Cubs expecting hitters to take steps forward, but that alone won’t replace Cody Bellinger

Nam Y. Huh/AP

Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer speaks during the news conference at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. MESA, Ariz. – With the Cubs’ first official full squad workout scheduled for Monday, talk around camp has been full of optimism. That’s almost always the case when a team is having to come to terms with the possibility that they won’t make any more major additions before Opening Day.

“We struggled in September and fell a game short with a team that I feel like probably should have been in the postseason,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said this week. “And I think we've added some really good players this winter. I do think…