My Christmas wish list for the Cubs roster |
The Cubs have already had an impactful offseason. It started with the surprise firing of
David Ross and hiring of Craig Counsell to a record contract for a manager. The Cubs saw an opportunity to acquire one of the best managers in the sport, swooped in and poached him from the rival Brewers, and kept him from going elsewhere.
That type of aggressiveness indicated that the Cubs were in for a busy offseason, which should bring multiple big-name players to the Northside and fully open the window of contention for the Cubbies. It is the season of Christmas — and despite a winning season in 2023 and acquiring Counsell, the Cubs do have some holes to address in their roster to improve for 2024 and beyond. So, with Christmas being the theme, here are the 12 wishes of Christmas for the Cubs. Here is part one of the list: Shohei Ohtani Any Christmas list for any team has to start with Shohei Ohtani. The Cubs need more power in their lineup; they need a solidified DH and more quality starting pitching. Shohei Ohtani is the answer to all of those wishes and then some. Shohei is a top-5 hitter in the sport, a top-5 pitcher (when healthy), and easily the most marketable athlete that baseball has to offer. The Cubs would improve with infinite ramifications if they could sign the two-way star. Ohtani is not the only path toward a successful offseason, but whoever acquires him can easily say they won the winter. While the offseason should and does begin with Ohtani, Cody Bellinger should be a priority for Jed Hoyer and the Cubs. Chicago signed Cody to a one-year prove-it deal last year, and Bellinger proved it. While he was not named an All-Star, he was named NL Comeback Player of the Year and finished the season with a .307 average, 26 home runs, and 97 RBIs — his best season since 2019. Bellinger is now a free agent, and because of his success, that will come with a steep price, but he knows Chicago, loves Chicago, and the Cubs understand the logical fit in the clubhouse and the lineup. It’s a move that makes sense and makes the Cubs better. The Cubs should be in on Bellinger whether they sign Ohtani or not. Yoshinobu Yamamoto Aside from Ohtani, Yamamoto is the other big-ticket item of the offseason. Japan recently posted Yamamoto, and despite never throwing a big-league pitch, he is one of the most attractive free-agent pitchers in recent memory. He is 25 years old and is an absolute workhorse. He was 17-6 with a 1.16 ERA and averaged over seven innings per start before getting posted to make his mark in the MLB. He has elite stuff, which was displayed in last year’s WBC. Pairing him at the top of the rotation with Justin Steele is a dream scenario for Chicago. Big trade With the Cubs' farm system being at a point of surplus for the first time in a long time, the Cubs have the flexibility to pull off big-name trades and be on the acquiring side of them. With names like Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, Tyler Glasnow, Dylan Cease, and Shane Bieber allegedly on the trade market, expect the Cubs to be very active, especially if they are unable to pull the trigger on Ohtani or Bellinger. Glasnow has had rumored interest for a while, and if the Cubs miss out on Ohtani and Bellinger, expect the Soto rumors to swirl. An answer at third base This is probably the Cubs' biggest concern, considering there is no true fit in the organization at the big league level or in the minor leagues. Last season the quartet of Nick Madrigal, Patrick Wisdom, Christopher Morel, and Miles Mastrobouni handled things at third base until Jeimer Candelario was acquired via trade at the deadline to help shore things up. Candelario is a free agent, but the Cubs are rumored to be interested in a reunion with him and a potential interest in Blue Jays free agent Matt Chapman. But on the current roster right now, Morel is the most important question mark. He currently serves better as a DH because his defensive metrics are so poor at third base — but the Cubs would love to get him a full-time position on the diamond. He has the versatility to play various positions, but none are particularly attractive to the Cubs. Madrigal finally showed signs of the contact-oriented monster the Cubs thought they acquired originally, and he made a genuine leap defensively at third — but there remain a lot of question marks with him. As for Wisdom, at this point, you know what he is. He is solid at third and has a massive upside at the plate in terms of power, but he has a lot of holes in the swing, which makes him an easy out that might hit a home run. Whether it be one guy or a committee, getting 3B figured out is a priority for 2024. A leadoff hitter Leadoff is one of the most critical aspects of the lineup. Baseball as a whole has gotten away from the prototypical contact/speed guy leading off (i.e., Kyle Schwarber) you can not take away from the fact that any good lineup has a strong leadoff hitter. The Cubs explored Nico Hoerner at the top of the lineup as well as Christopher Morel and the surprisingly impactful Mike Tauchman as well. In the long term, it will be Hoerner’s position, barring a surprising acquisition, but getting Hoerner comfortable and productive there will go a long way toward this team’s success. Stay tuned for 7-12.
