Kuzul

The focus tends to be on who will make the team in spring training for most teams. For the Chicago Cubs, most of that appears to be set. However, there are a couple of position battles that should be intriguing. Unfortunately for some, losing these battles could mean starting the season in Triple-A or looking for a job this summer.

With spring training games set to get underway soon, many Cubs players, young and old, have plenty to prove. Based on the situation they’re in, here are five players who could be cut or demoted if they don’t really impress this spring.

Begin Slideshow

For the first time in a very long time, the Chicago Cubs seem ready to compete for the playoffs. A lot of that has to do with their improved roster in every area of the team. While making the playoffs will still be a tough task in 2015, this current Cubs team has the talent to get it done.

This spring training, there doesn’t figure to be too many intense position battles, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty to watch in Mesa, Arizona. Here’s a preview of what to look for from each position in the field as spring training gets underway.

Begin Slideshow

It’s no secret the Chicago Cubs are supposed to be much improved this season after a very busy offseason. It remains to be seen just how improved they are, but their roster from this year compared to last appears to be much stronger. 

Fans know names like Jon Lester, Miguel Montero and Dexter Fowler, but there are other players waiting for an opportunity to prove themselves. Some of these players will try to impress in spring training. Here are five who could surprise people this March.

Begin Slideshow

First, Cubs fans had to wait for months for the team to sign ace Jon Lester. Now, it has seemed like an even more excruciating wait for spring training since there’s so much excitement surrounding this much-improved team. 

Opening Day is just two months away, and, for the first time in five years, there is hope on the north side of Chicago. The front-office tandem of Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer have stayed the course, and 2015 may be the first year the fruits of their labor are rewarded with 80-plus wins.

Everything you need to know about the Cubs heading into spring training is right here.

Begin Slideshow

The Chicago Cubs enter the 2015 season with high hopes. They have more stability than they’ve had in several years, and some of their bright young stars are finally starting to fall into place. For all that stability, the Cubs still have a few question marks heading into the year.

It’s not a bad thing to have competition in spring training, and the Cubs will have exactly that at a few positions as the spring wears on.

Here are three key position battles entering spring training and who’s most likely to win the job.

Begin Slideshow

Friday night, the Chicago Cubs, which had been used to getting good news during the past few months, got a piece of devastatingly bad news: “Mr. Cub” Ernie Banks, the greatest player in franchise history, died at the age of 83, per ESPN.com.

Undoubtedly, the team will honor Banks by wearing a commemorative patch this season, but the Cubs must honor him by more than just wearing his patch on their jerseys—they must honor him with their play on the field.

Banks, who made his debut on Sept. 17, 1953, was so many things to so many different people.

He was a beacon of light for many African-Americans in Chicago, as he was the first black player to ever wear the Cubs uniform. He was a source of optimism for a fanbase that sorely needed it. Most importantly, he was a lover of baseball, and because of that, fans couldn’t help but love him.

You would think it would be viewed as a curse to be the best player in the history of a cursed franchise, but Banks never viewed it that way. He saw it as a blessing.

While he might have never played a single postseason game—despite playing in 2,528 in the regular season (most in big-league history without appearing in a playoff game)—he tried to will the Cubs to the promised land every season.

It never quite happened for him, and it still hasn’t happened for the Cubs, who will be entering their 44th season without Banks in the starting lineup this spring. While it’s a shame Banks won’t be around to see the Cubs ever win a World Series, this team needs to seal the deal in honor of its late legend.

That’s not to say the Cubs need to win the World Series this year—that’s pretty lofty expectations for such a young team—but in the next three to four years, they should definitely be challenging for titles.

None of the young players coming up through the system saw Mr. Cub play, but they likely know what he means to the organization. They need to bring the toughness Banks did day in and day out. They need to have the perseverance he had, knowing the team needed to earn every little thing.

Most importantly, they need to love baseball—because with their talent, the rest will fall into place.

Ernie Banks never saw the Cubs win a World Series, but one thing is sure: If the Cubs are on the brink of a World Series title anytime soon, Banks will be smiling down among the baseball gods.

He won’t be saying his patented “let’s play two,” but rather, he will simply be saying, “let’s just win one.”

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Changes are everywhere on the North Side of Chicago this baseball season. The bleachers—which won’t be fully constructed until May—are undergoing renovations, a big board is going up in left-center field, and the product on the field is changing drastically.

Obviously, any change from the past five miserable years of Chicago Cubs baseball is welcomed by a fanbase hungry for a World Series title that has eluded them for over a decade.

Based on their moves this offseason and the performances by returning players last season, here are the projections for who will be in Cubs uniforms when they open the MLB season against the Cardinals on Sunday Night Baseball, April 5.

Begin Slideshow

The Chicago Cubs made several big moves this offseason to help them in 2015 and beyond. For the first time in a while, they should be relatively competitive this upcoming season. However, they didn’t sign these players just to be good in 2015, they signed them to be good through the life of their contract.

Ultimately, whether each player earns their money will come down to how they compete over the life of their deals. Here are predictions for the team’s three biggest offseason acquisitions and how they will do over the entire course of their contracts.

Begin Slideshow

Most around the baseball world think the Chicago Cubs had a very successful offseason. After all, they added coveted ace Jon Lester to the fold and bolstered their bench, bullpen and catcher spot. Suddenly, the playoffs don’t seem like a pipe dream for the Cubs in 2015. 

For individual players and units on the team, this offseason affected each differently. Some largely benefit from the moves made this offseason, while others do not. Here are the three biggest winners and losers for the Cubs based on their offseason moves.

Begin Slideshow

With about a month left to go in the MLB regular season, I took a crack at predicting the Cubs‘ 2015 Opening Day roster. While a lot remains unchanged, there are a lot of new players who have been added to the mix this offseason. 

That being said, here’s a look at what the 25-man roster should look like, as well as what the roster prediction looked like back in September. If you want to take a look at those predictions in full, you can visit the article here.

Begin Slideshow