John Antonoff / For the Sun-Times
MESA, Ariz. – Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon has noticed a different feeling around the team’s spring training complex as he and his teammates prepared for the 2026 season.
“I know it’s a spring training cliche,” Taillon said Wednesday, the first official workout day for pitchers and catchers. “But guys show up, and it doesn’t seem as rah-rah exciting. It seems more like, ‘let’s get to work’ exciting.”
Maybe some of the change in atmosphere could be attributed to the sunshine, or the World Baseball Classic participant’s early ramp-up, or the additions to the spring training facilities – including an expansion of the main building and a new stand-alone hitting and pitching lab.