3 things the Cubs are missing to be a serious World Series threat

This year's Cubs team looks dramatically different than what we've seen in recent years. Only Kyle Hendricks, who will open the season on the injured list, remains from that 2016 World Series championship team and after a nearly $300 million offseason spending spree, it's a lot of new faces in the mix as Opening Day draws nearer.

Dansby Swanson, Tucker Barnhart, Jameson Taillon, Cody Bellinger, Brad Boxberger, Michael Fulmer, Trey Mancini and Eric Hosmer headline the newcomers - who will look to help the Cubs get back to the postseason for the first time (excluding the shortened 2020 season) since 2018. As exciting as change is, though, it would take a lot of things breaking the Cubs' way for this team to achieve that level of success.

Here are 3 things this club is missing to be considered a legitimate World Series contender.

3 things Cubs are missing to be a serious World Series threat - #3: A true superstar presence in the lineup

If not for the fact there were four headliners in last winter's free agent shortstop class, the Cubs may very well have come away with none. But they landed Dansby Swanson on a seven-year, $177 million deal - the second-richest contract in franchise history.

Swanson certainly elevates those around him and brings a long history of winning with him to Chicago, but there's no doubt that signing someone like World Baseball Classic hero Trea Turner would likely have moved the needle in a more drastic manner.

Don't get me wrong. Bringing in Swanson and sliding Nico Hoerner back to second, where he was a Gold Glove finalist in 2020, gives the Cubs one of the best middle infield combos in all of baseball. But this lineup still lacks the transformative presence true contenders like the Padres, Dodgers, Yankees and Astros boast and it's a clear separator between the North Siders and the clubs they're chasing.

3 things Cubs are missing to be a serious World Series threat - #1: A can't-miss prospect with true superstar potential

I know, I know. There's no such thing as a 'can't-miss' prospect these days. But there are still prospects you feel awfully certain will leave a lasting mark on your big league club (Kris Bryant back in the day, for example) and, right now, the Cubs lack that in the farm system.

Chicago's prospect mix features a ton of potential - and the system, as a whole, is in a much stronger position than it was two years ago. Pete Crow-Armstrong headlines the bunch and has all the makings of a future Gold Glove center fielder, potentially even an All-Star. What the Cubs' system lacks in blue-chip talent, it makes up for in depth, to be sure, but having that next superstar making his way through the system would completely change the vibe surrounding this club.

Brennen Davis could wind up being an impact bat, but after serious back issues cost him his 2022 campaign, it's very much a wait-and-see approach with the young outfielder. Guys like Kevin Alcantara and Alexander Canario have some wildly impressive tools and, again, could be something big - but there's not a single guy in the system who you feel is going to have that MVP-level performance, at least not in the short-term.

Again, I love what Hoyer and Carter Hawkins have done with the farm system. There aren't words to describe how much healthier the organization is after these two re-tooled things from top to bottom. But, at least right now, there's not that big-time superstar on the cusp of breaking onto the scene name in its ranks.