Cubs could see couple of old friends return to Wrigley in '24
This is definitely a new era in MLB schedules.
The tentative 2024 slate for the Cubs released Thursday features no games against NL Central opponents in April and just two in September. A wider variety of opponents means fewer rivalry games. Next year, they'll be done playing the Brewers on July 24.
The Cubs' 2024 season opener on Mar. 28 will be on the road against the Texas Rangers, just as it was in 2019. They'll face Kris Bryant and the Colorado Rockies in the home opener on April 1. After a home series against the Dodgers, the Cubs will hit the West Coast for a nine-game trip to San Diego, Seattle and Arizona.
A theme for later in the season is the potential first game back at Wrigley Field for a couple of 2016 champions. Javy Baez could return with Detroit on Aug. 20-22, followed by Anthony Rizzo with the Yankees on Sept. 6-8. Bryant has already played two series at Wrigley Field, with a third pending in September, but Baez and Rizzo haven't been back since the flurry of trades at the 2021 deadline.
The September schedule is interesting. After hosting the Yankees, the Cubs go West again to face the Dodgers and Colorado, followed by a homestand against Oakland and Washington, then three games at Philadelphia before finishing the season at home against Cincinnati.
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