3 moves the Chicago Cubs need to make after the lockout

The Chicago Cubs offseason is currently on pause as Major League Baseball and Major League Baseball Players Association continue to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement. Major League Baseball’s instituted a lockout the first day of December and since then, teams have not been able to make any transactions at the Major League level.

Prior to the lockout, the Cubs had just began making moves to improve their Major League roster. The completed transactions for the Cubs thus for at the Major League level were a successful waiver claim of former Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Wade Miley; signing veteran catcher Yan Gomes; signing former Pittsburgh Pirates top outfield prospect Clint Frazier; and signing former New York Mets starting pitcher Marcus Stroman.

The signing of Stroman was perhaps the most significant move that the Cubs have made thus far in the offseason. Prior to the signing, the direction for the 2022 Cubs was unclear. After the selloff that the Cubs underwent at the trade deadline last season, there was a belief that the Cubs would enter a rebuild period. However, with Stroman now in the fold, the thought is that the Cubs may look to return to contention next season.

Once the lockout ends, the Chicago Cubs will need to be prepared to make moves in order to return to contention in 2022.

If the Cubs are going to contend in 2022, then the team will need to be prepared for once the lockout ends. Once free agency resumes, there is going to be a flurry of moves that will occur as teams look to finalize their Major League roster before what is likely going to be an abbreviated version of Spring Training. In particular, there are three moves that the Cubs will need to make if they do indeed plan on contending next season.