Chicago Cubs News: Three bold predictions for the Cubs in 2023

After a 2022 season filled with highs and lows, the Chicago Cubs did quite well in the second half. Much was left to be desired, and thankfully, much has been improved so far regarding fielding a competitive product in 2023. The Cubs now have a dynamic fielder in most positions in the field. Jed Hoyer and company have worked vigorously all winter to put the Cubs in the greatest chance to compete, and for a team that only won 74 games last season, that's a tall task.

We look at more near-sighted teams like the New York Mets, San Diego Padres, and Philadelphia Phillies, who seemingly spend at will to win right now but will find themselves in a dilemma down the road when those lucrative contracts stop producing the desired results. Credit to Hoyer for being mindful of creating a competitive product now while leaving an open window to improve in the future. The Cubs are certainly a sleeper in the NL moving forward. Therefore, Let's discuss three bold predictions that we will see from the Cubs in 2023.

Prediction #1: Cubs boast top 5 ERA in the NL

I don't believe it was a fluke that the Cubs' pitching staff collectively produced a 3rd best in the NL ERA of 3.24 post-All-Star break. Their run to finish 39-31 in the second half was fueled by pitching and all of those players who contributed are back in the mix. I've spoken in length about Marcus Stroman and how I feel his ERA was drastically inflated due to a poor start which led to injury last season. Therefore, I believe he gets back to pre-Cubs Stroman posting an ERA in the low 3.00s as he did in 2019 and 2021.

Elsewhere, the Cubs added Tucker Barnhart to the mix, who is a two-time Gold Glove winner and far better pitch framer than Willson Contreras before him. We've seen the stats based on Cubs ERA when Contreras was calling games vs. games called by Yan Gomes, so I'm interested to see what type of game Barnhart will call and how it will produce effective results. The Cubs did add Gold Glove winner Dansby Swanson to pair with Nico Hoerner and Cody Bellinger in center fielder to give the team the best up-the-middle defense in baseball. They could use a better glove at third to help with the extreme ground-ball rates of some of the Cubs pitchers, but there's no reason to believe that they can't pick up where they left off.

Predictions #2: Cubs ink Ian Happ to an extension

Essential to keep in mind here that as we grow weary of the Ian Happ situation, the truth is that Jed Hoyer and crew have still yet to begin arbitration talks this winter. Though the Cubs have several outfield prospects that could produce at the major league level, Happ is already producing. He is integral to this team's success in 2023 after being awarded an All-Star nod and Gold Glove last year. To move him away from Chicago as he enters his prime is about the most counter-intuitive logic the front office could have at this point. Especially with such an emphasis on competing now, losing an all-star at this juncture in hopes that a prospect can turn out to be what Happ has already become is a giant leap in the wrong direction.

Hoyer knows that. He is undoubtedly aware that if Happ produces again in 2023 like he did last season, he will rightfully be owed a substantial payday. We've also seen the Cubs miss on several key bats in free agency this winter, so it's not as if players are easily replaced. Eventually, you must adapt to the times to continue fielding a competitive product, even if it means paying more for a player than you otherwise wanted. As I've mentioned before, I also envision the scenario that the two respective sides wait until September before the season's end to agree on a more fair price over a larger block of work. I don't think Hoyer is gun-shy to pull the trigger on a Happ extension, especially with the money being freed up after 2023, but instead wants to feel more confident that this is the new and improved Happ and that he's here to stay.