CINCINNATI – So much of next season will be determined by this offseason.
How will the rotation line up? Who will claim everyday infield spots (along with Nico Hoerner)? Who will add a power boost to this year’s lineup?
When manager David Ross forecasts ahead to next year, however, one thing is quite clear.
“Talking to a lot of these outfielders, left and right are taken,” Ross said before the Cubs opened their final series of the season in Cincinnati. “Pretty simple. There’s an open spot, and it’s in center field. So, that’s where I would put in my work, that’s where I would try to get better.”
It was clear from the spring, when the Cubs signed Seiya Suzuki to a five-year $85 million deal, that he would be claiming right field for the foreseeable future.
Left field wasn’t as much of a lock. Ian Happ had played plenty of both left and center in 2021. Then, he played himself into his first All-Star Game in the first half of the season, consistently in left field. But his trade deadline fate was up in the air – partly because he was playing so well.
Now, Ross is talking about Happ as part of the Cubs’ present and future and the stability his breakout season has brought to the club.
“We put him in left, and he’s owned that,” Ross said. “He’s one of the best left fielders in the game. His base running’s improved, his stolen bases and how he’s taken more risk and just getting a complete game. He laid down a drag bunt the other day – I almost had a heart attack. It was so cool to see that. He’s just getting such a well-rounded game.”
There’s always free agency, but the Cubs also have several internal candidates for center field. Rookies Nelson Velázquez and Christopher Morel have played center field this year. Morel can also play most infield positions. Patrick Wisdom, who has primarily played third base this year, also filled in some for Suzuki this month, when the right fielder was away for the birth of his first child.
Would the Cubs be comfortable filling center field with a rotating cast again next year?
“It just goes into what players you’re able to find and spend money on, what that cost is and how you delegate that,” Ross said.
Contreras not done yet
Catcher Willson Contreras wasn’t in the Cubs starting lineup Monday against the Reds, but Ross said that wasn’t indicative of the team’s plan for the remainder of the series.
“We’ve got three games left, the season’s not over, right?” Ross said before Monday’s game. “He’s a big part of our success this year when we’ve won games. A really good baseball player, he’s an All-Star. I like him in the lineup, so we’ll write him in unless he tells me something different.”
