(Audacy) The Cubs have young players in the upper levels of the minor leagues whom they're excited about, and if they prove they're ready to make the jump in 2024, that's a problem that president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer gladly will accept.
Chicago will lean on plenty of veterans as it aims to win a wide-open NL Central, but the emergence of prospects would only help that cause. There was a taste of that in 2023, when Christopher Morel gave the offense a boost with his bat after hitting so well in the minors that the organization had little choice but to promote him.
A similar situation could play out in 2024, with infielder Matt Shaw, right-hander Ben Brown and right-hander Cade Horton among the candidates who could be counted on to contribute later. Third base is arguably the biggest question mark for the Cubs heading into the season, and Shaw has the potential to end up grabbing that role at some point in 2024.
Pitching depth is imperative for any team with its eye on the postseason, and it's possible that 2024 will be the year Brown and Horton get their opportunity.
With Cody Bellinger back and set to play center field with the Cubs making clear that Michael Busch will get plenty of runway to become the everyday first basemen, outfield prospects like Pete Crow-Armstrong and Owen Cassie, who impressed in Cactus League play, got squeezed out of potential big league roles.
Whoever it might be to come up next, Hoyer is confident in the Cubs' young talent and would welcome a prospect forcing him to make a tough decision, as he told the Mully & Haugh Show on Thursday.
"I would love that," Hoyer said. "That's the best situation you can have, when a guy makes it really clear (he's ready). You hope that guys kind of bang the door down and make it clear they're ready for the big leagues, and it's not just because of an injury. If that happens, we'll figure it out. We know that some of these guys that are in the minors have a chance to be really good and want them to be part of our future. If they decide it has to be earlier than we thought, then we'll take that problem. But I think that's ultimately what you want and what you hope for.
"But it is hard, I would say that one of the challenges that we have now is the gap between Triple-A and the big leagues is the biggest it's ever been since I've been doing this. Major League pitching is so good that it's sometimes hard to sometimes evaluate that. So even when a guy does that, I still think you have to anticipate the same struggles because the gap is wider. But certainly if a guy wants to throw up crazy numbers and dominate — kind of like Morel did last year — that's a great problem, and something we'll certainly look forward to if that happens."
