First Base Is a Problem the Cubs Cannot Patch From Within

Michael Busch is the starter at first base, and there is no real plan behind him. BJ Murray Jr. is listed as the backup, but he logged essentially no meaningful production this season — the kind of depth that exists on paper and nowhere else. If Busch misses time, the Cubs have a hole, not a contingency.

Pedro Ramírez shows up third on the depth chart and actually put up solid numbers in limited action, but he is primarily a third baseman, and asking him to cover first in a pinch is a workaround, not a solution. The position needs real attention this offseason.

It is worth noting that first base is not the only thing Jed Hoyer's front office has to sort out. The rotation is a wreck, with nine arms finishing the year on the 60-day IL. The bullpen is thin. The offense faded badly down the stretch. First base is one item on a long list. But it is also the kind of quiet structural gap — no depth, no fallback — that tends to become a crisis the moment the starter gets hurt. My read is that this one needs a legitimate backup, not another name to fill a roster slot.

The Cubs went 89-73 and missed the postseason in the final days. They have real pieces. Addressing the soft spots at first base this winter is the kind of move that does not make headlines but matters in May.