Chicago Cubs: 5 bold moves to turn the team into World Series contenders

(Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)
(Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)
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Frank Schwindel, Patrick Wisdom, Matt Duffy, Chicago Cubs
(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Chicago Cubs: An intriguing lineup for sure

Starting Lineup:

  • Madrigal- high OBP guy to set the table, very little pop, but don’t need it
  • Ramirez- best hitter in the lineup setting the table and mopping things up early
  • Castellanos- second-best hitter in the lineup serving as protection for Ramirez
  • Schwarber- if he can continue his strong OBP showing with the slug, look out
  • Contreras- let’s hope this guy is back and healthy all year long
  • Happ- can we secretly turn Happ’s calendar to August or September in spring training?
  • Schwindel- Is this guy for real? If he’s not expected to hit third, it might ease the pressure
  • Wisdom- how about a guy with this kind of power hitting down here?
  • Hoerner- depending on how things go, you may be able to flip-flop him and Madrigal

Bench:

  • Duffy
  • Alcantara
  • Bote
  • Heyward
  • Ortega
  • Backup Catcher

Is it a big swing? Yep. But it goes to show the main thing standing in the way of this team contending again soon is ownership. If Ricketts spends, anything is possible this offseason.

Schedule