Friends. Feast your eyes on the first signs of spring …

That’s right! We have batting practice clips from the backfields in Mesa, Arizona!

Since I was old enough to consume them on the local evening sports cast, b-roll (and now cell phone video) of batting practice at Spring Training has been the first sign of spring for my internal clock.

Pitchers, catchers, and early-reporting players have arrived in Mesa for Cubs Spring Training. It’s a beautiful sight to see.

With that, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer took the podium today to discuss a bevy of items. Here are the highlights from today’s media availability that was streamed on Marquee and the Cubs X account.

Jed Hoyer on Cody Bellinger (and other free agents):

“There’s a lot of good free agents out there. Certainly, it’s been a really late, evolving offseason. Every day, we’re in contact with different free agents. We may well add one or more players to the roster. But at this point, as we sit down and think about it, it is Feb. 14. It is Day 1 of spring training. We’re trying to focus on the guys that are here.”

We get it, it’s early (in Spring Training). But, the Cubs brass has been using the “it’s early” line all winter.

Hoyer referred to the Winter Meetings as “the second or third inning” of their offseason. At Cubs Convention, he described their current stage in the offseason as being in the "fourth or fifth inning" of their timeline.

On Wednesday in Mesa, Hoyer said that “The closer’s definitely warming up at this point.” So, that means we’re past the seventh inning stretch and down to the final outs.

Fortunately for the Cubs, Cody Bellinger is only a call to the bullpen away. Bellinger lives near the Cubs Mesa complex in the offseason, so he’s literally there the next morning if they can strike a deal.

Alas, we shall see.

Jed Hoyer on taking the next step in 2024:

The Cubs missed the playoffs by one game last season. Jed Hoyer was asked what gives him the confidence that the Cubs can take the next step this season.

“Last year was exciting in so many ways,” Hoyer said. “I think that we did a lot of really good things, obviously, but we struggled in September and fell a game short with a team that I felt probably should have been in the postseason. I think we’ve added some really good players this winter and I do think that we have a lot of young players and some veteran young players that I think have a chance to take some real steps forward.

“The most exciting thing for me, is that I feel like we have a deep roster, and we have a deep roster of players that I think have a chance to continue to get better. I think that gives me a lot of hope that we could accomplish this year what we couldn’t last year.”

Got it, internal development.

As Hoyer mentioned, the Cubs did add some nice players this offseason. They inked Shota Imanaga to a four-year deal, making him an immediate rotation fixture. They also made a trade to acquire infielder Michael Busch and reliever Yency Almonte from the Los Angeles Dodgers.

But that’s about it. To me, Hoyer’s words today reflect what much of we all see externally—they’re heavily banking on internal growth from the players already on the roster to take the next step in 2024. For now, anyway.

Jed Hoyer on the lack of left-handed hitting depth on the roster right now:

“We were excited to bring in Michael Busch. Obviously he had a really good year in the minors last year, and we’re excited to bring his bat into the lineup. We have some young players that certainly can help, but that’s something that we talk a lot about internally, that we are a pretty right-handed team and those right-handed hitters are going to have to hit right-handed pitching.”

That’s as close to saying, ‘look, we know we need more left-handed bats, and we’re trying (cough, Cody Bellinger, cough), but we’re just going to have to wing it with what we’ve got right now’ as Hoyer could come without actually saying that.

Which makes the Bellinger signing that much more important. But we already knew that. So I digress.

Craig Counsell on the advantages of managing players on the Cubs this year that he’s spent time managing against while in Milwaukee:

“I think it cuts both ways, really,” Counsel said. “They’ve seen me, and I’ve seen them a lot too. … There’s some familiarity from competing for sure, and that feels good, it really does, and really, there’s already a connection there because of that and I like that, and it’s a place for us to start a conversation.”

This is fun, right? I love baseball being back. I’m also going to enjoy the challenge of covering the Cubs here in this Newsletter five days a week this spring and summer. Everyone who’s familiar with Bleacher Nation knows that I’m (along with Matt Rooney) in the minority in my baseball allegiance to the White Sox.

But I look forward to the professional challenge of covering a team that I’m not a fan of. I did it for the last year with 31 other NFL teams, I’ll do it this summer with the Cubs. Just remember, it’s my Spring Training too when it comes to Cubs coverage.

Also, it probably goes without saying, but Brett and Michael already provide some incredible Cubs coverage on the website, and mine will look and feel a little bit different, because I’m not a fan. But I don’t do anything half-assed, so it’ll be worth your time.

Yesterday’s Best

CHICAGO BEARS

• Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh hired former Bears head coach Marc Trestman as an offensive assistant. Imagine if the Bears had hired Harbaugh, and he brought Trestman back in (lol)!

• A terrible tragedy unfolded at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade on Wednesday. Michael has the details:

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

• The Chicago Blackhawks have a Lukas Reichel problem, wrote Tab Bamford on Wednesday.

CHICAGO BULLS

• DeMar DeRozan is releasing a new series on mental health:

CHICAGO CUBS

• Some Cubs players had some things to say about Cody Bellinger on Wednesday in Mesa.

• Speaking of, Brett takes a look at what the Cubs lineup might look like without Bellinger or Matt Chapman.

• For your office/fridge!

What’s on deck?

The Blackhawks are in action tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Puck drop is set for 7:30 PM CT. You can catch the action on NBC Sports Chicago and ESPN+.

This February and Black History Month, you can honor some lesser-known heroes of basketball history with HOMAGE’s new collection dedicated to the Black Fives Era. Never heard of The Black Fives Era? That’s okay. It’s always a good time to learn something new. 

The Black Fives Era refers to the groundbreaking all-black basketball teams in the United States between 1904-1950 (before the NBA integrated). These all-Black teams battled racial barriers to showcase their talent and passion for the game, while facing segregation and carving their own path in ballrooms, basements, and beyond.

Dozens of teams participated in the Black Fives Era from New York City to Chicago, where the Chicago Savoy were established in 1927! You can read all about Chicago’s Black Fives team, the Savoy, right here!

So why am I bringing it up today? Because we, Bleacher Nation, have partnered with HOMAGE to help promote awareness of the Black Fives Era during black history month and help raise some money for the Black Fives Foundation.

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Feature Photo: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports