NL Central

The MLB season is only a couple weeks in, but it's never too early to look at teams' trade assets. Every team has some; the Cubs have several.

Unlike in past seasons, the Cubs may be buyers rather than sellers at this year's deadline. That could mean they're trading minor league or major league assets. It could also mean they're standing pat.

Whether they decide to trade any of these players or not, these are the Cubs' top five trade chips two weeks into the season.

Top prospect Kris Bryant, who made his major league debut Friday afternoon for the Chicago Cubs, is going to be a stud. He just didn't look the part in his first shot at The Show. Big whoop.

Bryant, whose massive potential and prodigious power have captured the baseball world recently, more or less has not stopped hitting between the minors, Arizona Fall League and this past spring training since being selected second overall in the 2013 draft.

After 12 days in Triple-A, Kris Bryant made his much-anticipated debut for the Chicago Cubs on Friday. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2013 draft hit cleanup against the San Diego Padres but didn't fare well in his role with the bat, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.

One of baseball's top prospects Kris Bryant is set to make his major league debut as the Chicago Cubs call up the promising young slugger Friday, originally reported by ESPN's Jesse Rogers.

It was 67 degrees when the St. Louis Cardinals lost their home opener to the Milwaukee Brewers 5-4. With that type of weather, it's OK (sometimes) to take your shirt off. 

They say you only get one chance to make a first impression, but nobody says you can't recover from making a bad first impression.

That's what the Chicago Cubs must be telling themselves about Jon Lester's bad first impression, anyway. And fortunately for them, their $155 million man should allow them to breathe easy before long.

Expectations are extremely high for the Cubs this season and the regular season is finally underway. 2015 got off to a rocky start with the Cubs getting shut out at home to start the year, but there's plenty of season left to be played. 

It's dangerous to read too much into a team's first three games, but based on some trends that are already emerging, here are the five biggest things fans can take away from the team's performance over the first few days of the season.

After a promising first series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Cincinnati Reds will look to establish significant territory in the NL Central standings. Their next 19 games will feature NL Central opponents, and 22 of their next 26 games in total. 

It's the most wonderful time of the year. Baseball is back.  

The Pittsburgh Pirates opened up their season on Monday with a 5-2 loss to their division rivals, the Cincinnati Reds, at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati.

Let's take a look at the three things you need to know following Monday's opener.  

Opening Night could easily be labeled a failure for the Chicago Cubs organization, a team with a new manager and sky-high expectations. The Cubs' $155 million investment, Jon Lester, struggled throughout his first National League start, and the team was 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

No, those are not good numbers.