The Chicago Cubs begin the 2024 season Thursday evening in Arlington Texas. The Cubs' recently bruised ace, Justin Steele, gets the Opening Day start following his second consecutive season as the Cubs' best pitcher. He'll face down the reigning World Series Champion Texas Rangers and their Opening Day starter, Nathan Eovaldi.
While the Rangers will be defending their title, the Cubs' will attempt to step forward as contenders in the NL Central. They raised and then dashed hopes with a midseason hot streak followed by a run of futility in 2023. For 2024, they brought back most of that same crew.