Chicago Cubs: 3 critical keys to success heading into 2022

Somewhat surprisingly, the Chicago Cubs offseason started rather well before the MLB lockout took hold. So where do things stand now for the team? After the Marcus Stroman signing, it became apparent that things were changing for the better as Jed Hoyer was showing his more aggressive side with rumors beginning to swirl regarding Carlos Correa and the Cubs potentially getting together on a deal.

For now, we just have to patiently wait until the lockout is over and free agency can proceed. In the meantime, every team in the league has ample time to devise the best possible strategy for their respective needs moving forward. For the Cubs, they’ve patched up the starting rotation enough to where it can feasibly be productive With Marcus Stroman, Kyle Hendricks and Wade Miley at the top.

Even with their modest improvements, the Cubs are – to me – a middle-of-the-pack team. It’s painfully apparent that there’s not enough offensive weapons on this roster.  Even with Ian Happ’s second-half resurgence along with the emergence of Frank Schwindel and Patrick Wisdom, the Cubs offense ranked 20th overall at 4.35 runs per game. Pair that bottom-third offense with poor starting pitching and it’s not hard to see where things went wrong in 2021.

The Chicago front office definitely has its work cut out for it once the lockout ends and we look ahead to the 2022 campaign. With that being said, let’s take a look at three keys to success for the Chicago Cubs in 2022.