As the Cubs embark on a new campaign with a new manager (Craig Counsell) at the helm, we answer 24 of the most pressing questions for the 2024 season.

While predictions are fun (especially at this point in the year), it’s impossibly to truly project how an MLB season will play out.

There are always unpredictable aspects for each team throughout a season.

For example: At this point a year ago, who would have predicted that Mike Tauchman would settle in as the team’s leadoff hitter for nearly half the season?

Tauchman was called up in May when Cody Bellinger went on the IL and emerged not only as valuable depth in the outfield (particularly center) but also setting the tone for the lineup against right-handed starting pitchers.

This spring, Craig Counsell told Tauchman on the first day of camp that the journeyman outfielder already had a spot on the Opening Day roster.

“Obviously everything is always subject to change,” Tauchman said. “I didn’t make the team last year. I spent 6 weeks [in Triple-A] then at one point was playing every single day. A lot of things change over the course of the season.”

So who could be the 2024 version of Tauchman? Here are a few players who could emerge as surprise contributors for the Cubs this season:

David Peralta//Garrett Cooper

Let’s start with a pair of veterans who have been in camp this spring as non-roster players. While players like Bellinger and Michael Busch got more fanfare when they were added (or brought back) to the roster, these offseason acquisitions flew under the radar and both carry proven track records.

Patrick Wisdom has been banged up all spring, including a back issue he is currently dealing with. That leaves a possible path for Cooper to land on the Opening Day roster as a right-handed side of the first base platoon and in the DH mix.

Cooper has plenty of experience (481 MLB games) and has been an above-average hitter in his career (.772 OPS, 109 OPS+). He’s been even better against left-handed pitchers (.286 AVG, .816 OPS) and could draw starts against southpaws early in the season.

Peralta is a 10-year veteran who has played in more than 1,100 MLB games and made the postseason 3 times. He won a Silver Slugger Award in 2018 with the Diamondbacks (30 homers, .293 AVG, .868 OPS) and won the Gold Glove in 2019 while also finishing as a finalist behind Ian Happ in the left field Gold Glove race a year ago.

The 36-year-old is another left-handed bat who can play all over the outfield and factor in at DH. He has been much better against right-handed pitchers throughout his career.

Peralta is recovering from offseason elbow surgery and did not get into a spring game until the middle of March, so he will likely start the year in the minors until he is 100% healthy.

Dominic Smith was originally included in this group, but he opted out of his minor-league contract with the Cubs on Friday, a source confirmed.

He was initially in the lineup as part of a split-squad game Friday but was removed for Matt Mervis before first pitch.

Busch is expected to begin the year as the Cubs’ regular first baseman (at least against right-handed pitchers) but he is unproven in the big leagues and if he struggles at all, that would open up a lot of playing time at the position.

The Cubs also enter 2024 without a regular DH and instead plan to use it as a rotating spot. Even if Busch plays well and maintains his spot, the Cubs could play matchups and use a combination of Tauchman or Cooper at DH.

Brennen Davis

Formerly the organization’s unquestioned top prospect, Davis has fallen on rough times the last couple of seasons. He has struggled to stay on the field and even when he has played, back/core injuries have sapped his performance.

But Davis is still only 24 years old and in his last healthy season in 2021, he was stellar: .260/.375/.494 (.869 OPS) with 19 homers, 25 doubles and 66 runs in 100 games. He also reached the Triple-A level that year and looked destined for Wrigley Field at some point in 2022.

He is still on the Cubs’ 40-man roster and if the health returns, the talent is undeniable. Miguel Amaya represents a recent example of a Cubs prospect who fell off the radar due to injuries but surged into prominence last season when a need arose on the big-league roster.

Right now, the Cubs have a crowded outfield picture but that outfield is also pretty left-handed (Cody Bellinger, Ian Happ, Tauchman, Peralta). If the team opts for a right-handed option, Davis could get the call.

Of course, injuries are also impossible to predict and maybe Davis plays his way into consideration if one of the Cubs regular outfielders misses time.

Porter Hodge

The Cubs added the 23-year-old right-handed pitcher to the 40-man roster in November to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.

After working as a starter for almost his entire minor-league career, the Cubs moved Hodge to the bullpen in the middle of last season in Double-A, where he worked as a multi-inning reliever.

Since he’s on the 40-man roster already, it’s possible the Cubs have a short- or long-term need in the bullpen that Hodge could potentially fill at some point this season.

Thomas Pannone/Colten Brewer/Richard Lovelady

This trio of pitchers were part of the latest round of spring cuts that took place Thursday in Cubs camp.

All three are non-roster players and have been around the professional game for a while.

The left-handed Pannone turns 30 in April and has 10 years of minor-league experience under his belt. He has also pitched in the majors (50 games) and represents rotation depth in Triple-A if the Cubs ever need another starter.

Lovelady, 28, is a left-handed reliever who has stellar minor-league numbers (2.24 ERA) as well as some big-league experience (73 games). He had a solid season in the Oakland bullpen last year: 4.63 ERA, 10.7 WHIP, 24 strikeouts in 23.1 innings. The Cubs don’t have many left-handed options in the bullpen and Lovelady could work himself into the mix this year.

Brewer, 31, hast the most extensive experience. He has pitched parts of 5 seasons in the majors with the Padres, Red Sox and Yankees. The results haven’t been great (4.98 ERA in 84 games) but he pitched well in Japan (2.19 ERA in 14 games) and Triple-A (1.35 ERA in 15 games) last season.

The Cubs would need to make a 40-man move to add any of these 3 pitchers to the roster, but a lot could change throughout the course of a long season and the Cubs will take all the pitching depth they can get.

Edwin Escobar

Escobar fits the bill with the above trio as a veteran non-roster pitcher in camp this spring. He turns 32 in April and has plenty of experience in professional baseball.

He was just sent down to minor league camp on Friday in the latest round of spring cuts.

The southpaw last pitched in the majors in 2016 with the Arizona Diamondbacks but has spent the last 7 years with a successful run in Japan (where he was actually Shota Imanaga’s teammate).

In 58 games as a reliever last season for the Yokohama Bay Stars and Cardenales de Lara in the Venezuelan Winter League, Escobar put up a 3.33 ERA and 1.19 WHIP with 46 strikeouts.

If the Cubs need an experienced left-handed reliever at any point this season, they could call Escobar’s number.

Brad Wieck/Ethan Roberts

Both names should be familiar to Cubs fans as Wieck and Roberts have been a part of the Chicago bullpen in recent seasons.

However, both players missed the 2023 campaign while recovering from Tommy John surgery and returned to the team this spring on minor-league deals.

Roberts earned a spot in the 2022 Opening Day bullpen but appeared in only 9 games before injuries struck. He has a 3.09 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 95 career minor league games with more strikeouts (139) than innings pitched (128.1). He’s also still only 26 years old and could find himself back in Chicago at some point this year if health permits.

Wieck has teased his potential as a tall left-handed reliever since he was acquired for Carl Edwards Jr. at the 2019 trade deadline.

Wieck tossed 15 scoreless appearances out of the Cubs bullpen in 2021 while striking out a whopping 39.4% of the batters he faced. He has not pitched in a professional game since then.

If the 32-year-old is able to get back on track health-wise in the minors, he could work his way into the bullpen mix this summer.

Cam Sanders

In continuing with the bullpen theme, Sanders is another intriguing arm that may find himself in Chicago during the 2024 campaign.

The 27-year-old righty has flashed swing-and-miss stuff in his career (10.3 K/9 in 5 minor league seasons) but walks have been a major issue — He doled out 69 free passes in 64.2 innings with Triple-A Iowa last season.

If Sanders can finally harness his control and puts it all together, he could emerge as a dynamic weapon in the bullpen.

Jorge Alfaro/Joe Hudson

The Cubs currently only have 2 catchers on the 40-man roster — Yan Gomes and Miguel Amaya.

If injury strikes that duo at any point, the team will need reinforcements.

Alfaro and Hudson represent catching depth and both should start the year in Triple-A Iowa. They’re still in big-league camp, but Counsell said Thursday that they were informed they were not making the Opening Day roster.

Alfaro, 30, is a former top prospect who has played parts of 8 MLB seasons for the Phillies, Marlins, Padres, Rockies and Red Sox. He has some power, as evidenced by his 18 homers in 130 games in Miami in 2019.

Hudson, 32, has bounced around the minors for the last decade and has only had a cup of coffee (18 games) in the big leagues. He spent 2023 with the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett, posting a .371 on-base percentage with 9 homers in 69 games.

24 for ’24 series

What are the Cubs expecting from Kyle Hendricks in 2024 and beyond?
What role will Drew Smyly fill on the 2024 Cubs?
How will Jameson Taillon fare in Year 2 with Cubs?
How will Shota Imanaga handle the adjustment to MLB?
Who will DH for the Cubs?
Who is the Cubs’ fifth starter?
Will defense once again be the Cubs’ strength?
Can Seiya Suzuki pick up where he left off? 
What are the Cubs’ long-term plans at first base?
Have the Cubs done enough to address their left-handed hitting?
Will Justin Steele replicate his stellar 2023 season?
When will Pete Crow-Armstrong be up with the Cubs in Chicago?
Will Adbert Alzolay be Cubs’ closer again?
Who will hit leadoff?
How will Christopher Morel fare at third base?
How is the Cubs’ bullpen shaping up?
What will Year 2 look like for Dansby Swanson with Cubs?
What will the 2024 Cubs Opening Day roster look like?
How will the Cubs’ catching situation shake out?
Which Cubs prospects will we see in Chicago this season?
Who will be surprise contributors for Cubs this season?