"We have a really good group of guys. It's time for us to put that on the field and make a run in the playoffs," Jameson Taillon said.

The Chicago Cubs have hyper-focused on depth this offseason. Specifically, they’ve pursued pitching depth. Last season, the front office came under fire after the full-on collapse of the bullpen put the team in a hole from which they couldn’t emerge.

Staging Opening Day in Japan speeds up some personnel decisions that can typically wait until the end of March.