Mark Gonzales

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Cubs and Dodgers were privately informed they will meet in Tokyo. The report added the Cubs will return to Arizona and open the domestic season on the West Coast before returning to Chicago.

Adbert Alzolay, Mark Leiter Jr. and Julian Merryweather return with the determination to remain healthy and effective through an entire season and help the Cubs attain the National League playoff berth that seemed a lock last season until their late swoon.

Justin Steele is confident that his bruised left knee won’t prevent him from starting Opening Day. Ian Happ, however, might not be ready to go because his recovery from a left hamstring injury has plateaued.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell had all the intangibles to be a skipper that can’t be taught, former Diamondbacks general manager Joe Garagiola Jr. said.

He needs 100 more days to reach the 10-year mark.

Should it happen before the All-Star break, reinforcements will be needed to at least carry the workload that Cease has handled over the last three seasons.