Chicago Cubs 2023: Projected line-up after Cody Bellinger and Dansby Swanson's additions

The Chicago Cubs have had an eventful offseason, bringing in the likes of Cody Bellinger, Dansby Swanson, Jameson Taillon, and Brad Boxberger. While their new additions will help usher in a fresh era of Cubs baseball, the team has lost several notable players to free agency, including Willson Contreras, Jason Heyward, and Frank Schwindel.

It has been an aggressive offseason for the Chicago Cubs, as the franchise is looking to return to the postseason following a disappointing 74-88 2022 season. The team finished 19.0 games behind division winners, the St. Louis Cardinals, who stole Contreras from the Cubbies.

"We haven’t even seen Willson Contreras in action in a Cardinals union & yet these are already my favorite photos of him representing birds on the bat. These photoshops are nice. Can’t wait to see the real. There are some players who just look so good in a Cardinals uni" - Cards Fan | Contreras SZN | Edwin Rios? C. Rodon?

The additions of Swanson and Bellinger will provide the Cubs with a new-look lineup, which will likely need further improvements if they want to seriously contend with the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers for the division crown.

The projected starting nine for the Chicago Cubs are as follows:

1. Nico Hoerner, 2B
2. Dansby Swanson, SS
3. Ian Happ, LF
4. Cody Bellinger, CF
5. Patrick Wisdom, 1B
6. Seiya Suzuki, RF,
7. Christopher Morel, 3B
8. Nelson Velásquez, DH
9. Yan Gomes, C.

The team has also managed to piece together a solid pitching rotation entering the 2023 campaign. While they may not have the superstar flamethrowers of the top World Series contenders, they should be effective for Chicago as they look to return to the playoffs.

"#Cubs potential 2023 starting rotation via @WatchMarquee" - Cubs Zone.

The rotation will feature a mixture of Kyle Hendricks, Jameson Taillon, Marcus Stroman, Justin Steele, Hayden Wesneski, and Drew Smyly.

A look at the Chicago Cubs' 2022 season

2022 was disappointing for the Chicago Cubs, as they missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season. While the team did enjoy some promising breakout campaigns from players such as Nico Hoerner and Hayden Wesneski, the real sign of optimism came from Ian Happ.

"Hey Cubs, if you really like Ian Happ and think he’ll continue to be a solid, all-around contributor, work out a contract extension." - Aldo Soto

The six-year pro enjoyed the best season of his career, earning his first All-Star selection as well as his first Gold Glove award. Happ will play a crucial role for the Cubs and should only improve upon his counting stats with the addition of Swanson and Bellinger.