The Tokyo Series is exactly two months away -- and there are already plenty of reasons to be excited about the 2025 season-opening showdown between the reigning World Series champion Dodgers and Cubs.

With those two storied franchises set to kick off the season on March 18 at the Tokyo Dome, let¡¯s take a look at five major storylines that have us counting down the days.

What will Ohtani do next?

Shohei Ohtani is coming off a 2024 season in which he became the first 50-50 player in MLB history, won his third MVP Award and took home his first World Series title ... so what could he possibly have in store for an encore in 2025?

And could Ohtani even make his long-awaited return to the mound in front of the Japanese faithful?

"Very unlikely," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said in early December when asked if Ohtani could pitch in Japan. "I just don't see us starting the clock in March to then think that we would keep that continuously going through October. Then that would call for a break or reprieve in the middle of the season, so I don't know. I still think unlikely."

OK, OK, so he probably won't pitch in the two-game series, but still, every Ohtani at-bat has become must-see at this point.

Plus, while it's unlikely Ohtani will pitch, it's quite likely that fellow countryman Shota Imanaga will start one of the games for the Cubs. Ohtani will be looking for some revenge after going 0-for-5 with a strikeout against Imanaga last season.

Imanaga was just about the only Cubs pitcher to have any success last year against Ohtani, who went 10-for-20 (.500) with two homers and six RBIs against Chicago pitchers not named Imanaga.

Players returning to Japan: Imanaga vs. Yamamoto ... or Sasaki?

Speaking of Imanaga, it's possible we get an Imanaga vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto showdown on Opening Day. Or perhaps it will be an Imanaga vs. Roki Sasaki clash after the latter announced on Friday that he¡¯s joining the Dodgers.

Imanaga likely has the inside track to earn the Opening Day for the Cubs -- and will almost certainly start one of these first two games either way.

In the other dugout, Yamamoto certainly figures to be in consideration for Opening Day after a strong rookie campaign, though he has plenty of competition. There's Tyler Glasnow, who kicked off the Dodgers' season last year in his second career Opening Day start. There's also newcomer Blake Snell, a two-time Cy Young Award winner who has made two Opening Day starts of his own.

And Sasaki could immediately join that conversation. The 23-year-old phenom had a 2.10 ERA and 505 strikeouts in 394 2/3 innings over his four seasons with the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball.

Clearly the Dodgers have plenty of Opening Day candidates, but it wouldn't be surprising to see Roberts embrace the moment in Japan and give either Yamamoto or Sasaki the start opposite Imanaga. And if one does get the season-opening nod, it¡¯s possible the other starts the second game -- meaning Sasaki¡¯s MLB debut could come in Tokyo.

Regardless of the pitching matchups, both Ohtani and Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki will be returning to where their careers started -- and figure to garner plenty of praise from the hometown fans.

Dodgers begin title defense

Fresh off winning its second World Series in the past five seasons, Los Angeles is largely running it back in 2025.

It returns a top of the lineup featuring Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernández, Max Muncy and Will Smith. The rotation is once again stacked with Snell joining returning starters Yamamoto, Glasnow, Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May -- not to mention the eventual return of Ohtani to the mound.

The Dodgers certainly have the pieces to make another run, but it's not easy to repeat. No team has won consecutive World Series titles since the Yankees won back-to-back-to-back championships from 1998-2000.

The Cubs, meanwhile, are looking to build off back-to-back 83-win seasons and second-place finishes in the NL Central. They are hoping to return to the postseason for the first time since 2020 -- and win their first postseason game since 2017.

Highly anticipated team debuts

Outfielder Kyle Tucker will look to put on a show in his Cubs debut after being acquired from the Astros in December.

A three-time All-Star and 2022 World Series champion with Houston, Tucker hit 23 home runs last season despite being limited to just 78 games. Over the past four seasons, Tucker's 162-game averages are 35 home runs, 111 RBIs and 25 stolen bases.

Some of Tucker's first at-bats as a Cub could potentially come against the aforementioned Snell. The 32-year-old southpaw signed a five-year, $182 million deal with the Dodgers in November after spending last season with the rival Giants -- and the previous three years with another NL West rival in the Padres.

Of course, it's no guarantee Snell pitches in one of those first two games given Los Angeles' plethora of pitching options.

Who will play third base for the Cubs?

That Tucker trade involved Chicago sending Isaac Paredes -- its expected starting third baseman -- to Houston. That role remains unfilled at this point, but there are a couple of intriguing options.

For starters, the Cubs could stay in-house and go with Matt Shaw, their top prospect and the No. 22 prospect overall, per MLB Pipeline. The 13th overall pick in the 2023 Draft split last season between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa, racking up 21 homers and 31 stolen bases across 121 games -- though he actually performed better following his promotion. Shaw slashed .298/.395/.534 (.929 OPS) with seven homers and six stolen bases in 35 games at Triple-A.

But it's also possible Chicago fills that spot externally -- and could it do so by bringing in Tucker's former teammate Alex Bregman? There have been rumors that the Cubs could pursue the two-time champ if he remains on the market much longer.