Chicago Cubs fans have historically been a patient lot, once waiting more than a century for their team to win a World Series.

Yet those fans are getting restless.

When the Cubs won the World Series in 2016 for their first title since 1908, it seemed that they were set up to win multiple championships. However, the Cubs haven’t been back to the Fall Classic and haven’t even reached the postseason since winning the National League Central during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

Even a seismic shift in the manager’s office did not make a difference last season.

The Cubs finished 83-79 in 2023, and franchise icon David Ross was fired and replaced by Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell on a five-year, $40-million contract. The Cubs then went 83-79 again despite Counsell being the highest-paid manager in baseball history.

Counsell seemingly has a lot of job security. The same cannot be said for president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, entering the final year of his contract.

Hoyer and former boss Theo Epstein were the architects of the ’16 team. However, that may not be enough to save Hoyer’s job if the Cubs don’t reach the playoffs this year.

Hoyer isn’t fixated on his situation. However, he is confident that the Cubs are contenders for the division title this season following a string of offseason roster moves.

Kyle Tucker Should Boost Offense

The Cubs made two separate trades with the Houston Astros to acquire right fielder Kyle Tucker and closer Ryan Pressly. Considering those players fill the Cubs’ two biggest needs and are eligible for free agency at the end of the year, it’s obvious Hoyer is in win-now mode as both eligible for free agency at the end of the season.

Tucker should provide a big boost to a lineup that was 20th in the major leagues in home runs last season. Tucker went deep 23 times in just 78 games last year when he was sidelined by a bruised right shin while posting a .289/.408/.585 slash line and 11 stolen bases.

Despite playing less than half the season, Tucker produced 4.7 bWAR. That followed seasons of 5.7 in 2021, 5.4 in 2022 and 5.4 in 2023. Tucker had a 145 OPS+ during that four-year span.

Seiya Suzuki will become the primary designated hitter with Tucker taking over in right. Tucker figures to bat second in the order between left fielder Ian Happ and Suzuki.

“I think we all looked at our team last year, we had a lot of good players, we had a lot of guys that were kind of three-win projections, we just didn’t have anyone that projected to be able to carry us,” Hoyer said. “At some point, having those five- and six-win players makes a big difference. So, we didn’t have that premium bat in the lineup, and he was an obvious target for us.”

Ryan Pressly Is Cubs’ New Closer

Pressly will return to the closer’s role in Chicago after ceding that job in Houston last year after Josh Hader was signed as a free agent. He had a fine season in a set-up role with a 3.49 ERA and four saves in 59 games.

Pressly had 33 saves when in 2022 when the Astros won the World Series then notched 31 the following the season.

Hector Neris led the Cubs with 17 saves last season but was released in August. Rookie Porter Hodge took as the closer and had eight saves in nine opportunities to end the season. However, the Cubs felt they needed a veteran closer to take pressure off Hodge.

The Cubs feel they have further strengthened a bullpen that was 12th in MLB in ERA by trading for Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Ryan Brasier and signing veteran lefty Caleb Thielbar.

“You try to lengthen everything out,” Hoyer said. “The more good arms and experienced arms you can have in the bullpen the better off you’re going to be. That’s one of the things we talked about at the beginning of the offseason. You need as much pitching as you can because the season is a marathon. You know there are going to be injuries and so many things are going to happen. I feel good about our depth.”

Despite ranking sixth in the big leagues in starters’ ERA, the Cubs added Matthew Boyd to give them a third left-hander in their rotation with Shota Imanaga and Justin Steele.

Hoyer also remade the bench by signing catcher Carson Kelly and infielders Justin Turner and Jon Berti in free agency and trading with the Florida Marlins.

More Comfort For Craig Counsell

The Cubs should benefit from Counsell having a year of experience. Though Counsell managed the Brewers for nine years, Chicago is a more high-profile market than his hometown of Milwaukee.

“Everything about it is different this year in the sense that now you’re having conversations about players, and he has an opinion now, like a real opinion, instead of ‘OK, I’ve seen this guy on video or whatever,’” Hoyer said. “It’s just a different dialogue. He’s also got to put together the coaching staff, and so I think that it just provides a natural level of comfort.

“Last year, he was very much in the spotlight and that’s not his personality, not how he wants to operate,” Jed Hoyer added. “So, I think it’s nice now that people are focused on our players more than him and I think that that’ll allow him to kind of operate that way a little better. I think there is more of a comfort level.”