Cubs infield was more good than bad in 2024, but this key position has to improve

Nico Hoerner played through an injury - but closed the year strong

Nico Hoerner remains one of the most underrated players on this team. Despite apparently being affected by an arm injury for a big chunk of the season, the former first-rounder only narrowly missed another 4.0 fWAR season (3.9 fWAR) and finished the year on a hot streak, batting .355 over the final month.

He eclipsed 30 stolen bases for the second consecutive year, with his work on the basepaths just one way he provided value for the Cubs. His low strikeout rate and strong bat-to-ball tools were a staple once again and the glovework remains elite, evidenced by his ranking in the 95th percentile in OAA.

Any thought of trading Hoerner is dead in the water given the flexor tendon surgery he underwent recently - meaning he'll be back alongside Swanson as one of the game's best double play tandems in 2025. The question is when he'll be back on the field. A prolonged absence would be a big loss for the Cubs, though, it could also open the door to a top prospect like Matt Shaw.

Dansby Swanson has to improve his offensive consistency next year

It was a forgettable first half at the plate for Dansby Swanson, who batted just .212 with a sub-.300 OBP prior to the All-Star break. He turned it on down the stretch, including an .856 OPS in the final month of the year - but his lack of offensive contributions when the team was in its free-fall were a major pain point.

Frankly, you just expect more consistency from the guy playing on the second-largest free-agent contract in franchise history. The bigger issue may have stemmed from him attempting to play through an injury at that time, which again raises larger questions about how the Cubs handle IL stints.

Despite the slow start, Swanson once again finished north of 4.0 fWAR. In fact, 2024 was the third-best year of his career by that metric, bested only by his monster 2022 walk-year with the Braves and his strong 2023 campaign with the Cubs. He came here to win - and you can bet he's going to be leaning hard on the front office to assemble a winner this winter.

Christopher Morel was a disaster - and Isaac Paredes was slow to adjust

A fan favorite in the post-Javier Baez era, Christopher Morel came into the season on the heels of a breakout 2023 in which he set career-highs in home runs (26) and OPS+ (122). The big question was whether or not he could make the transition to third base defensively.

The answer, pretty resoundingly, was 'no'. But the bigger problem was his offense cratered, which made his subpar glove work at third even more untenable for a Cubs team with only the narrowest margins for error. Morel batted just .199 for Chicago, and the expected metrics never came to fruition, forcing the hand of Jed Hoyer come July when he traded Morel to Tampa Bay in a deal that brought back power-hitting infielder Isaac Paredes.

Morel never found his footing with the Rays and, in Wrigleyville, Paredes really struggled to adjust to his 'new' digs. He hit just three home runs over the season's final two months, but at least started to produce again in September after an abysmal month of August where he made just about the worst first impression ever.

Barring a major shake-up or addition this winter, the Cubs have to get 30+ homers and a slugging percentage in the .500 range from Paredes if they want to win. They brought him in to be that corner infield power bat and if he can't provide that, this trade could end up being little more than Hoyer spinning his tires in an attempt to solve the third base dilemma.