To begin with, we should all be assuming the Cubs are trying to win. At 40-46 and following a split against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Cubs are in a tough spot, trailing the first-place Cincinnati Reds by eight games. But if you look ahead to their schedule after the All-Star break, the Cubs have an opportunity to make up some ground. So, before any major trades happen, I’d like to see some lineup changes because right now the offense is not a cohesive unit.

New Leadoff Hitter Ian Happ

I know that Ian Happ settled in last year hitting third and it made sense to keep him there to begin the 2023 season. However, he just has not hit for enough power this year and he hasn’t done much damage in the middle of the lineup when runners are on base. Yet, Happ can still be a valuable piece to the offense with his great OBP skills.

Besides Miguel Amaya, who has played in 21 games, Happ leads the team with a .382 OBP thanks to a team-high 61 walks. Mike Tauchman had a nice run leading off, but that hot stretch appears to be over. Tauchman has a slash line of .130/.231/.239, in 52 plate appearances since June 24.

Happ has elite plate discipline. Keep that mentality in the leadoff spot, where you want guys who can consistently get on base.

Move Cody Bellinger to 3rd in Lineup

Cody Bellinger missed a month after banging his knee against the outfield wall in Houston. It took him a bit to get back on role since returning from the injured list on June 15, but since the London series against the St. Louis Cardinals, Bellinger has been on fire.

To fully update that slash line after his 4-for-4 game on Thursday, Bellinger is now slashing .467/.479/.600, good for a 197 wRC+. He’s only struck out 4 times in his last 48 plate appearances, going 21-for-45 at the plate in his last 12 games.

Bellinger has been the team’s hottest hitter for a couple weeks now, but despite his 12-game hit streak, he only has 6 RBI during this stretch. Move Bellinger to third and give him more chances with runners on base right now.

Move Seiya Suzuki Down to 6th

So far in 2023, Seiya Suzuki has been about a league average hitter. He has a 103 OPS+ and 105 wRC+. However, he’s been extremely streaky and like Happ, Suzuki just has not provided the power you want from a middle-of-the-order hitter. Yet, for some reason the Cubs continue to bat Suzuki as the cleanup man and it’s hurting the team.

Suzuki has started 66 games so far in 2023, and 43 of them have come as the No. 4 hitter. In those games, Suzuki has a .247/.333/.395 slash line. Just not good enough. Use Suzuki’s best skills to help out the offense. He has an 11.5 walk percentage. Suzuki can get on base, so why not try him lower in the lineup so he could be a guy to start a rally instead of being the guy that has to come through all the time.

But hey, maybe July will be the good streak for Suzuki. He was great in May, awful in June and so far in July he’s 6-for-19, with 4 walks. But again, too many strikeouts on pitches in the zone when you need contact with runners on. Move Suzuki down to at least sixth until he gets going again.

Dansby Swanson Cleanup Hitter

This one is tough timing wise because it doesn’t look like Dansby Swanson is going to play until at least after the All-Star break. He left Wednesday’s game with a heel injury, didn’t play Thursday and it doesn’t sound like he’ll be out there against the New York Yankees this weekend. But when he does return, move Swanson to the cleanup spot in the batting order.

From 2020-22, Swanson’s slugging percentage was around the .450 range. Not elite, but solid enough, as he was on pace to hit 27 home runs in the shortened 2020 season, then did hit 27 homers in 2021 and 25 more in his last season with the Atlanta Braves.

Through 83 games with the Cubs this year, Swanson has only hit 10 homers, which puts him on pace for about 20. I think most Cubs fans expected more power from Swanson this year, but he has hit into a lot of bad luck. I mean, he’s still hitting the ball hard, posting a 35.7 hard-hit %, his highest since 2020, and Swanson’s 12.9 barrel % is the best rate of his career.

The Cubs shortstop only has a .409 slugging %, compared to a .488 expected slugging % based on the balls he’s hit this year. Hopefully the heel injury doesn’t keep Swanson out for too long and once he’s back I hope the Cubs do consider batting him fourth. Swanson has been at his best this season with runners in scoring position, slashing .273/.371/.429, in 77 at-bats.

Other Considerations

I’d still keep Nico Hoerner batting second and Christopher Morel batting fifth. Give more at-bats to Miguel Amaya, whether it’s behind the plate, first base or as the designated hitter. Third base is a mess right now and his defense looks shaky there, but I’d rather see Morel there more often until Madrigal returns from the injured list. Patrick Wisdom might be toast.

First base? Man, Jared Young had a fun first few games, but he’s been awful since and as a player approaching his 28th birthday, this might his last chance in the Cubs organization. Matt Mervis should be up again soon because he’s once again mashing Triple-A and the Cubs have to know if he’s going to figure it out against MLB pitching or not this year. This team cannot going into 2024 still not being sure what to expect from Mervis. I say sink or swim with him as soon as possible because the options ahead of him aren’t getting it done anyway.

Or maybe we get a little nuts. Move Bellinger full time to first base and call up Pete Crow-Armstrong.