Ranking the top 5 Cubs offseason moves

With less than a month until pitchers and catchers report to Mesa, the Cubs roster is just about set - with the likely exception of a veteran left-handed reliever to round out the bullpen mix.

Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins have been busy this winter, reshaping a roster that won just 74 games last season, but finished with an unexpectedly strong second half in which they went 39-31, thanks to consistently strong pitching. As we gear up for spring training and the 2023 season, let's take a look back at Chicago's offseason moves and try to rank the top 5.

Ranking the top 5 Cubs offseason moves: #5 - Trey Mancini/Eric Hosmer

Get your pitchforks out, folks. I'm ready. I doubt many of you will come after me for liking the Trey Mancini signing because he checked one of the last major holes the team has, at least on paper, adding some pop to the order with some decent defensive versatility, as well. A two-year, $14 million deal with an opt-out after the first season if he hits 350 PAs, there's not much risk associated with the signing, which carries another $7 million in potential bonus money, too.

Following his trade to Houston last summer, the former AL Comeback Player of the Year fell off a cliff statistically speaking, slashing just .176/.258/.364 down the stretch with the World Series champions, but still put up a 101 OPS+ on the year thanks to a strong start with Baltimore. Still, there's plenty to like heading into 2023. He carried a 40.5 percent hard hit rate, nearly two full percentage points higher than league average) and his swing should play well at Wrigley.

As for Eric Hosmer, let me start by saying this. There's no risk in picking up a guy like this on a league minimum salary. Did he live up to the eight-year, $144 million contract the Padres gave him? Absolutely not. But he's been an above-average offensive player in all but two of the last 10 years and is a four-time Gold Glover.

Combined, Mancini and Hosmer give Chicago a pair of insurance policies as they continue to evaluate last year's breakout prospect Matt Mervis, who seems likely to open the year with Triple-A Iowa after scorching MiLB pitching across multiple levels in 2023. If he proves last season was no fluke, having these two veterans on short-term pacts does nothing to block his ascent in any way.

Ranking the top 5 Cubs offseason moves: #4 - Tucker Barnhart

Losing Willson Contreras in and of itself hurts, but losing him to the Cubs' biggest rival is just cruel and unusual punishment. But after the Cardinals tapped the three-time All-Star to succeed future Hall of Famer Yadier Molina, that's the new reality in the NL Central.

Chicago has opted to sacrifice offense behind the dish in favor of defensive and game-calling abilities, bringing in two-time Gold Glover Tucker Barnhart to pair with Yan Gomes. Nothing went right for Barnhart in Detroit last year (to be fair, not much of anything went right for the Tigers though) and he's ready for a clean slate on the North Side.

Barnhart's former teammate Wade Miley, who was able to make just eight starts last year in his lone season with the Cubs, raved about the organization and helped sell him on the opportunity. Now, Chicago has a pair of experienced game-callers to help a young pitching staff take that next step.

I want our guys on the mound to -- outside of the gear we're wearing or what we look like -- to not know who's back there. I think that's when pitching staffs reach the highest potential, because we're all on the same page. They trust us.

These two guys have the opportunity to not only help the Cubs win in 2023, but help that core of young arms settle in and be ready to play a big role for years to come.

Ranking the top 5 Cubs offseason moves: #3 - Jameson Taillon/Drew Smyly

I'm more excited about the Cubs pitching prospects right now than at any point in recent memory. That being said, a lot of these guys probably aren't quite ready to shoulder a major role on the staff and, knowing that, adding Jameson Taillon to the mix and bringing back Drew Smyly may very well be the two most critical moves the front office made this offseason when it's all said and done.

Taillon was a clear step below Jacob deGrom and Carlos Rodon, but should be a solid, steadying presence in the Cubs rotation for years to come. For starters, his 177 1/3 innings pitched in 2022 would have led Chicago by a wide margin (Marcus Stroman led the team with 138 2/3 IP) - which only reduces the burden on the rest of the staff.

Not only did he eat a lot of innings for the Yankees, but he was reliable, working to a 3.94 FIP in 32 starts, relying on plus spin rates and an elite walk rate of just 4.4 percent. If he can keep the ball on the ground at the same level he did earlier in his career in 2023 and take advantage of the Cubs' vastly improved defense, Taillon could be poised for a breakout season.

Let's not sleep on Drew Smyly, either. Hoyer brought the veteran left-hander back on the heels of a lights-out second half that saw him work to a 2.83 ERA post All-Star break. He did a great job at limiting hard contact and, with uncertainty surrounding Kyle Hendricks, gives Chicago a proven commodity capable of slotting into the rotation this year.

Ranking the top 5 Cubs offseason moves: #2 - Cody Bellinger

Any time you bring in a former World Series champion and MVP, it's a good thing - especially when that player is still just 27 years old and has every reason in the world to go and ball out.

Cody Bellinger hasn't been that player since 2019, but there's reason to think he could at least start trending back in the right direction this year. Reportedly fully healthy and recovered from a lingering shoulder issue, the 2017 NL Rookie of the Year joined the Cubs on a one-year prove-it deal, in hopes of hitting the open market again next winter and scoring a major payday.

When he's healthy, this is a guy capable of transforming a lineup - with power that ranks right up there with the best sluggers in the game. Throw in the fact that, regardless of what he does at the plate, he's a Gold Glove-winning outfielder capable of also playing first base and it's easy to see the appeal here.

Center field was a major position of need for Chicago heading into the offseason and the addition of Bellinger puts an emphatic checkmark in that box. I'm not saying Bellinger is going to go and win another MVP in 2023, but for the sheer upside he carries, I've got him as the #2 move the Cubs made this winter.