The Chicago Cubs haven't won a World Series in over a century and haven't lost any fewer than 87 games in five years, and we're supposed to believe they're going to contend in 2015?
So they say. And you know something? Their chances of at least contending for a wild-card spot deserve to be taken seriously.
From the Cubs' perspective, contending in 2015 has been the plan all along. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein told the media in September that he had his heart set on it, and he doubled down in October.
Mind you, this was before Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer ...
Everybody wants Kris Bryant to be the next big thing. Well, actually, it's more like everybody and their uncle. That's a lot of pressure.
So let's talk about why he should be up to the task in 2015, and sooner rather than later.
With Bryant, just about everything screams "super prospect." Since the Chicago Cubs drafted the 6'5", 215-pound third baseman No. 2 overall in 2013, he's OPS'd 1.095 with 52 home runs in 174 minor league games. He's also coming off a 2014 season that, as the Double-A Tennessee Smokies recalled on Bryant's 23rd birthday this past Sunday, saw him win ...
You'll know President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein finally has the Chicago Cubs ready to make a run at ending their 106-year championship drought when he strikes a deal with an old associate of his: Jon Lester.
Granted, we're technically in the realm of "if" rather than "when." The Cubs aren't any more assured to sign the 30-year-old left-hander than any other club eyeing him in free agency.
The Cubs are definitely in line for Lester, though; Bruce Levine of 670 The Score says the two sides are ready to meet formally:
It was going to come to this eventually. The rumor mill has been ...
There's what Jake Arrieta used to be, and then there's what Jake Arrieta is.
It's an important distinction to make. What Arrieta used to be is a major disappointment. What he is now, however, is an ace-level pitcher who should be a rock in the Chicago Cubs' rotation for years to come.
Wednesday will mark the one-year anniversary of the Cubs acquiring Arrieta—along with Pedro Strop—from the Baltimore Orioles for veteran right-hander Scott Feldman. For the Cubs, the trade meant swapping a successful reclamation project for a longer-term, higher-ceiling reclamation project.
Arrieta had racked up a 5.46 ERA in parts of three seasons ...
The Chicago Cubs don't have to trade Jeff Samardzija this summer. He's not a free agent until after 2015. And as a non-penniless organization, the Cubs still have a shot at extending him.
But as CBS Sports' Jon Heyman and many others have already opined, the Cubs should trade Samardzija this summer. And if they do, be warned:
The package they get in return could be big enough to shake the earth.
The recipe for a perfect trade situation is simple. If you have a highly desirable player, you're good. If you have some desperate suitors, you're better. If said suitors are lacking in ...
Whenever a new baseball season arrives, there are only a couple teams you can look at and say, “Yeah, that’s not happening.”
The Chicago Cubs are one of these teams heading into 2014. With 288 losses over the last three seasons and a rebuilding phase that’s still ongoing, it’s more than likely that 2014 will be another season that tests the patience of baseball’s longest-suffering fanbase.
But just for kicks, let’s ask the question: What needs to happen for the Cubs to surprise everyone?
MLB Lead Writer Zachary D. Rymer is here with a few thoughts on that. A surprise season is going ...
The Chicago Cubs are not without hope of ending their 105-year championship drought someday soon. They have a smart front office and more than enough young talent.
All the Cubs really need is the right guy to bring it all together. They're hoping their new manager is the right guy, and their hopes are not misplaced.
According to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, the Cubs have tabbed Rick Renteria to replace recently fired manager Dale Sveum:
This isn't an out-of-left-field hiring. Heyman had reported on Tuesday that Renteria, formerly the San Diego Padres' bench coach and the manager of Team Mexico in the World ...
Today marks an important Chicago Cubs anniversary. On October 14, 1908, the Cubs won Game 5 of the World Series against the Detroit Tigers to clinch a second consecutive championship.
In 105 years since, there's been nothing. Heck, the Cubs haven't even been to the World Series since 1945. No other sports franchise has come to be defined by failure like the poor Cubbies.
Hence the reason today's other important anniversary is the one on people's minds.
It was 10 years ago that Game 6 of the National League Championship Series between the Cubs and Florida Marlins was played at Wrigley Field, the very ...
Matt Garza is arguably the best starting pitcher on the Chicago Cubs. He's certainly the best starting pitcher on the trade market this year. And that's good news for the Cubs, as their ongoing rebuild could very much benefit from a trade of Garza to a team that needs him more than they do.
All of this, however, doesn't necessarily make Garza a top-of-the-rotation starter.
David Kaplan of CSN Chicago notes there's plenty of interest in Garza, who is up for free-agency at season's end. Kaplan also adds this:
What I found interesting in talking with a handful of major league executives is that Garza is not considered a No. 1 ...
Theo Epstein and the Chicago Cubs might be onto something. A new "Moneyball," perhaps.
No, they're not exploiting a previously hidden corner of sabermetrics that will help them build an empire that will demand Michael Lewis' immediate attention. All they've done is come up with a cool idea that other clubs around Major League Baseball might be keen on copycatting in the future.
If you weren't keeping your ear to the ground last Tuesday, you missed the Cubs being busy bees on the trade market. They kicked off the summer trading season by making not one, not two, but three deals.
The biggest ...
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