Predictions for the 2023 Cubs

Who knows, maybe some of these will be bold, maybe some will be realistic and maybe a few will be boring. Let's see what my brain is thinking on Dec. 28, 2022, about the 2023 Chicago Cubs.

• I forgot who mentioned it on Twitter, but I've been thinking about this possibility for a few weeks and I think Keegan Thompson will at some point be the Cubs closer in 2023. The team has a lot of pitching depth and it does kind of seem like Thompson's stuff works better out of the bullpen. The roster doesn't really have a set closer, so maybe David Ross turns to Thompson to save games next season.
• Kyle Hendricks only makes 10 starts with the Cubs in 2023. That shoulder scares me, man. I've been pretty pessimistic about Hendricks and his injured shoulder for a week, but there's also the chance the Cubs trade Hendricks at some point next summer and that's why he only makes 10 starts.
• Nico Hoerner wins gold glove at second base. I've always loved his defense and Hoerner's proven in the past how good he is at second base. And it's not like there's been one guy winning them all for a while like Nolan Arenado at third base. There have been six different gold glove winners at second base in the NL since 2015. Move aside, Brendan Rodgers, it's Nico is next up!
• Seiya Suzuki hits 25+ home runs in 2023. In his first MLB season, Suzuki hit 14 home runs in 446 plate appearances. So, I'm banking on a few things here. First, a fully healthy year for Suzuki should bring him to about 150 games and at least 600 plate appearances. Home run total should go up automatically based on that alone and I'm thinking MLB will do something about their balls because fans love offense and you get more offense with home runs. And hey, this isn't even that big of a stretch, seeing as Fangraphs projects Suzuki to hit 26 home runs in 2023.
• The catchers are actually bad and we hate it here. Sorry, I'm not too optimistic about Yan Gomes and Tucker Barnhart, at least on offense. That's what I'm predicting here: bad offense from the catchers. Really going out on a limb there.
• Hayden Wesneski gets Rookie of the Year votes. I am a big believer in Wesneski. Give him a fair shot to win a rotation spot and even if he doesn't at the start of the year I think he'll eventually join the rotation and be a stud. That'd be cool.
• Cubs trade one of their top-five prospects. I don't know who or for what, but it kind of seems like the time that a team that wants to compete for the playoffs begins to add important pieces to a roster and whether you like it or not, that sometimes involves moving a top prospect or two to get a proven player in return.
• Cody Bellinger has a 104 wRC+. That would be a huge improvement from where he's been the past couple seasons with the Dodgers, but nothing spectacular. I still think he can hit 20+ homers, but the strikeouts are still going to be high.
• The Cubs finish in second place in the NL Central. The division is bad.
• The Cubs win 85 games, but miss the playoffs. The division is bad, but the NL is loaded around the Cubs. See, I'm not completely buying into all the Cubs hype. I think they can be decent, but they're still missing some star power. Who knows, maybe a few prospects can make the difference, but those are my 2023 Cubs predictions for now.