Without major upgrades in these two areas, the Cubs are bound to fail again in 2025

Cubs can fill some of these roster holes with top prospects

A lot of doom, gloom and doubt, eh? Here's some rays of sun peaking out from behind the clouds. By turning the page on these guys, there's not only an opportunity to rebuild the team's depth in free agency and via trade, but get regular ABs for prospects knocking on the door.

James Triantos looks ready to step into the utility role in 2025. Matt Shaw, who may be in the Cubs' Opening Day roster plans already, depending on the timeline with Nico Hoerner's recovery, is another prospect who could make a name for himself at the big-league level next season.

Moises Ballesteros has continued to hit in the Arizona Fall League, which will make it hard for the Cubs to bury him at Iowa, despite legitimate questions about his future as a catcher. In the outfield, Owen Caissie or Kevin Alcantara could replace someone like Mike Tauchman, the team's primary fourth outfielder in recent years, adding further youth to the mix.

You don't have to go with a totally unproven bench loaded with rookies, but given the lack of flexibility in the projected starting lineup, it's a way to at least see what you have with some key guys and give them a chance to learn the ropes from established veterans around them.