Soccer is the most popular sport in Argentina. Actually, it might be more than that.

Born in Frontera, Argentina, Fire midfielder Federico Navarro was back in his home country when Lionel Messi and the national team beat France in a thrilling final to win the World Cup. Navarro recalled the Argentina’s reaction to the victory, one that gave the South American nation its third world championship.

“Here, it’s the maximum that can happen to all of us,” Navarro said through a translator. “Here, especially, [soccer] is before anything in Argentina, before anything else. I feel like people here breathe in [soccer]. The world stops when the team is playing.”

Navarro, 22, made his professional debut for Argentine club Talleres in 2019. Though he gets paid to play the sport, it’s clear his fandom and love of the sport hasn’t waned.

When he spoke about being in Argentina during its triumph in Qatar, Navarro didn’t sound like a stilted pro who only views the game as a way to pad his bank account. He spoke like somebody proud of his nation, and truly grateful to share the moment with his family and fellow Argentines.

“It means the world to an Argentine,” Navarro said. “I was able to be in the country and watch it with my wife, but also with my grandmother, and I was able to live it as a fan and [to] watch the team win it was incredible. I really can’t explain it to you. It was just so incredible.

“Everywhere, the people were stopped. Everyone was watching. In this country, it’s the absolute maximum thing that could ever happen. Everyone wants for the team to win the World Cup.”

Navarro isn’t the only Fire player with ties to Argentina.

Midfielder Gaston Gimenez was born in Formosa, Argentina, and appeared in one match for the national team before switching to Paraguay. Navarro said he and Gimenez had been talking about the World Cup all last year, eager to see how Argentina would fare.

Now that Argentina has won, Navarro and Gimenez are planning to celebrate when they see each other by drinking mate, a traditional tea-like caffeine-infused beverage.

“[Gimenez] is Argentine 100%,” Navarro said. “I know that he switched over to play with another team because of [soccer], because sometimes [soccer] is that way and things like that happen.”

A defensive midfielder who’s built a reputation for strong challenges and endless energy, Navarro has established himself as a key part of the Fire midfield. Taking the next step and getting into contention for the 2026 World Cup roster won’t be easy because of the strength of Argentina’s player pool, but Navarro hopes to make that happen after improving his game and gaining more experience.

“That’s the biggest dream, the dream that every Argentine player has, to wear the shirt of the national team,” Navarro said. “Maybe more for us, we feel it a little bit differently, as Argentines are very passionate, and especially when it comes to representing our country and playing for our flag.”

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The beauty of the new year, and a new baseball season, is the free gift of turning the page. Of saying goodbye to the past, recent or distant and starting anew.

As one might guess, Lucas Giolito is embracing this. The White Sox’ 81-81 finish last season was a stinker, and Giolito knows he was one of the many reasons why.

“For me, the biggest motivator is the failure of last year,” Giolito told the Sun-Times in a recent phone conversation. “Look in the mirror at the end of the season, at my own season and the team, not playing up to expectation. Get back on the grind in the offseason to right the ship.”

As Giolito gathered with his family in Atlanta for the holidays — to celebrate Christmas, the new year and the birthday of a grandmother who turned 100 on Dec. 29 — he was already in a better frame of mind after going 11-9 with a 4.90 ERA in 30 starts in 2022. After adding weight and muscle last offseason and tipping the scale at 280 pounds in spring training, the 6-6 Giolito is slimming down to 250-255 pounds.

“Back to the old me, I guess you could say,” Giolito said. “We tried something last offseason, and potentially I thought it was working great. We’ll never know truly if it was a good or bad move. It seemed to backfire.”

In the 5-4 loss at Detroit on Opening Day, Giolito left with an abdominal strain that landed him on the injured list. He had pitched four innings of scoreless one-hit ball with six strikeouts.

“You never want that,” Giolito said. “My body didn’t hold up as well as I wanted to. This offseason, focus is to be lean and strong but move well, be an athlete. I want to repeat my mechanics, feel agile and quick.”

A biomechanics assessment this offseason revealed misfiring in his delivery, and a throwing program reintroducing plyometric balls with focus on “getting everything back in sync, my whole kinetic chain” is going well.

“I’m rotating better, the ball is coming out better,” Giolito said.

In a nutshell, an offseason that also included an eye-opening visit to the Dominican Republic with Players for the Planet for a beach cleanup has been “fantastic. It really has,” Giolito said.

The Sox need Giolito at his best to make their rotation championship-caliber. Until further notice, he no longer sits at the top of a unit that includes Dylan Cease and Lance Lynn as the anchors, Michael Kopech and free agent Mike Clevinger.

Giolito, who can become a free agent after the season, is the only one not under contract in 2024.

“I try to stay in the present,” he said. “When it comes to free agency, if I’m sitting here thinking about it, that’s when you start to overthink. That’s not in my nature. I’m not pitching for a contract. I’m pitching for the Sox, and I want to win every game I take the ball. And let the chips fall when it’s all said and done. That’s my mindset.

“It’s going to be an important year for us after the disappointment of last season. We have a lot of new faces on the coaching-staff side, including [new manager] Pedro [Grifol]. I put myself up there as one who heavily underperformed, need to get back in good form to give us a chance to win. We’re all very motivated.”

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What happened to Bills safety Damar Hamlin on Monday night was a horrifying spectacle.

Not to be cold, but NFL fans will turn the page to a fresh batch of games because they’re hopelessly hooked on football.

In this week’s “Polling Place,” your home for Sun-Times sports polls on Twitter, we wanted to know if the sport’s violent nature is at the heart of why fans watch. Does it make them more likely to watch? Less likely?

“I don’t watch MMA — I think it’s barbaric — but football, while violent, is a game of strategy, team execution and perseverance,” @RicoMuscatel commented.

“People are lying to themselves,” @davesned wrote. “Nobody’s tuning in to watch the National ‘Tag, You’re It’ League.”

We also asked what the Bears’ top priority should be, moving forward, with quarterback Justin Fields. To develop his passing skills? To protect him? To surround him with talent?

“Justin will take care of No. 1,” @79illwill offered. “Nos. 2 and 3 are on the Bears.”

Finally, we asked about Monday’s college football title game: Who wins, Georgia or TCU?

On to the polls:

Poll No. 1: Does the violent nature of football make you more likely to watch it or less likely to watch it?

Upshot: There’s a whole lot of “not sure” in the mix, but that might be an easy way out. Who doesn’t get some level of thrill from a so-called decleater or a pad-popping hit you can hear from the stands or your sofa? Of course fans don’t want to see injuries, but five-on-one tackles in the backfield? Heck, yes.

Poll No. 2: What’s Job 1 for the Bears re: Justin Fields going forward?

Upshot: A lot of Bears fans — perhaps most of them — are convinced Fields is a star in the making. Whether or not they’re correct about that, we can all agree he has to get better. He can’t do it, though, without a proper wall of flesh in front of him and some dangerous dudes on the outside to get open for his passes. It’s an all-of-the-above deal.

Poll No. 3: Which team wins Monday night’s college football championship game, Georgia or TCU?

Upshot: Just one-quarter of the vote going to the Horned Frogs? Actually, that might be generous. The opening point spread had the Bulldogs favored by 13 1/2 points. It has ticked down to 12 1/2 , but that’s still the biggest title-game spread of the College Football Playoff era. Then again, that’s why God invented upsets.

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Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy — a football guy through and through — was too focused on preparing Nathan Peterman and beating the Vikings to give an assessment of Justin Fields’ season Thursday.

“I don’t think I’ve gotten there yet. We’re dialed into Minnesota,” Getsy said. “I’m ready to give everything I’ve got for these guys this week. Honestly, I’ve not reflected yet. Obviously I’m excited about this opportunity — excited for Nate to go out there and have some opportunities for himself.”

While Getsy is zoned in on getting Peterman ready — as honorable as it is — everybody else has moved on to 2023. Not just fans and media, but apparently general manager Ryan Poles after the Bears suddenly announced that Justin Fields would not play in Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Vikings because of … a hip injury.

Bears coach Matt Eberflus, poker-faced all season, didn’t even wink when he said it. But he wasn’t very convincing. Eberflus has played it coy all season with injuries — and now, with the No. 1 overall draft pick in sight, Fields is out on Wednesday? Hmmm …

Fields, who eats right, has been a quick healer in his two seasons with he Bears. He was day-to-day with a separated shoulder in Week 12 against the Jets. He was listed as questionable heading into the game, and eventually did not play.

“It’s just what the doctors said it was,” Eberflus said. “They said he strained his groin [actually his hip, but what’s the difference?] and he’s not going to go full speed by Sunday. That’s where it is.”

That’s indeed where it is and where it should be.

The Bears don’t need to sit Justin Fields to lose games — they’ve lost 12 of his 15 starts this season, including the last eight in a row. Sitting Fields in a game with no playoff implications (for the Bears, at least) avoids the risk of Fields aggravating the hip injury or otherwise getting hurt. There’s too much at stake to risk that.

And yes, it gives the Bears a better chance to lose and solidify the No. 2 pick, with a chance to get the No. 1 pick. That matters. The Bears aren’t going to make a mockery of this game. Peterman is a legitimate back-up quarterback with starting experience. The Bears might even win — the Vikings have their own knack for spoiling a good thing.

But a loss is more valuable than a win. It’s just the way it is, without a draft lottery in the NFL. And even in a draft without an apparent Peyton Manning or John Elway, the No. 1 pick is a factor. Even the Texans might have to bid to get their quarterback if they drop to No. 2, and that could raise the price significantly. This isn’t chicanery, it’s prudence.

It can make a difference. In 2020, the Jaguars trailed the winless Jets for the No. 1 overall pick with three weeks to go. But when they leap-frogged the Jets in the draft order after the Jets beat the Rams in Week 15, the Jaguars started Mike Glennon over Gardner Minshew (95.9 passer rating, 16 touchdowns, five interceptions) for the final two games.

The Jaguars lost to the Bears (41-17) and Colts (28-14) to secure the No.1 pick and took Trevor Lawrence. The Jets settled for Zach Wilson.

Timing is everything, of course. And you have to find the right guy. Who knows if the Bears would have taken Terry Bradshaw or Mike Phipps in 1970, or Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf in 1998? There’s little doubt that Ryan Poles is hoping for the chance to get it right.

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Key matchup

The Vikings are expected to play their starters Sunday with a chance for the No. 2 seed in the NFC, but also to get back on track after a 41-17 loss to the Packers last week. That starts with quarterback Kirk Cousins and wide receiver Justin Jefferson — the most prolific pass-catch connection in the NFL this season.

Jefferson’s spectacular season (124 receptions, 1,771 yards, eight touchdowns) started with a dominant performance against the Packers — nine catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns. But he was shut down by the Packers in the rematch last week — just one catch for 15 yards as Cousins had a season-low 49.2 passer rating (one touchdown, three interceptions).

Jefferson burned the Bears with 12 receptions for 154 yards (12.8 average) on 13 targets in Week 5 at U.S. Bank Stadium — including 10 catches for 138 yards in the first half.

The Bears were without Jaylon Johnson in that game and will be again Sunday. Rookie Kyler Gordon, finishing strong with interceptions against the Eagles and Bills, is questionable with a groin injury.

With Kindle Vildor, Josh Blackwell and Jaylon Jones also out with injuries, the Bears are down to former Vikings fifth-round pick Harrison Hand, journeyman Breon Borders and former Broncos third-round pick Michael Ojemudia as their cornerbacks to battle Jefferson.

Trending

The Bears have lost nine consecutive games, the longest losing streak in franchise history. And their short-handed defense — missing five Week 1 starters, including linebacker Roquan Smith, safety Eddie Jackson and Johnson — is fading fast.

The Bears are 28th in the NFL in yards allowed per game (369.3) and 32nd and last in points allowed per game (27.1). But in the last five games, they’ve allowed an average of 434.6 yards per game (last in the NFL) and 32.0 points per game (31st) — including 504 yards and 41 points in a 41-10 loss to the Lions last week at Ford Field.

The Vikings, though, also are struggling defensively. In the last six weeks, they’ve allowed an average of 410 yards (31st in the NFL) and 30.5 points (30th).

Player to watch

Bears rookie Velus Jones had one of the few highlights in the debacle against the Lions last week — a 63-yard kickoff return at the end of the first half.

After a difficult rookie season marred by two muffed punts and a critical fumble on an end-around, Jones has shown some spunk lately. He had 40-yard kickoff returns against the Packers and Bills and a 44-yard reception against the Bills.

X-factor

There is more value in losing than winning for the Bears. With a chance to solidify the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 draft — and possibly getting the No. 1 pick — the Bears made an unusually quick decision to sit quarterback Justin Fields and start Nathan Peterman. The offseason can’t start soon enough for them.

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There’s something special about the No. 3 in baseball. Three strikes and you’re out. Three outs and your team is out. A game consists of three sets of three innings. Three times 30 gives you the distance between the bases. Three times 20 gives you the distance between the mound and home plate. What’s more exciting than seeing a player going for a “three-bagger?” Cubs manager David Ross wears No. 3. The White Sox retired Harold Baines’ No. 3. And, of course, Babe Ruth wore No. 3. Don’t forget the Three Musketeers, the Three Stooges, the Three Wise Monkeys, the Three Blind Mice, the Three Bears and Huey, Dewey and Louie, Donald Duck’s three nephews.

This brings us to the year 2023, a year that ends in “3.” Good luck with these three groups of three questions. Have fun, and learn a lot.

1. In 1923, Hall of Fame pitcher Grover -Cleveland Alexander won 22 games for the Cubs, despite allowing a league-leading 17 homers. For perspective, nine pitchers -allowed 17 homers last season, and they tied for 66th in the majors. None pitched more than 152 innings. Alexander pitched 305 that season. In 1952, a movie was made about Alexander’s life called “The Winning Team.” Doris Day portrayed his wife. Who played Alexander?

a. Rock Hudson b. Jimmy Stewart

c. Ronald Reagan d. Karl Malden

2. In 1933, playing for the White Sox, Hall of Fame outfielder Al Simmons drove in 119 runs. It was his 10th straight season to start his career with 100-plus RBI. (He made it 11 the following season.) In 1933, he also had 200 hits. It was his sixth season with 200-plus hits and 100-plus RBI. Who holds the record for most seasons with that combo?

a. Al Simmons b. Alex Rodriguez

c. Lou Gehrig d. Vladimir Guerrero

3. In 1943, the Yankees beat the Cardinals in the World Series. The Cubs were a fifth-place club, and the White Sox finished fourth. The Cubs’ Bill Nicholson led Chicago and the -National League with 29 homers, and the -Tigers’ Rudy York led the majors with 34. There weren’t many homers that season. How many of the 16 teams hit more homers than the 62 that Aaron Judge hit last season?

a. 6 b. 7

c. 10 d. 12

4. In 1953, Major League Baseball had its first relocation of a team in 50 years. Which team moved? Give yourself extra points if you know the from and to.

a. Athletics b. Braves

c. Browns d. Senators

5. In 1963, the stars shone brightly. Which one of these round-number accomplishments did not happen?

a. Willie McCovey hit his 100th career home run.

b. Al Kaline hit his 200th career home run.

c. Willie Mays hit his 400th career home run.

d. Ernie Banks hit his 400th career home run.

6. In 1973, the American League adopted the designated-hitter rule. As you remember from a previous quiz, Ron Blomberg of the Yankees became the first DH in MLB history on April 6. That season, the White Sox had three batters with over 100 plate appearances as the DH. Who had the most?

a. Mike Andrews b. Ken Henderson

c. Carlos May

7. In 1983, the White Sox won 99 games and the AL West. The Cubs lost 91 games and did not win the NL East. (The fact that the Sox were in the West and the Cubs were in the East is a discussion for another time.) The Sox’ Tony La Russa and the Dodgers’ Tommy Lasorda were managers of the year, and LaMarr Hoyt was the AL Cy Young winner. The Sox also had the AL Rookie of the Year. Who was he?

a. Harold Baines b. Ron Kittle

c. Rudy Law d. Mike Boddicker

8. In 2013, the major leagues consisted of two leagues comprised of three divisions each for the first time. What event occurred that enabled this to happen?

a. The Padres were created.

b. The Brewers moved to the National League.

c. The Astros moved to the American League.

d. All of the above.

9. Name the only MLB player who ended his career with 2,023 hits. On Aug. 15, 1999, he homered in his final at-bat. He spent part of his career with the White Sox.

a. Ken Singleton b. Amos Otis

c. Brandon Phillips d. Tony Phillips

Have a happy new year, filled with many correct answers to the quiz. Don’t forget to write.

ANSWERS

1. Pete Alexander (as he was called) was played by Ronald Reagan. Major-leaguers Bob Lemon, Jerry Priddy, Peanuts Lowrey, George Metkovich, Irv Noren, Hank Sauer, Al Zarilla and Gene Mauch all appeared in the movie.

2. Simmons did it six times. A-Rod did it three times, Vlad four and Lou Gehrig an amazing eight times.

3. In 1943, in the AL, the Yankees hit 100 homers, the Browns 78 and the Tigers 77. In the NL, the New York Giants hit 81 homers, the Cardinals 70 and the Phillies 66. Only six teams had more than Judge. The Cubs hit 52 and the White Sox 33.

4. The Boston Braves moved to beautiful new County Stadium in Milwaukee.

5. Kaline hit his 200th career home run on June 10. Willie Mays hit No. 400 on Aug. 27. “Stretch” hit No. 100 on Sept. 5. But Ernie Banks hit his 400th on Sept. 2, 1965.

6. Carlos May had the most plate appearances with 312. Mike Andrews was the White Sox’ first DH and was released that July.

7. Franco and Boddicker finished second and third in the voting, respectively. I would have liked Rudy Law to have won because his name started with “La,” but his rookie season was in 1980. Ron Kittle was the Rookie of the Year. He made the All-Star team (his only time) and led the league in strikeouts.

8. The Astros’ move to the AL West created two 15-team leagues separated into three five-team divisions. With an odd number of teams in each league, interleague games were played nearly every day during the season. Both Chicago teams were put into the Central divisions of their respective leagues.

9. Tony Phillips had 2,023 hits, 201 of them coming in the 189 games he played for the White Sox in 1996 and ’97. He homered in his last MLB at-bat.

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NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle had the coin: a 1921 silver dollar.

The Steelers’ Dan Rooney told Bears executive Ed McCaskey to call it in the air.

McCaskey chose heads.

As the coin flipped into the air in a New Orleans hotel ballroom a few days before Super Bowl IV, the Steelers and Bears had a lot at stake. Both had finished 1-13 in 1969, forcing the NFL to settle which team had the right to draft first in 1970.

Art Rooney, the Steelers’ founder and Dan’s father, believed in letting your opponent call the coin toss. At dinner later, he told McCaskey that his calling heads was a “sucker play.”

The reason: The coin landed on the tablecloth, bounced and came up tails.

The Steelers got the first pick and selected Louisiana Tech quarterback Terry Bradshaw, who would go on to win four Super Bowls and reach the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Bears, who spent the next 50-plus years looking for a quarterback, traded the No. 2 pick to the Packers for linebacker LeRoy Caffey, running back Elijah Pitts and offensive lineman Bob Hylund. The Bears would cut Pitts that year; the other two played a season each for them.

Fifty-three years later, the Bears have the next, best opportunity to draft first. They need to lose to the Vikings on Sunday at Soldier Field and have the 2-13-1 Texans win in Indianapolis.

The Bears would pick second if they and the Texans lose. If the Bears win, they can draft no lower than fourth.

In 1970, there was a giant difference between the first and second pick. The Bears have felt the ripples of it for half a century.

But exactly how much more valuable is No. 1 than No. 2 this time around?

Who’s better?

Historically, it’s a toss-up. Since the draft was shortened to 12 rounds in 1977, six No. 1 overall draft selections have made the Pro Football Hall of Fame. So have six players drafted second.

Eight of the players selected first overall in the last 10 drafts — not counting 2022 — reached the Pro Bowl. Combined, they made 19 Pro Bowls. Six players picked No. 2 overall in the last 10 drafts made the Pro Bowl and went a combined nine times.

Extrapolated further, though, 15 of the last 20 No. 1 overall picks made the Pro Bowl for a combined 37 appearances. Eleven out of the 20 No. 2 overall picks made the Pro Bowl but combined to reach it 38 times.

Look under center

The top draft pick is worth more when there’s a quarterback to select. Whether one is truly worthy or teams convince themselves that’s the case is another question.

Quarterbacks have found themselves at the top of the draft 16 times since 2000, including six of the last eight years. But a quarterback has gone second overall only five times in that span.

The lesson: Most years, the only way to guarantee a team gets the quarterback it wants is to draft first overall.

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young could go first overall this year. That would be good news for the Bears if they end up with the first pick. Presuming they’re convinced that Justin Fields is their answer at quarterback, they could auction the No. 1 spot to the most quarterback-hungry team.

That pick would be a lot more tempting to the acquiring team than No. 2.

More options

The real value of drafting No. 1 is options.

Moving the No. 1 is typically rare because, in the modern era, a team with an established quarterback isn’t often the worst squad in the league. But teams that do have a quarterback historically have landed a haul in return.

In 2016, the Titans traded the No. 1 overall pick to the Rams, along with picks in Rounds 4 and 6, for the Nos. 15, 43, 45 and 76 picks in 2016 and Nos. 5 and 100 in 2017. The Rams drafted Jared Goff.

In 2004, the Chargers drafted Eli Manning first overall and — because he said he refused to play for them — traded him to the Giants minutes later for the No. 4 overall pick, a third-rounder in 2004 and first- and third-rounders in 2005.

The Jimmy Johnson chart

The Jimmy Johnson trade value chart was developed by the former Cowboys coach about 30 years ago. The chart became an easy short-hand way for teams to exchange trade ideas, though no club follows it exactly.

How much more valuable is No. 1 than No. 2?

The chart assigns 3,000 points to the first overall pick, 2,600 to the second, 2,200 to the third and 1,800 to the fourth. To move up from No. 2 to No. 1 using the chart, a team would have to also trade the No. 18 pick in Round 2.

Tell that to a team desperate to draft a quarterback, though. The price of the No. 1 overall pick skyrockets when there’s a passer at stake.

The Texans would be happy to draft one first overall. But Bears general manager Ryan Poles likely would begin strategizing how best to use the pick — and whether to trade it.

Both topics are more interesting than anything they put on the field this season.

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Veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks and young reliever Codi Heuer — both of whom are rehabbing arm injuries — arrived at the Cubs’ spring-training facility in Mesa, Arizona, around the same time in the fall.

”I got to know [Hendricks] pretty well throughout this process,” Heuer said on the phone this week. ”And he’s been a guy I can lean on a little bit, an older guy that I can bounce some stuff off of if I’m feeling down or whatever it may be.”

Battling monotony can be one of the biggest challenges in coming back from an injury such as Heuer’s. He had Tommy John surgery in March. Hendricks hasn’t been sidelined quite as long, but he missed the last three months of last season with a capsular tear in his right shoulder.

Hendricks’ and Heuer’s health might sway the pitching staff’s projections heading into the 2023 season on opposite ends of the equation.

Predicting Heuer’s rehab schedule is more straightforward. He remains on track for a return in late June or early July, 15 to 16 months after his surgery. He’s poised to provide a midseason boost to the back end of the bullpen.

Hendricks’ timeline — and his performance when he eventually steps on the mound again — will affect the order and depth of the rotation.

Hendricks, who finished the season rehabbing at the Cubs’ spring-training complex, didn’t hit his goal of throwing by the end of the season, instead focusing on mechanics and building strength. But pitching coach Tommy Hottovy told the Sun-Times this week that he’s encouraged by Hendricks’ progress. Hendricks is on a regimented throwing program and now is playing catch on flat ground.

”I’m so overly focused on getting Kyle back to being the best version of himself and not rushing it, not pushing it,” Hottovy said in a phone interview. ”Because we all know what Kyle can do when he feels great, when he’s healthy, when he’s locked in.”

In a ”best-case scenario,” Hottovy said, Hendricks will feel great in spring training and be ready to be in the Opening Day rotation. But the Cubs aren’t going to speed up that process for the sake of starting the season with him. They see the depth they’ve built through their farm system and free agency as a means to cover innings if Hendricks needs more time (or in case of an injury to any other starter throughout the season).

If Hendricks isn’t ready by Opening Day, that leaves right-handers Marcus Stroman and Jameson Taillon to serve as the veterans at the top of the rotation. Left-hander Justin Steele, who will be entering his second season as a major-league starter, is set to carry his developmental strides from 2022 into 2023 and play a pivotal role.

The greatest strength of the staff is an element the Cubs lacked early last season: a large group of pitchers who can start, throw multiple innings in relief or, in some cases, serve as depth in Triple-A.

”Where we are right now compared to where we were even a year ago, I feel like we’re starting to have a lot more of a foundation of consistency of guys that we know can go out there and compete, win ballgames,” Hottovy said. ”[We’re] starting to build that championship mentality in that championship group.”

Veteran left-hander Drew Smyly, whom the Cubs re-signed to a two-year deal in recent weeks, has a good chance of beginning the season in the rotation. But he also has experience in the bullpen. Last season, right-hander Keegan Thompson showed value in a multi-inning relief role and growth as a starter.

Right-hander Adbert Alzolay told the Sun-Times at the end of last season that he has enjoyed serving as a high-leverage long reliever. Hottovy said he still ”100%” believes in Alzolay’s ability to start, but the multi-inning reliever role makes sense for managing his innings and health.

As the rotation faced injuries last season, right-handers Adrian Sampson, Hayden Wesneski, Javier Assad and Caleb Kilian filled in, all but Sampson making their major-league debuts. As new Cubs catcher Tucker Barnhart said this week: ”There’s no experience like pitching at the major-league level.”

The Cubs also claimed left-hander Anthony Kay off waivers from the Blue Jays and protected pitching prospects Ryan Jensen and Ben Brown from the Rule 5 Draft by putting them on the 40-man roster.

The offseason isn’t over yet. The Cubs might add more pitching via free agency, and the trade market has yet to pick up. But the most glaring holes on their roster are at the back end of the bullpen.

The team began the process of filling out the bullpen by signing veteran Brad Boxberger to a one-year deal last month. Rookies Brandon Hughes and Jeremiah Estrada showed promise last season. Still, even with Heuer progressing toward a return, expect bullpen additions.

In the meantime, the Cubs’ spring-training complex is buzzing already, and pitchers are well-represented. Heuer arrived in September to throw for the first time in six months — or, as he put it, ”actually feel like a baseball player again.”

Along with him and Hendricks, at least 10 other pitchers on the 40-man roster are based in Arizona or are regulars at the facility.

It’s a mix of a few veterans and a lot of up-and coming pitchers, much like the pitching staff as a whole. And as helpful as it is for the young pitchers to learn from those with more experience, Hottovy sees the dynamic going both ways.

”A lot of the younger guys are probably a little bit more willing to push the envelope to try some new things,” he said. ”And I think that’s good. It’s a really good mix to have.”

NOTE: The Cubs announced a series of roster moves Friday. Catcher P.J. Higgins and first baseman Alfonso Rivas, who were designated for assignment in recent weeks, cleared waivers. The Cubs outrighted Higgins to Triple-A Iowa and granted Rivas his unconditional release.

The team re-signed reliever Brad Wieck to a two-year minor-league contract. Wieck was sidelined all of last season with an elbow injury, undergoing Tommy John surgery in July. He has battled a slew of injuries and has had two heart procedures in his career.

The Cubs also signed catcher Dom Nunez to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training.

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