Welcome back to the Cubs Beat newsletter. Jordan Bastian has covered baseball for MLB.com since 2005, including the Cubs since the 2019 season.

In order to make a postseason push in 2023, the Cubs sought free-agent reinforcements. The North Siders added an impact starter in Jameson Taillon, a comeback candidate and former MVP in center fielder Cody Bellinger and reeled in star shortstop Dansby Swanson with a blockbuster contract.

Those pieces should help strengthen the roster in different ways, but breakout showings from some in-house pieces would really help. Here are five players already in hand who could determine the trajectory of the North Siders in 2023.

1. Seiya Suzuki

There were plenty of challenges for Suzuki to navigate in his first Major League season in 2022. Not only did he have to learn new pitchers and delivery styles, but the Cubs’ outfielder had to adjust to travel, different time zones, a new city, language barriers and more. He burst onto the scene (.934 OPS in April) and finished strong (.847 OPS in his last month) and encountered injury setbacks and a midseason adjustment period as pitchers learned his tendencies. Suzuki should better know what to expect and how to handle it in ’23, setting him up for a potential breakout. That would do wonders for Chicago’s lineup.

2. Justin Steele

Steele already enjoyed a breakout showing of sorts in 2022, but health setbacks limited him to 24 starts and 119 innings. In ’23, the Cubs could benefit from having him develop into a rotation workhorse. The 27-year-old lefty had a 3.18 ERA and was in the 95th percentile in barrel rate (3.9 percent). He was stellar from June to August, posting a 2.05 ERA in that span. That trailed only Dylan Cease (1.47 ERA), Justin Verlander (1.72 ERA) and Julio Urías (1.97 ERA) in the Majors in that stretch (min. 70 IP).

3. Christopher Morel

In a perfect world, the Cubs would build up enough depth to where Morel can fill in as a super utility man until he better establishes himself as an everyday player. The energetic and exciting Morel bounced all over the diamond in 2022 (second, short, third, center and left) and was outstanding across May and June (.836 OPS) before a late-season slide (.667 OPS from July on). The additions of Bellinger and Swanson should help Chicago find the best days and matchups to get the most out of Morel as he continues to learn and grow.

4. Adbert Alzolay

Alzolay could be an answer for a Cubs bullpen filled with question marks. The righty returned from a season-long shoulder issue in September and was electric down the stretch as a multi-inning reliever. His velocity was up, and the small-sample success was impressive (19 strikeouts vs. two walks in 13 1/3 innings). For his MLB career, Alzolay has a 2.32 ERA with 55 strikeouts and 11 walks in 42 2/3 innings as a reliever (18 games), compared to a 5.19 ERA in 130 innings (27 games) with 134 strikeouts vs. 47 walks as a starter.

5. Hayden Wesneski

Acquired from the Yankees for reliever Scott Effross last season, the 25-year-old Wesneski opened eyes with his late-season audition. In six games (four starts), the righty spun a 2.18 ERA with 33 strikeouts and seven walks in 33 innings. There is no guarantee Wesneski (MLB Pipeline’s No. 12 Cubs prospect) cracks the Opening Day roster, but there is a huge opportunity for him to seize a rotation job.

Swanson finished the 2022 season with 25 homers, 96 RBIs and 99 runs scored. Who was the last Cub to hit those marks in a season while playing at least 75% of his games at shortstop?

A. Ernie Banks

B. Javier Báez

C. Shawon Dunston

D. Addison Russell

Swanson’s seven-year, $177 million contract with the Cubs is the second-largest free-agent deal in team history. Here’s a look at the other four deals in the top five of Chicago’s list.

OF Jason Heyward

Contract: Eight years, $184 million

Heyward’s legacy in Chicago will center mostly around his veteran leadership, elite defense and, of course, his famous rain-delay speech late in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. His Cubs tenure was a statistical disappointment. He took home Gold Glove Awards in ’16 and ’17 and had a few highlight-reel moments at the plate. But, ultimately, Heyward’s production led to his release after the ’22 season. Chicago will still pay him $22 million in 2023.

LHP Jon Lester

Contract: Six years, $155 million

Simply put, Lester’s deal with the Cubs was the best free-agent pact in team history and arguably among the best in baseball history. He joined the team ahead of 2015 and immediately helped turn it into a contender. The Cubs made the playoffs in five of his six years and won the 2016 World Series. In Chicago, Lester made two All-Star teams, was an NL Cy Young runner-up (2016), went 77-44 with a 3.64 ERA in 171 games and logged a 2.44 ERA in the postseason.

OF Alfonso Soriano

Contract: Eight years, $136 million

Soriano signed with the Cubs ahead of the 2007 season and was a part of back-to-back division winners in ’07-08. He made the All-Star team in each of those years, with his best showing coming in ’07, when he hit .299 with 33 homers, 42 doubles, 97 runs and an .897 OPS. Soriano spent parts of seven years with Chicago, who traded him to the Yankees in ‘13.

RHP Yu Darvish

Contract: Six years, $126 million

The Cubs reeled in Darvish ahead of 2018, when injury issues limited him to just eight starts. The right-hander found his footing in ’19 and was then the NL Cy Young Award runner-up in the abbreviated ’20 season (2.01 ERA in 12 starts). Prior to ’21, Chicago dealt Darvish to the Padres in a blockbuster to help trim payroll and add prospects.

“I've said what I thought about him throughout the year. Gold Glove, everything else, the work he's put in -- he's become an amazing player. And definitely, in my mind, arguably the best defensive shortstop in the game. Really, the work that he's done is incredible.” -- Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos on Dansby Swanson at the GM Meetings

A. Banks

When you see his name, well, the answer is probably “Mr. Cub.” Banks hit 47 homers, 129 RBIs and 119 runs in his MVP-winning 1958 season. Báez was an offensive force in 2018, but he split his time between second, short and third that summer.

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