Al Yellon created Bleed Cubbie Blue and has been its managing editor since 2005. His latest book about the Cubs is "Chicago Cubs Firsts." Find him on Bluesky at @bleedcubbieblue.bsky.social
The Cubs went 9-6 against AL West teams last year, including an unlikely sweep of the Astros at Wrigley Field. Houston went on to win the division, but this year... might be different.
Houston Astros
Key departures: Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Kendall Graveman, Jason Heyward, Yusei Kikuchi, Hector Neris, Justin Verlander, Omar Narvaez, Ryan Pressly
Key arrivals: Hayden Wesneski, Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker, Luis Guillorme
So let’s see.