Cubs: 3 glaring roster holes keeping Chicago from World Series contention

1. The Cubs did not take advantage of the universal DH

Maybe the worst decision of all by the Cubs this offseason was to ignore the added DH to the National League. All 15 teams in the NL had a whole winter to improve the lineup by signing or trading for a guy whose bat could do all of the talking. The Cubs have given a lot of those at-bats to Clint Frazier and Rafael Ortega. Neither has hit well and Frazier is already on the IL.

The DH spot doesn’t necessarily have to go to a guy who only hits. The wiser thing to do is to stack your roster with an extra bat. Frazier was already on the decline after some mild success as a member of the New York Yankees. Although early, the change of scenery doesn’t look like it has paid off.

Even less should be expected from Ortega, the 30-year-old journeyman who until 2021 had never had more than 200 at-bats in any one big-league season. A strong Triple-A player, he doesn’t profile well as a big-league designated hitter. He serves a team-best for a little bit of depth and speed—the latter of which he hasn’t really shown off much as a major league player.

Fans can’t get too caught up in the fact that the Cubs rank among the best offensive teams in baseball. Their bloodbath against the Pirates is the cause of this. Soon enough, those numbers will level out. With some weaker choices at the DH spot, the team will need to be in the market for a major upgrade if they want any chance at competing for a World Series.