The Cubs came into the 2024 season feeling extremely confident about one area of their team: Defense.

They finished 2023 ranked 6th in Major League Baseball with 36 Defensive Runs Saved. The Cubs also had 3 Gold Glove winners (Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner, Ian Happ) for the first time in franchise history.

The Cubs thought defense would once again be a strength of the team and bordering on the elite level this year.

It hasn’t played out that way, which has been one of the most puzzling aspects of the 2024 Cubs.

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The Cubs currently sit 16th in MLB with 10 DRS, down quite a bit from their performance a year ago.

But things have shifted of late and defense has once again been a strength of this team.

The Cubs have flashed their glovework this week in Cleveland.

Happ threw out 2 runners on his birthday Monday in Cleveland, continuing his run as one of the best outfielders in the game at nabbing baserunners.

Pete Crow-Armstrong makes things look easy in center field, tracking down balls at the wall that most other big-league outfielders wouldn’t even come close to.

Seiya Suzuki chipped in with a great catch in right field Tuesday, leaping and banging into the outfield wall.

“I think we have an above-average defense and definitely the capabilities of being an above-average defense,” Cubs GM Carter Hawkins told reporters before Tuesday night’s game. “We haven’t always played like that but the amount of Gold Glovers we have on the field and where they are at their careers, we should continue to improve.

“We’ve seen that over the course of the year, and would definitely expect that to continue to happen over the course of next year as well.”

There is certainly reason for optimism with this defensive group.

In addition to arguably the strongest middle-infield combination in the game (Swanson-Hoerner), Isaac Paredes represents a pretty substantial upgrade over Christopher Morel at third base.

Despite 3 errors in 13 games with the Cubs, Paredes still rates as about league average defensively. That’s a big improvement for the Cubs compared to Morel, who ranks as one of the worst defenders in the entire league.

Crow-Armstrong has already filled up a tape full of highlight-reel plays this season but he hasn’t even been up in the majors all year (Tuesday was only his 82nd game of the season). The Cubs’ defense has been at its strongest with the rookie in center field and that’s exactly how it will look over the final 6-plus weeks.

The outfield will also get a boost defensively whenever Cody Bellinger is able to return to the field. He has been relegated exclusively to DH duties since he returned from a broken finger on his left hand but he could be ready to play the field soon.

When he does, Bellinger could play right field — where he won a Gold Glove in 2019. Bellinger has been a good defensive center fielder but with an elite option out there now (Crow-Armstrong), moving Bellinger to right and replacing Suzuki would strengthen the overall team defense.

Then there’s first base, where Michael Busch has come on strong over the last couple of months and could wind up challenging for the National League Gold Glove.

Busch came into 2024 without much big-league experience at first base but as he has gained more reps at the position, he has flourished.

“[I’ve seen] a lot of increase in his comfort — not only in his ability to catch ground balls but also in his ability to make the stretch, make the picks,” Hawkins said. “Just feels like his feet, his glove and all of the different approaches over there just synced up more effectively.

“I think it’s a comfort thing. Obviously just gotten a lot of reps. He’s worked really hard pregame as well and we’ve definitely seen the results on the field.”

The Cubs’ pitching staff has been a strength all season and if the defense continues to trend positively, the team’s run prevention will be an asset in the race for the playoffs.