Jed Hoyer and the Cubs front office have made it a mission to improve a team that has won 83 games in consecutive seasons without a playoff berth.

On paper, it appears they’ve accomplished that.

But that doesn’t mean the roster is complete or without questions.

The Cubs have about six weeks before they play a game that counts in the standings, so let’s look at a few of the position battles that will need to be answered over that month and a half.

[Cubs spring training: Three storylines to follow with pitchers and catchers set to report]

Bullpen

Our depth chart:

CL: Ryan Pressly
SU: Porter Hodge
SU: Ryan Brasier
RP: Caleb Thielbar
RP: Tyson Miller
RP: Julian Merryweather
RP: Keegan Thompson
LRP/6th Starter: Colin Rea

No positional battle will be more fascinating to follow than that of the Cubs’ relief corps. There are eight spots and seven players with no minor-league options: Pressly, Brasier, Thielbar, Miller, Merryweather, Thompson and Rea.

That means interesting arms like Nate Pearson (who was in Craig Counsell’s circle of trust last season), Eli Morgan (who had a 1.93 ERA in 32 games for Cleveland) and up-and-coming lefty Luke Little would start the year in Triple-A. Other names to watch in camp that will try and put their name in the pitching mix include righties Ben Brown (who had a 3.58 ERA in 55.1 innings in his rookie campaign) and Ethan Roberts (who returned from Tommy John surgery last year and had a 3.71 ERA in 21 games).

Of course, a lot can happen in six weeks and the Cubs will have two extra roster spots (one extra pitcher) for the two-game set in Tokyo. But the Cubs will likely want some roster flexibility in their bullpen in terms of option-able arms and not just have Hodge, who was the team’s closer by the end of last year, as the only person they can funnel back and forth from Des Moines.

Injuries will occur that could create that roster flexibility, too, but the Cubs have depth. Last season, Counsell was transparent, telling players that there would be some good players who started the year in the minors — that will happen again this year.

Cubs fans will want to watch how the plethora of arms that Hoyer and his front office have assembled perform this spring to see who makes the Opening Day bullpen.

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Third Base

Our depth chart:

1. Matt Shaw
2. Jon Berti
3. Gage Workman
4. Vidal Bruján

The Cubs’ top prospect, Matt Shaw will have pole position to win the starting spot at the hot corner when the team opens the season against the Dodgers.

It doesn’t mean anything will be handed to him, though.

Shaw will have to perform in spring and showcase — offensively and defensively — that he is ready to meet the rigors of being an everyday third baseman at the major league level. That’s no small feat.

Young players have routinely struggled in their first taste of the majors and — despite a whopping .906 OPS across 159 minor league games — Shaw’s success is far from a guarantee to translate to the big leagues. That’s why the Cubs have added depth behind him to provide cover.

The clearest option comes in the form of Berti.

Berti has played across the infield, even playing first base in the playoffs for the Yankees last season and brings what should be a reliable bench bat and cover at third. Injuries limited him to 25 games with New York last season, but in 2023 with the Marlins, Berti posted a 2.4 bWAR and had a .748 OPS. In 2022, Berti swiped 41 bags, too.

Workman is an interesting player. A Rule 5 Draft selection from Detroit in December, Workman must be on the active roster the entire season — he can’t be optioned to the minor leagues without first being offered back to the Tigers. The 24-year-old has made 135 starts at the hot corner in the minors, the second-most behind shortstop in his 4-year minor-league career. The left-handed hitting infielder had an .843 OPS at Double-A Erie last season with 18 home runs.

Bruján was acquired in a trade with the Marlins that sent Matt Mervis to Miami. A former Top 100 prospect, Bruján has struggled to live up to that billing in the majors. In 201 big-league games, the switch-hitter is a .189 hitter with 5 home runs and a .531 OPS. He does not have minor-league options, so he would have to pass through waivers before being sent down.

The ultimate X-factor, though, comes from outside the organization.

Alex Bregman remains a free agent and the longer he goes without a team, the greater the chances that he signs a short-term contract — likely the only way the Cubs would add the former All-Star. If they sign Bregman, he clearly vaults into the starting role at the hot corner and allows Shaw to continue to develop in the minors without the expectation of playing every day for a team with playoff aspirations.

Bench spots

Our depth chart:

C: Carson Kelly
INF: Gage Workman
INF: Jon Berti
OF: Alexander Canario

Kelly’s spot — or rather that of the second catcher — on the bench is secured. He’ll split playing time with Miguel Amaya, so we can cross one of the four spots off there. Barring injury, it’s going to be Kelly.

Berti, if he’s not starting at third base, will serve as the super-utility type player that Counsell loves to have on his bench, able to deploy him wherever and whenever he wants.

Workman, as mentioned above, must be on the roster and Alexander Canario is out of minor-league options, too, so he also is solidified (as of now) to be on the team.

So, where does the battle come in?

Well, it comes in the form of those behind this group of three field players (again, not counting Kelly in this exercise). If Bruján performs well in spring and lives up to his hype, do they opt to keep him over, say, Workman?

Of the last four Rule 5 draft picks the Cubs have made, just one has appeared in a game the season after they were selected: right-handed pitcher Héctor Rondón.

In 2020, the Cubs took Gray Fenter from Baltimore and returned him prior to the 2021 season. The year prior, they took righty Trevor Megill and worked a deal with San Diego to keep him and he spent the 2020 campaign at the Alternate Site. In 2014, the team took infielder Taylor Featherston from Colorado and then traded him to the Angels for cash.

While he must be on the roster, the Cubs can work out a way to not have him on the 26-man roster if they choose, too.

Then there are a couple of 40-man prospects who have outside chances of being bench bats, too. Kevin Alcántara had a taste of the majors last season and is a stout defender, but likely would benefit from more seasoning at Triple-A. Owen Caissie would be a strong choice since the Cubs aren’t exactly flush with left-handed hitting options, but, like Alcántara, there isn’t a clear path to playing time and the Cubs wouldn’t want either to just sit on the bench and play sparingly.