Chicago Cubs News: Big holes to fill, and who will back up Contreras?

The Chicago Cubs go into this offseason with plenty “to-do’s” on their plate. They need pitching, but they would like to get another on-base guy to help lead the team. And who will backup Contreras behind the plate?

We’re positive here at Cubbies Crib, but we also aren’t blind. The Chicago Cubs need pitching, and they’ll have that at the top of their offseason wish list as they start to look to help. While Theo Epstein has done a fine job of snagging guys of the “junk heap,” he’s going to have to do more than just fill holes for the Cubs staff and rotation. He needs quality pitchers, and those will very likely only come by trade.

On the other side of the coin, the Cubs would like to find a leadoff hitter. It’s not a necessity as they were second in the NL in runs scored. But having a hitter they can slot at the top of the lineup would be better than the revolving door like this year. Who’s available? What will it take to get one of them? We take a look at some of the top available offensive targets early in the offseason.

The Cubs will need to find a backup for Willson Contreras, and it seems they have several to look at. Will the Cubs take a look at bringing back Alex Avila, or maybe even Rene Rivera? Or they simply could go with the homegrown option of Victor Caratini and not worry about spending free agent money on that position. But we know that when WC went down with the hamstring injury, it was nice to have a guy like Avila there to fill in.

These and other stories you might have missed:

‘Cubs start offseason with plenty of holes to fill’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Potential offseason offensive targets’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Who slots in behind Contreras in 2018?’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Hot-tober! Heat won’t faze World Series foes’ – MLB.com

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