a first baseman as they have Michael Busch and Isaac Paredes at first and third base. But it’s Pete Alonso. He’s the kind of talent that you sign if you can no matter who you have at first base. If the Cubs can acquire Alonso, they can slot Busch in as the DH and rotate him and Alonso at first base to keep their bodies fresh.

Alonso is a real threat to slug 40 home runs each and every year. He would provide a level of slugging that hasn’t been seen at the level that he does it consistently in quite some time. Alonso was a trade target for Chicago throughout the 2024 season, but the New York Mets held onto him. Now that he’s a free agent, the Cubs have their chance to throw him a massive contract to bring his slugging to Wrigley Field for the next five or six seasons.

The Cubs have a predicament in their infield right now. They have Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner, Paredes and Busch across the infield, but they also have a top prospect sitting in the minor leagues who deserves a shot in Chicago.

Matt Shaw is the Cubs top prospect. He slashed .284/.379/.488 last season split between Double-A and Triple-A. At the Triple-A level, he slashed a ridiculous line of .298/.395/.534 in 35 games. There’s nothing left for Shaw to prove in the minor leagues. He’s supposed to be great and he’s been exactly that. But the Cubs don’t have a path to consistent playing time for the young infielder.

The solution to this issue is simple. Trade Nico Hoerner. Hoerner could be moved for more than his true value this offseason because of how scarce the talent is in the infield in free agency. Cubs fans would be in a much better spot if Hoerner was moved, and their highly regarded top prospect took his place for the next five or six seasons at the least.

Pete Crow-Armstrong moves to leadoff and Chicago holds onto Cody Bellinger

Rumors have already begun swirling that the Cubs could trade their star outfielder Cody Bellinger, but it really doesn’t make too much sense. Chicago has the ability to sign Pete Alonso, rotate Alonso and Busch at first base and DH while moving Bellinger into the outfield full-time. There’s almost no reason to trade Bellinger if they’re looking to win now, so the dream lineup would have the Cubs holding onto him.

Besides Bellinger, the Cubs top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong will move up to the leadoff spot and hopefully stick there. There are some very high hopes for the player that Crow-Armstrong can be, but he hasn’t quite gotten there yet. With his otherworldly speed, all he needs to do is get on base at a .350 clip and he would be the perfect leadoff hitter for the Cubs team in this dream scenario.