Chicago Cubs projected lineup, rotation for 2022 MLB season

The Chicago Cubs finished last season with a record of 71-91 and fourth place in the NL Central. The Cubs surprisingly turned the page on the Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant era as they were all traded by the deadline. However, Chicago hopes to create a brand new era of baseball at Wrigley Field with some new and old faces.

Update, Opening Day — Here’s a look at the Cubs lineup for their matchup with the Milwaukee Brewers on Opening Day. There are a few players shifted around with Schwindel batting fifth and Nick Madrigal up in the lineup in the 2-hole.

Chicago Cubs projected starting lineup

1. Rafael Ortega (DH)
2. Frank Schwindel (1B)
3. Willson Contreras (C)
4. Ian Happ (LF)
5. Seiya Suzuki (RF)
6. Jason Heyward (CF)
7. Patrick Wisdom (3B)
8. Nico Hoerner (SS)
9. Nick Madrigal (2B)

The new addition to the Cubs’ starting lineup is Seiya Suzuki, who was signed to a five-year, $85 million deal out of Japan. The 27-year-old outfielder put in work over the last nine years in the NPB, where he hit .315/.414/.570 with 182 home runs. Along with Suzuki, the Cubs will hope that Schwindel and Wisdom can build off solid 2021 seasons where they carried their offense.

Projected rotation

1. Kyle Hendricks
2. Marcus Stroman
3. Drew Smyly
4. Wade Miley
5. Alec Mills

The Cubs made a sizable splash this offseason with the signing of Stroman. The 30-year-old starter is coming off a quality 2021 season with the New York Mets, where he had a record of 10-13 and 3.02 ERA in 33 games. Chicago will hope to get a similar performance this year as the rest of their rotation is a giant question mark.