Chicago Cubs News: Happ named leadoff; Caratini earns a spot

The Chicago Cubs roster came close to being finalized this week with the addition of Victor Caratini. Also, Ian Happ was named the leadoff hitter and starting center fielder for the 2018 team.

There weren’t a lot of surprises to be had in this years Chicago Cubs roster. One of the few was at the backup catcher where it was Chris Gimenez and Victor Caratini battling for a spot. Joe Maddon stunned some of us with the announcement that Caratini had made the Opening Day roster. While not a bad decision, many thought he would benefit from regular at-bats and working on his defense in Iowa.

In some news that was no surprise at all, Ian Happ was named the leadoff hitter for the Cubs. After the exceptional year he had in spring training–again–he made it a mission to earn the spot. While some guys come into spring and work on something they need to fix, Happ fully embraced the opportunity to win the leadoff role. And that’s precisely what Happ did.

On paper, the Cubs appeared to have strengthened their bullpen.  They’ve added Steve Cishek and Brandon Morrow. They also added Drew Smyly who is recovering from Tommy John surgery but could be a factor later in the season. But our Jeff Burdick isn’t so sure the Cubs. They might have replaced some of the issues from last year’s bullpen, but they’ve not added much depth. Will they have to make deals at the deadline?

These and other stories you might have missed:

‘Caratini a surprise, but deserves the spot’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Happ named leadoff hitter for the Cubs’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Cubs rebuilt the bullpen, but still worrisome’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Predictions for 2018 awards’ – MLB.com

‘Phillies sign top prospect to long extension’ – ESPN

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