After having the shortest offseason in baseball, the Cubs look to take their season into late October once again and repeat as World Series champions for their first time since the 1907 and 1908 seasons. The Cubs, of course, still have the star power that makes them the early favorites to be crowned champions this season, but 162 + games have to happen before that.

The Cubs’ roster is full of familiar faces and some new ones as the 2017 season begins, which begs the question: Will the Cubs be back on top of baseball for the second straight year? In late October we will figure that out, but for now here are the things you need to know about the 2017 Cubs and their quest to becoming a dynasty.

First things first, what happened in the offseason to the Cubs? There was a lot of celebrating, yes, David Ross retired, and there were the always important winter meetings, the most stressful time for baseball GM’s. In comparison to the Cubs’ rivals on the south side, the Cubs didn’t have as many changes to their roster, but they did lose and gain some key players. The biggest moves that affected the Cubs was All-Star outfielder Dexter Fowler leaving to go to St. Louis and Cubs closer Aroldis Chapman heading to New York to join the Yankees roster, but it didn’t take the Cubs long to fill those positions once again with loads of talent.

Wade Davis, formerly of the Kansas City Royals, will now be the main closer for the Cubs. Davis was with the Royals when they won the World Series back in 2015, so the postseason won’t be anything new for the All-Star. The Cubs also added Jon Jay to their roster. Jay played six years with the St. Louis Cardinals and played last year with the Padres as an outfielder. Other important things to know is that Jorge Soler and Jason Hammel, who was a part of the Cubs’ rotation for part of the season, packed their bags and headed to Kansas City to play with the Royals. The Cubs haven’t changed a whole lot in the grand scheme of things as their core infield still remains, so there will be some new faces, but you will mainly see the same guys that won the World Series for the Cubs last year.

One of the biggest components–if not the biggest in baseball–is pitching. If pitchers are dealing and only allowing one to two runs a game, the team will probably win, especially if the team has as powerful of an offense as the Cubs do. The Cubs have one of the best pitching rosters in the majors. To put it into perspective, the final man at the end of the Cubs’ pitching rotation could in fact be the ace of a struggling team like the Atlanta Braves or the Cincinnati Reds. The rotation is very similar to last years, but does include one new arm. Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, John Lackey and Kyle Hendricks will start once again for the Cubs, but to complete the rotation Joe Maddon and Chris Bosio will add Brett Anderson, the 6’ 3” left hander who was formerly with the Dodgers. In the past, Maddon and Bosio have tooled around with that fifth spot in the starting rotation once using Jason Hammel and also periodically implementing Mike Montgomery, so Brett Anderson will definitely be a player to watch this season.

The Cubs’ bullpen has also changed quite a bit since last season. The spotlight has been on the closing position throughout the offseason, especially after the Cubs announced that Aroldis Chapman was out and Wade Davis was in, but that wasn’t the only change they made. Koji Uehara signed with the Cubs to a one year, $6 million deal. Uehara, who was previously with the Boston Red Sox, was one of, if not the best pitcher in their bullpen when they won the World Series in 2013. Like Wade Davis, he has some World Series experience. Besides the Cubs’ two new additions, their bullpen is mapping out to seem quite similar to last season’s, but make sure to keep your eye on Davis and Uehara.

Even though the Cubs pitching staff is stacked, they can’t play defense on their own. In the first half of the Cubs’ 2016 season, their infield featured All-Star and NL MVP Kris Bryant, All-Star Addison Russell, All-Star Ben Zobrist, and All-Star Anthony Rizzo. Notice a pattern here? The entire starting infield for the Cubs represented the National League in the Major League Baseball All-Star game. After the first half of the season concluded, Joe Maddon decided to change things up. He moved Ben Zobrist to the outfield while Javier Baez took over the second base position. Baez made highlight reel plays on what seemed to be a daily basis and tore it up at the plate. This March, Javier Baez picked up where he left off in the World Baseball Classic, where he helped lead his home country to the WBC championship game. If the entire Cubs infield doesn’t make it to the All Star Game for the second straight year, I will be shocked. If a batter is able to make contact and somehow get the ball passed the Cubs infield, their outfield boasts supreme talent as well.

The Cubs’ outfield is up there as one of the best in baseball, but it will look different than last season. The Cubs have six outfielders that Joe Maddon could use, and don’t be surprised if he changes up the look of his outfield on a daily basis. Kyle Schwarber, Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist, Albert Almora Jr., Jon Jay, and Matt Szczur are the options Maddon has, but he will use some more than others. Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist will almost always be in the outfield at some point in the given game, while that final spot will be up for grabs. Kyle Schwarber is not the best defensive outfielder of the three, but he has the best bat by a long shot. As long as Schwarber continues to produce at the plate, he will most likely start most of the games, but what if Kyle Schwarber goes into a slump? Well, Joe Maddon still has two more options. Maddon could go with Albert Almora Jr. or he could use the new guy, Jon Jay. Almora was with the Cubs last year, but didn’t get a whole lot of playing time. The 22 year old has a lot of potential and if he’s given the chance, he could become one of the Cubs’ most reliable tools. Finally, there is Jon Jay. This season marks his 8th year playing in the majors, six of which he spent with the Cubs’ division rival, the St Louis Cardinals. Jay has always been known for his terrific mitt in the outfield, but his batting improve. If Jay can continue to be strong in the outfield while hitting over .300 at the plate, I can see him starting many games with the Cubs and perhaps spelling Schwarber for defensive purposes in the late innings, but as of now he may be riding the pine a little more than Schwarber and Almora.

Strong defense + strong offense = abundant sightings of the “W” flag. The Cubs offense has everything. It has power hitters, men who frequently get on base, and speedy runners who always make getting an out tough for the opposing team. Of course, with the departure of Dexter Fowler last year there was a lot of speculation as to who the Cubs’ new leadoff man would be. Currently, it seems like Kyle Schwarber will be the leadoff man for the Cubbies. In 2015, he hit under .250 and mostly hit for power instead of just getting on base. Of course, with his injury last year Schwarber only played a handful of games prior to his revisitation to the lineup in the postseason, so his production this year will definitely be something to keep an eye on. Otherwise, the Cubs’ lineup this year will look similar to the likes of last year’s during the World Series. 

The North Siders have the chance to do something that they haven’t done since the early 20th century: repeat as back to back World Series champions. The road to the championship begins now and clearly the Cubs have the talent to get back and make history once again. After every week of baseball check in with The Forest Scout to read the Cubs weekly wrap up. Baseball is back and it’s the beginning of something magnificent for the Chicago Cubs.