An early 26-man roster prediction ahead of Cubs spring training

With Spring Training games officially less than a week away, I still believe this Cubs roster is unfinished. The pitching may be done with additions, but the bigger question is who will earn the spots on the 26-man roster. The biggest question, however, is who the Cubs will still add to the lineup this offseason. Here's my 26-man roster prediction for the Cubs' Opening Day roster.

Early roster prediction - The starting rotation

• Justin Steele
• Shota Imanaga
• Jameson Taillon
• Kyle Hendricks
• Jordan Wicks

The first four, Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, and Kyle Hendricks, are apparent. As for Jordan Wicks, I'm plugging him into the Opening Day rotation, but he and Javier Assad will switch places throughout the season between the rotation and the bullpen.

Craig Counsell will have the luxury of looking ahead at the next series in the schedule, seeing who's scheduled to pitch, and determining if, for example, there's a team coming up with a primarily right-handed lineup, having Taillon, Hendricks, and Assad face them with Wicks available in the pen is probably the better matchup. And vice versa with left-handed heavy teams.

Where we sometimes scratched our heads at what David Ross was doing matchup-wise last season, all of that will get cleaned up this season by Counsell. We will see guys used in spots that will be the stroke of genius. Counsell was a master at that with a small-market Brewers team; I can only imagine what he will do as the Cubs become more star-studded in the coming years.

Early roster prediction - The bullpen

• Javier Assad
• Luke Little
• Drew Smyly
• Yency Almonte
• Mark Leiter Jr.
• Julian Merryweather
• Adbert Alzolay
• Hector Neris

Here, I like the looks of a bullpen with at least two lefties. A season ago, the Cubs were plagued by the fact that everyone was a righty, and they had to lean especially heavily on guys like Mark Leiter Jr. just because he has good splits against LHBs. As stated, Assad is your swingman. Smyly is guaranteed since he doesn't have options, and Luke Little continues where he left off in his short stint in the majors last season.

Other than that, everybody here except for Neris and Smyly have options remaining and are interchangeable if need be. Triple-A Iowa certainly has talent, as guys like Hayden Wesneski, Caleb Kilian, Daniel Palencia, and even Keegan Thompson are all just a call away. The depth this year is some of the best in the majors.

What I like is the upside of the final five. We know Hector Neris and Adbert Alzolay will be there late in games because both had a fantastic season in 2023. Yency Almonte is a wild card because if he gets back to his 2022 version, he has the potential to be the best arm in the pen. Leiter Jr. and Julian Merryweather had a solid season for the Cubs last year, and I expect them to continue their roles later in games in the 7th or 8th, determining how Craig Counsell sees fit for any given matchup.

Early roster prediction - The catchers

1. Yan Gomes

Bench: Miguel Amaya

It's pretty straightforward here. Gomes is in his final year with the Cubs and will likely start the season as the Cubs' main backstop, slowly giving way to Miguel Amaya to take the reins once he departs next offseason. Gomes has been a fantastic game-caller for the Cubs after Willson Contreras departed, and his offense was also clutch for the team. Amaya has shown flashes that he's nearly ready to take over, as he, too, can be solid both offensively and defensively for the Cubs.

As for the backups, you have Jorge Alfaro, who will be utilized if one of the two starters lands on the IL. He's likely the first man up if it happens, given his big-league experience. He won't be able to be optioned against once the Cubs no longer need him on the main roster, so I don't expect him to finish the years as a member of the Cubs organization if he does make it to the majors this year.

Both Moises Ballesteros and Pablo Aliendo are promising catching talents. Aliendo may make a case for the next man up after Alfaro if he succeeds in Triple-A before any roster moves that need to be made in-season. Ballesteros was narrowly left off MLB Pipelines' top 100 list and is the more promising of the two, but likely a year or two away from the show.

Early roster prediction - The outfield

1. Ian Happ LF
2. Seiya Suzuki RF
3. Cody Bellinger CF

Bench OF: Mike Tauchman

You guessed it. I'm adding Martinez and Cody Bellinger to this lineup, going big or going home style. With the Blue Jays out of the running for everybody, the San Francisco Giants acquiring Jorge Soler at D.H. already, and Christopher Morel heading to third base, it all boils down to Matt Chapman to the Giants and the Cubs to swoop in for everybody else. That has been the plan all along, knowing there were always more free agents this winter that can make an impact out there than teams that need them. It appears Hoyer's plan not to pay a premium to construct a winning ballclub can come to fruition.

Noticeably, I'm leaving Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alexander Canario off the OD roster. Crow-Armstrong will benefit from getting more reps at Triple-A without the spotlight on him, as he was overmatched in the few chances he received. Canario is a bat you can utilize in a next-man-up situation to play the outfield or DH if necessary.

We heard for a while that the Cubs would be the most aggressive team the rest of the way, and that has stayed the same. All the waiting for Jed Hoyer is about to pay off, and this team, the new manager included, will have the talent to burst out of the gate to start the season.

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