David Ross knows that a lot can -- and likely will -- change with the Cubs' roster between now and Spring Training, but the skipper insists that he's focused on preparing for 2021 with the players currently on Chicago's 40-man roster.

One day after agent Scott Boras said the Cubs have "big plans" for Bryant in 2021, Ross said he is operating under the assumption that the 2016 National League Most Valuable Player will be in the Cubs' lineup next season -- though he said he had "no idea what [Boras] is alluding to."

"Yeah, of course," Ross said on Wednesday when asked whether he expects Bryant to be a Cub in 2021. "I try to operate -- as much as the rumors go around, and I think we've been dealing with this with Kris for a while -- I try to operate with the assumption that the 40-man roster is the group I'm starting Spring Training with. ... [President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer] is doing his thing as far as how the roster's constructed, but I always work under that assumption until things change."

As for Bryant's role with the team if he indeed stays in Chicago, Ross said that will likely depend on any moves the Cubs make this winter. As it stands now, the club has only two outfielders -- Ian Happ and Jason Heyward -- on its 40-man roster.

That obviously begs the question: Would the Cubs feel comfortable deploying Bryant as an outfielder?

The three-time All-Star has plenty of experience in the outfield -- having started 66 career games in left field, 50 in right and one in center -- but he's never played the outfield primarily over the course of a full season. Bryant started only four games in the outfield last season (all in left), though injuries limited him to just 34 games total in the shortened season.

"I've talked to Kris multiple times about playing the outfield, but I have not talked to him recently about playing it more next year," Ross said. "He knows that's an option, and we all know how good he is out there. I think he does a good job out in the outfield. ... I think he can play any position in the outfield, to be honest with you. He's a guy that we could definitely put out there and feel confident, but I have not talked to him about it [this offseason]."

In fact, Ross' discussions with his players this offseason have been primarily non-baseball related. Instead, the second-year skipper has spent the past two months checking in on his players' families and mindset, saving specific game talk for after the new year.

That means he hasn't spent much time talking to Bryant about where things stand after a year in which he hit .206 with a .644 OPS and four homers in 34 games. Of course, Bryant wasn't the only Cubs star to struggle in the abbreviated 2020 season. Javier Báez hit .203 with a .599 OPS. Anthony Rizzo hit .222 with a .755 OPS. Kyle Schwarber, who was non-tendered earlier this month, hit .188 with a .701 OPS.

As a team, the Cubs ranked 21st in OPS (.705) and 20th in runs per game (4.4).

"With the spread of 60 games, I don't try to put too much stock in things that aren't consistent over the last couple years," Ross said. "These guys have got really good resumes and a lot of them had down years, so I think the main focus is clean up some of the areas where we feel like we can improve to help us win and then still let it play out with the group of guys we have, because we have a really talented team as it stands."

That's not to say the Cubs can't make some adjustments in their preparations to help jump-start some of their struggling stars next season. While Ross didn't delve into many specifics, he hinted that he -- along with hitting coach Anthony Iapoce and new assistant hitting coach Chris Valaika -- are already looking into a few areas.

"Just with the technology that we have and the information, we can set some things up where we can start to learn the strike zone a little better or hit off a little more velocity," Ross said. "I think our talent level is through the roof. I think we've got great talent. I think maybe some of the game has sped up on us in areas, so we can train a little bit better or in a unique way that can make us better."

Lester return still possible?
The Cubs have been open about potentially bringing back veteran southpaw Jon Lester since declining his 2021 option after the season. While Ross reiterated that he'd love to bring back Lester, who turns 37 in January, the skipper said his contact with the five-time All-Star has strictly been on a personal level so far this offseason.

"I'm optimistic," Ross said. "I hold out hope, I'm a glass-half-full kind of guy."

Schwarber's status
While there was some speculation that Bryant could be non-tendered by the Cubs this offseason, it was a surprise when Schwarber was instead the one to hit free agency earlier this month.

A key piece of Chicago's 2016 World Series run, Schwarber was non-tendered after a disastrous '20 season in which he hit .188 with 11 homers and 66 strikeouts in 59 games. It remains to be seen whether the NL will once again use the designated hitter in '21, something that certainly wouldn't hurt the chances of Schwarber returning to the North Side, though Ross certainly isn't penciling him back into the lineup quite yet.

"Unfortunately for everybody, it didn't turn out the way he wanted or we wanted," Ross said. "We all love Kyle and what he's done here for the Cubs and would welcome him back with open arms, but I have a feeling there's going to be a lot of teams picking up the phone to call his agent."