By: Jacob Zanolla
The Cubs have officially announced the signing of Cody Bellinger, including cameos from some familiar Cubs Twitter members!
To free up a spot on the 40-man, Bailey Horn was traded to the White Sox for Matt Thompson, according to Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic.
While I believe the Cubs could still make a move or two, I’m inclined to believe they’re done making big moves. Jed is most likely quietly sitting in the background, waiting for a price to drop where he feels it’s a steal for the Cubs.
Assuming this is it, let’s take a look at a potential lineup for the 2024 Chicago Cubs.
Here is what I proposed as my preferred lineup going into Opening Day in Arlington on March 28th against the Rangers.
Diving into this, one of my favorite parts is having PCA and Nico Hoerner hitting back to back, an absolute speed powerhouse when the lineup flips over. Nico stole 43 bases this past season, along with crossing home plate 98 times. This was in part due to the fact that he was leading off, getting on base often with a .346 OBP. If Counsell puts Nico at the leadoff spot again, this will give him even more chances to score thanks to the strong hitters who follow him. He is a speedy contact hitter, which is exactly what you want in a leadoff hitter.
They say to put your best hitter second. This could easily be the case with Seiya Suzuki, who was one of the best players in baseball to finish off the season. Let’s take a look at his August and September. He had a .349 AVG, along with a .443 wOBA and 183 wRC+. If Suzuki is able to keep this level of offense up, the ceiling is very high. With him hitting second, this is another reason why Hoerner’s run total could easily go up this season.
Jed Hoyer said the Cubs needed a three hole hitter, with Counsell responding by saying they needed a 3 WAR player. Why not both? Bellinger was a key piece to the 2023 club, leading the team with a .370 wOBA. He not only helps the Cubs by being a lefty, but also hits for power. Getting him to the plate in the first inning of every game is a great way to get momentum going early.
Christopher Morel is my cleanup hitter, and there wasn’t much debate. He has some of the most power on the team, and has a lot of upside offensively. While he needs to lower the strikeouts, his power is the main reason I have him in the clean up spot. Combining for 37 home runs between AAA and the major leagues, he is always a power threat at the dish.
Dansby Swanson is a very streaky hitter, which is one of the reasons I wanted him in the middle of the order. If he is doing poorly, you don’t have to worry about him getting the most at bats possible which will hurt the team. However, if he is scorching hot, he is getting enough at bats where his presence can still be felt near the top of the order. He wasn’t incredible last season offensively, although a portion of that was due to bad luck. Now that he has one season under his belt in Chicago, I expect him to settle in and produce at around a 115-120 wRC+.
I have Ian Happ hitting sixth. He was the hitter that I wasn’t for sure where I should put him. With his strong eye and high on base percentage, there is a valid argument that he should be higher. With how I have the top of the lineup structured, this made the most sense. If Nico needs a day off or someone higher in the order gets injured, Happ is most likely the guy you would move to fill that hole.
Michael Busch is young and hasn’t been able to prove himself yet with the Cubs. Therefore, I have him slotted in hitting seventh in this lineup. If he can hit like we are told he can, I would be totally fine moving him up. Busch provides lefty power in the bottom of the order, hopefully hitting in someone like Swanson or Happ.
Hitting eighth I have Miguel Amaya, who I hope will get more at bats, slowly taking over the catching position from Yan Gomes. We haven’t seen a lot of him in the majors yet, but he has shown a lot of promise in the time he has been up. I don’t see him anywhere but seventh or eight for now. Having him in between Busch and PCA helps mix up the handedness of the hitters as well!
Finishing up the lineup I have Pete Crow-Armstrong, who I want to start for this team on Opening Day. Not only does he provide the best defense on the team, his bat also has a lot of potential. People decided he couldn’t hit after just fourteen at-bats last season with the major league team, which doesn’t make sense. Putting him in center not only gives him consistent time to work on his hitting, but also guarantees that we have elite defense in centerfield every game. His speed is one of the main reasons I would love him hitting ninth. Having Pete and Nico back-to-back would give the opposing team two speed threats in a row to worry about.
Counsell may have a different plan in mind, but this lineup is the route I personally think he should take. When I look at it as a whole, the optimism starts to make me think this team can be better than we believe.
Ivy League Cubs 
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