Dansby Swanson’s expected return this weekend gives the Cubs something they’ve lacked for stretches this season: a clean, almost no-drama playoff lineup card.
That matters. While bigger issues are still hanging over the team, Swanson coming back sharpens the picture for Craig Counsell on the position-player side.
For most of the year, the Cubs have had a pretty clear sense of who belongs where. With Swanson back in the mix, that gets even easier to map out.
Against right-handed pitching, the Cubs’ ideal playoff order is fairly direct:
Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF
Seiya Suzuki, RF
Alex Bregman, 3B
Michael Busch, 1B
Ian Happ, LF
Nico Hoerner, 2B
Michael Conforto, DH
Dansby Swanson, SS
Carson Kelly, C
The one spot that feels a little less settled is No. 4, but Busch is starting to show signs of being the version Cubs fans saw last year. Entering play on Wednesday, he had six hits in his last 20 plate appearances, along with a home run and four RBI. If the power is coming back, that’s a major lift for Chicago heading into October.
There’s also a clear warning label attached to Ian Happ and Michael Conforto. In a playoff game, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Counsell go to Matt Shaw, Pedro Ramirez, or Tyrone Taylor as soon as a left-handed pitcher enters.
Against left-handed pitching, the lineup should look different, and the logic is simple: stack the bats that have handled southpaws best near the top.
Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF
Alex Bregman, 3B
Tyrone Taylor, LF
Seiya Suzuki, RF
Matt Shaw, DH
Nico Hoerner, 2B
Michael Busch, 1B
Dansby Swanson, SS
Carson Kelly, C
Taylor has a 156 wRC+ against lefties this season, and Shaw sits at 141, so both belong in the starting group when the Cubs are facing a southpaw.
The lower part of the order is more flexible, but it’s hard to argue with Busch, Swanson, and Kelly being in there somewhere. Counsell has also shown a willingness to get Happ into games later when a left-handed starter is out, so that’s something to watch. Even so, given the lows Happ has hit this season, he shouldn’t be near the top of the priority list for October playing time.
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For the Cubs, it is another reminder that bullpen help is more likely to come from within than from a familiar name elsewhere. Chicago has already been looking at its own internal arms for late-season support, with Gavin Hollowell among the pitchers in the conversation, while Zastryznys path now looks more like a reset than a race to the playoffs. [Read more 🡒]
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Ian Happ Enters Free Agency With One Costly Question Hanging Over Him
Ian Happ is heading into free agency with the kind of rsum that usually plays well on the market, anchored by his defense and a reputation as one of the more dependable veterans in the Cubs lineup. The four-time Gold Glove winner has been a steady presence in Chicago, but the next chapter of his career comes with a lingering issue that front offices will not ignore: his struggles as a right-handed hitter.
For the Cubs, it is a familiar winter question about value, fit and whether a player can be trusted to stay in his current form. Happs split as a switch-hitter has fueled talk that he may eventually have to rethink that part of his game, and that uncertainty could shape what he gets on his next deal. Seiya Suzuki is also set to test the market, though his profile is expected to draw much stronger interest, leaving Happ in the more complicated spot of trying to sell teams on the player he is now and the version of him they hope still exists. [Read more 🡒]