3 Cubs Storylines to Watch in the Final Week Before Opening Day

Venezuela defeated Team USA 3-2 on Monday night in Miami to win the World Baseball Classic, and somewhere in the middle of that championship game — while Daniel Palencia was retiring the side in the ninth to clinch Venezuela's first-ever WBC title — Shota Imanaga was putting on the best pitching performance of his spring at Sloan Park against the Angels. It was that kind of night for the Cubs. Big things happening in two places at once, with eight days until it all actually matters.

The Cactus League is winding down. The WBC rosters are disbanding. Players are flying back to Mesa, packing up their spring things, and getting mentally ready for the first real game of 2026. A lot has happened since our last spring training check-in six days ago. Here are the three storylines that will dominate Cubs coverage between now and March 26.

1. Can Taillon Right the Ship in Time?

There is no more urgent question in Cubs camp right now. Jameson Taillon has been a disaster this spring — and "disaster" is not hyperbole. Through four Cactus League starts, he has a 22.18 ERA, has allowed 23 earned runs in 9.1 innings, surrendered eight home runs, and is walking batters at a rate that would concern any pitching staff. His velocity is down. His movement is down. His most recent start, against the Dodgers on March 15, was so bad that Taillon himself called it "uncompetitive."

He didn't hide from it. Speaking to The Athletic's Patrick Mooney, Taillon was unusually candid: "If I just sat here and told you I don't care, I'd be lying straight to your face." He identified mechanical issues — backside connection, lower half usage — and acknowledged the mental component is compounding the physical problem. When you've thrown a few bad ones in a row, getting clean in your head during a spring start is not easy. "Right now, I'm kind of all over the place," he said.

Manager Craig Counsell has stayed publicly patient: "A fly-ball pitcher is going to be a fly-ball pitcher. Taillon's going to start games for us." But there's a notable tension in that framing. Counsell praised the rotation as a whole — Horton in his second year, Imanaga when he's right, "Jaimo being the constant veteran" — and the depth behind them. That word "depth" is doing a lot of work right now. Ben Brown has been one of the more impressive arms in camp this spring and is generating real conversation as a potential rotation alternative if Taillon can't find it in the final week.

The context that should bring some comfort: Taillon's 2025 finish was genuinely excellent. He posted a 1.57 ERA over 34.1 innings after returning from the IL in August and was solid in the postseason. The track record over the last eight months says he can pitch. The spring stats say something is currently broken. He almost certainly gets at least one more start before Opening Day to prove he belongs in the rotation at Wrigley on March 26 — and with the Nationals on the schedule, there's no reason to pull the plug before seeing if the regular season fixes what spring training broke.

2. Seiya Suzuki's Knee: How Long Are We Actually Talking?

The news broke on Monday: Suzuki injured his right knee during Japan's WBC run and was diagnosed with a sprain of the posterior cruciate ligament. The initial report caused some confusion — the Cubs first said "strain," then corrected to "sprain" — and that distinction matters. A sprain is a ligament injury. A strain is a tendon or muscle injury. North Side Baseball's Matthew Trueblood wrote a thorough explainer on the difference and offered some measured reassurance: mild PCL sprains in baseball players are typically manageable, especially when no traumatic collision is involved. Suzuki's wasn't — the injury happened when he slid headfirst into second base trying to steal in the first inning of Japan's quarterfinal loss to Venezuela.

Counsell called the MRI results "good news" and described the injury as "minor in nature." Suzuki has been cleared for light baseball activities and will be evaluated through the weekend, with the Cubs planning to make a call on his Opening Day status by Saturday. Suzuki himself was measured but optimistic: "Wanting to play, but you don't want to rush it so I think for me, it's important to take my time and make sure it's completely healthy, and then go from there. But compared to a few days ago, every day it's getting better. So I'm very optimistic."

If Suzuki can't go on Opening Day, Counsell has confirmed that Matt Shaw is the primary right field option. Shaw — displaced from his regular third base job by the Bregman signing — has been working outfield reps all spring in preparation for a super-utility role, logging six spring games in right field alone. He's hitting .361/.955 OPS in Cactus League action and has shown enough versatility that Counsell isn't scrambling for a solution. Michael Conforto and Dylan Carlson round out the depth picture, both in camp as non-roster invites. The Cubs are well-covered for a short absence. A long one is another conversation.

Counsell was candid about the uncertainty: "Seiya's news made it more unclear. We're going to give it some time here." Saturday's decision will likely mean either a clean bill of health or a backdated IL stint designed to buy a few extra days without costing Suzuki regular season games. Either way, the clock is running.

3. Palencia Got the Biggest Out in Venezuela's History. He's Your Closer.

In the bottom of the ninth of the WBC Final on Monday night, with Venezuela clinging to a 3-2 lead over Team USA, Daniel Palencia walked to the mound in Miami. He needed three outs to win Venezuela its first World Baseball Classic title. What followed was as clean a save as you'll ever see: he sat Team USA down 1-2-3, struck out two, and closed out the championship.

That was the finale. The arc leading up to it was just as impressive. Across five WBC appearances, Palencia did not allow a single hit and posted five scoreless innings. He struck out Sosuke Genda, Kensuke Kondoh, and — in the moment that will live in Venezuelan baseball history — got Shohei Ohtani to fly out to end Japan's semifinal run and end their WBC title defense. Venezuela manager Omar López used him exclusively in save situations and kept his pitch counts in the low-to-mid teens, protecting the Cubs' investment throughout.

He returns to Sloan Park in the best possible headspace: a WBC champion, the hero of a nation, and the guy who just proved he can handle pressure on the biggest stage in international baseball. Craig Counsell named him the Cubs' closer back on February 11, and nobody was questioning it then. Nobody is questioning it now.

The real question heading into 2026 isn't whether Palencia can close — it's whether the setup corps in front of him is reliable enough to hand him leads. Hunter Harvey, Phil Maton, and Hoby Milner will need to form a functional bridge from the starter through the seventh and eighth innings. Porter Hodge is still on the Opening Day IL with a flexor tendon strain. Jordan Wicks is also on the IL. The back of the bullpen has a championship-caliber closer. The middle innings are a legitimate concern.

Also Worth Noting Before Opening Day

On Monday night at Sloan Park, Imanaga was putting together the best outing of his spring against the Angels. He went four innings, allowed one hit (a Jeimer Candelario leadoff homer in the fifth), struck out eight, and generated 23 whiffs — the most by any pitcher in the Cactus League this spring. He struck out the side in the first inning, all swinging. The velocity and movement that have been encouraging all spring were finally paired with sustained command through multiple innings. He allowed a home run again, which is the ongoing footnote on his spring, but the 8 K performance was a genuine reason for optimism heading into Opening Day.

In that same game, Moises Ballesteros hit two home runs to center field. Both were oppo-field power shots, exactly the kind of over-the-fence production the Cubs were hoping his Driveline offseason work would unlock. He's 22 years old and hitting .357 with six RBI in a limited Cactus League sample. With Suzuki's knee situation still being evaluated, having a catcher/DH who can hit like this becomes even more valuable. Ballesteros may be the most quietly important development story in Cubs camp right now.

Eight days. One more week of spring baseball, a few more roster decisions, and then the Nationals at Wrigley on a Thursday afternoon in late March. The Cubs have a legitimate World Series roster when everyone is healthy. Right now, "when everyone is healthy" is doing some heavy lifting. Taillon needs one clean start. Suzuki needs to clear the medical staff. The bullpen depth needs to hold. If those three things resolve even partially before Opening Day, this team is exactly as dangerous as advertised.

📅 Today's game: The Cubs take on the Arizona Diamondbacks in Cactus League action this afternoon at 3:10 p.m. CT.