Ranking the 4 biggest Chicago Cubs spring training questions

There are only eight days until pitchers and catchers report to their respective camps for spring training. For the Chicago Cubs, it's been a most productive offseason that has raised both the floor and the potential ceiling for the team in 2023. However, there are still multiple questions the front office will need to address as the spring goes on, and, for now, we'll have to wait for a lot of those answers. Here are the four biggest questions for the Chicago Cubs' Spring Training.

4 biggest Chicago Cubs spring training questions: #4 - What's going on with extension talks?

Let's face it: The progress and lack of updates regarding extension talks for both Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner are starting to sound eerily similar to the last two years and the former Cubs core. Michael Cerami of Bleacher Nation made a great point that we are now just a few days away from pitchers and catchers reporting, and yet, here we are, passing by the timeline by which Jed Hoyer wanted to have these negotiations done.

Putting your heart aside, the former Cubs core was not producing at the level they needed to hit in order to land the paydays they envisioned. However, Happ and Hoerner are both coming off fantastic seasons and are perfect candidates to get locked up long-term. The money is going to be there next offseason. If the front office, once again, shows it won't get a little uncomfortable when extending homegrown players, the fanbase should assume they never will so they can at least mentally prepare for having their hearts ripped out next time.

If the Cubs are genuinely looking to compete, letting your All-Star, Gold Glove-winning outfielder walk because you have prospects that may or may not work out in the future is about as counter-productive as it gets. Here's to hoping Happ's plan all along is to remain a Cub and that he wants to up his value as much as possible first with another great season to his credit. Whether it comes in the next few weeks or at season's end, this needs to get done.

4 biggest Chicago Cubs spring training questions: #3 - Who will bat leadoff?

With a roster that looks wildly different than a year ago, David Ross will need to figure out who leads things off for this batting order in 2023. I've personally been an advocate for Hoerner for quite some time now. For a guy that doesn't have the most pop on the team, batting anywhere in the .280-.300 range is an excellent place to start to earn the job. With an elite 11.0 K% in 2022, the reasons to love him in this role quickly begin to pile up. Knocking Hoerner's game becomes complex, and you must dig deep to critique at all. In terms of areas of improvement to be even better, perhaps, as paradoxical as it seems, his elite contact skills can hinder him.

Though how much he puts the ball is excellent, he has hit the ball on the ground at a 48% clip throughout his career. Drawing a few more walks to get closer to a .350 OBP is certainly something he can achieve. Typically, a line drive will have a launch angle of 10-25 degrees, so his average LA of 8.3 in 2022 is a clear indicator of hitting the ball on the ground a lot, contributing to his BABIP being .300, down from .360 in an admittedly smaller sample size in '21.

Nevertheless, we're grasping at straws here. He still batted .281, so it's not like any of this is to criticize him in the slightest. Circling back to the leadoff position; Hoerner has only received 13 plate appearances in his career but has batted .333/.385/.500 with one walk from the top of the order. He has proven he can steal at least 20 bases in a season, so it seems obvious he should be near the top of the list of eligible candidates.

4 biggest Chicago Cubs spring training questions: #2 - Who will be the closer?

After the Cubs added Michael Fulmer to the mix this week, I started to think about who might be the best option for closer this coming season. My most obvious guess is that with Brad Boxberger having the most experience, it will be his job to lose. However, could it be a role given to whoever earns it the most this spring?

For Boxberger, he has recorded 41 and 32 saves in 2015 and 2018, respectively. He also posted a 3.71 and 4.39 ERA in those seasons. His ERA throughout his career in the ninth inning could be more impressive at just 3.77, which doesn't sound like you should hit the lock button on, given how vital the role of closing out games is.

Fulmer recorded 14 saves with a 2.91 ERA in 2021 for the Detroit Tigers, but he's where my concern comes in. Fulmer was elite in Detroit, and by in Detroit, I mean just in Detroit specifically. Let's look at 2022's numbers: he recorded a solid 3.39 ERA (3.57 FIP). However, digging deeper is where my skepticism begins to arise. Comerica Park is not exceptionally keen on favoring hitters in the slightest.

Fulmer recorded an ERA of 1.93 (32.2 IP) at home while recording a mark of 4.94 away from Detroit (31.0 IP). After being traded to Minnesota, he posted a 4.55 ERA in the second half. I'm optimistic the Cubs can continue building their reputation on finding success with veterans who have shown potential but have another level to unlock on the mound. Still, I need to see it with my own eyes at Wrigley Field before giving him the keys to the castle in the ninth inning.

The Cubs could, of course, platoon the ninth inning with a southpaw in Brandon Hughes or one of their back-end righties based on the matchups. Nevertheless, I'm not sure there's exactly one guy to lock down the role at this juncture, and it will be interesting to see who makes a case for themself come spring - or if it'll even matter. For all we know, Ross will go closer by committee given the options at his disposal.