Cubs March Madness: 4 lingering, massive questions Chicago must answer

2 - Is Christopher Morel ready to seize the third base job?

Boy, if the Cubs can solve their third base situation with one of their highest upside offensive pieces, it could go a long way toward helping the club turn the corner in a big way.

Christopher Morel's defense will continue to be a concern in the short-term and Craig Counsell and the Cubs have accepted that. The team says it's committed to letting him settle in at one position, something he's never had the opportunity to do. The hope is that he can call the hot corner home and potentially unlock another level to an already impressive offensive game.

Last season, after opening the year at Triple-A Iowa, Morel came up and put up eye-popping numbers, tying for the team lead with 26 home runs in just 107 games. If he and Seiya Suzuki can take that next step and be the middle-of-the-order bats the Cubs hope they are, this lineup will look far more formidable as the summer goes on.

There are going to be bumps in the road, sure. Based on what we've seen in his still-young career, having Morel in the starting lineup daily should the Cubs better, and now it's up to him to deliver.

3 - Will Craig Counsell be the impactful difference maker we expect?

If the answer to this question is anything but 'yes,' we've got big problems. Craig Counsell has long been considered one of the game's best managers and he should represent a dramatic upgrade over David Ross, who was fired last fall after receiving public votes of confidence from ownership and the front office.

The question is just how many wins Counsell proves to be worth, something that's hard to quantify. But based on lineup construction and bullpen management alone, he should, at the very least, be able to help the Cubs avoid the types of brutal stretches that ended their season early last September.

He's already taking a new approach to building the pitching staff, showing faith in the team's young arms and relegating the team's ninth-highest-paid player and fourth-highest-paid pitcher, Drew Smyly, to the bullpen to start the season.

The expectation is a return to October. Anything short of that will be considered a total failure. Counsell knows that and has checked every box leading up to Opening Day, saying all the right things. Now, it's time to do the job and prove why he's now the game's highest-paid manager.

4 - Have the Cubs found their first base answer in Michael Busch?

With the fleeting exception of the 2021 second-half Frank Schwindel experience, first base has been a disaster since the team traded Anthony Rizzo to the Yankees. The hope is that newcomer Michael Busch, last year's Pacific Coast League Player of the Year at Triple-A, can be the answer not just in 2024, but for years to come.

Chicago traded highly-regarded left-handed pitching prospect Jackson Ferris to the Dodgers in the Busch deal, only raising expectations with fans given Ferris' upside. But Hoyer and the Cubs view Busch as a player who's ready to impact the big league club right away. The fact he comes with long-term, cost-controlled certainty only makes him more valuable.

If Busch can pair with Cody Bellinger as two potent left-handed bats in this Cubs lineup, the team could outpace its offensive performance from 2023, when they scored more runs than any NL club outside of the Braves and Dodgers. He's hit at every stop along the way. Now, for the first time, he'll have the chance to get regular at-bats at the big league level. What will he do with it?