As our preview rolls on, we go from Southside to Northside and the Wrigleyville neighborhood. While the White Sox outlook isn’t the greatest, the Cubs are looking better, for the most part. The Cubbies are coming off of a disappointing finish to what was an otherwise positive 2023. Their furious charge up the standings in July and August finished in heartbreak as their playoff hopes came tumbling down, as if Seiya Suzuki dropped them. They were expected to have a big offseason full of big additions and frankly didn’t do as much as expected. The biggest change is in the dugout as Craig Counsell takes over at the helm. On the field the biggest pickup is lefty Japanese import Shota Imanaga who will need to help this staff improve to take the next step. Cody Bellinger also returns to the Northside off of a terrific bounce back campaign, making the lineup even deeper. Don’t sleep on young slugging first baseman Michael Busch who came over from the Dodgers in a trade. Let’s dive in!

Keys to Success

1. The Staff Improves: Last year’s Cubs rotation was rather underwhelming despite strong seasons from Marcus Stroman and Justin Steele. Steele in particular broke out finished top five in CY Young voting. With Stroman gone, he and the aforementioned Imanaga will have to shoulder the bulk of the workload this year.

2. The Law Firm: While the Cubs have a lot of gifted position players, their middle infield tandem maybe their best. Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner provide plenty of offense while playing a stellar second base and shortstop. They are catalysts for this lineup and will need to be again this year.

3. Wise Counsell: While it can be hard to quantify a managers impact, Craig Counsell could make a significant one on the Cubs. The former Brewers skipper made the 92 mile trip south to the Windy City and upset a lot of folks in “Cheeseland.” Counsell is a step up on former boss David Ross, and if he steer the ship well, playoff baseball should be on the cards.

The Lineup

1. Cody Bellinger CF

2. Nico Hoerner 2B

3. Ian Happ LF

4. Seiya Suzuki RF

5. Dansby Swanson SS

6. Christopher Morel DH

7. Michael Busch 1B

8. Yan Gomes C

9. Nick Madrigal 3B

The Staff

1. Justin Steele

2. Jameson Taillon

3. Shota Imanaga

4. Kyle Hendricks

5. Jordan Wicks

Closer: Hector Neris/Adbert Alzolay

The Prediction

89 wins and the NL Central Title

While I don’t think this team is the finished product yet, I feel they will address those flaws in season and win a soft NL Central. Expect Steele and Imanaga to carry the staff and this lineup to be very productive. An influx of youth from Busch and perhaps some of their top minor league talent may also help them here.

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