The Chicago Cubs will enter the 2017 season as marked men, looking to undertake the uphill battle that is repeating as World Series champions.
Just three times in the last 30 years has a team managed to win consecutive titles, as the New York Yankees won three in a row from 1998 to 2000 and the Toronto Blue Jays won it all in 1992 and 1993.
The Cubs have the talent to join that exclusive club.
Even with the departures of Dexter Fowler, Aroldis Chapman, Jason Hammel, Jorge Soler, Travis Wood and a handful of others, it's hard to find a hole in ...
For the first time since 1888, the Chicago Cubs visited the White House on Monday to meet President Barack Obama and celebrate the team's first World Series title since 1908.
"They said this day would never come," Obama said to open his remarks, per the ESPN broadcast, amid laughter and applause in the White House. "Here is something my predecessors never got to say: Welcome to the White House the World Series champion Cubs."
He added:
I will say, it took you long enough. I've got four days left. Eight years ago, I made a lot of promises, some of which we've accomplished. ...
The rich get richer. The good get better. It doesn't always work that way, but sometimes it does.
Just ask the Chicago Cubs.
One year after winning their first World Series since the debut of the Model T Ford, the Cubs are positioned for another deep postseason run.
Their potent lineup remains intact. They expect a full, healthy season from Kyle Schwarber. They plugged the hole in the back of their bullpen by acquiring closer Wade Davis and signing veteran setup man Koji Uehara.
FanGraphs projects a 95-67 record for Chicago in 2017, but that feels more like the Cubs' floor than their ceiling.
That's ...
The Chicago Cubs will be the last team to visit President Barack Obama in the White House before he leaves office on Jan. 20.
According to NBC 5 Chicago's Mary Ann Ahern, the Cubs—who hail from Obama's hometown—will meet with the 44th president on Monday, Jan. 16.
Although Obama is a noted Chicago White Sox fan, he publicly supported the Cubs during their come-from-behind World Series run as they took down the Cleveland Indians in seven thrilling games:
First Lady Michelle Obama also tweeted her support of the Cubs in the midst of their historic championship run:
In December 2016, the Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan reported the ...
For the first time since the 1909 season, the Chicago Cubs will carry the enormous target that comes with being the defending World Series champions.
There's no shortage of talent returning for the upcoming season, and they will undoubtedly be among the favorites to win it all once again in 2017.
However, there are still some roster questions that need to be answered.
Dexter Fowler, Aroldis Chapman, Jason Hammel, Travis Wood, Chris Coghlan and Trevor Cahill are all key free agents from last year's squad, while David Ross rode off into the sunset in retirement and Jorge Soler was shipped to the Kansas City ...
Fresh off a long-awaited World Series title and with a young core that rivals any in baseball, the Chicago Cubs entered the offseason with a fairly short to-do list.
Wade Davis and Koji Uehara have been added to the back of the bullpen, and veteran outfielder Jon Jay was signed to pair with Albert Almora Jr. in replacing Dexter Fowler in center field.
With those moves made, there appear to be two major areas the team may still look to address before the starting of spring training:
Starting pitching depth: The departure of Jason Hammel will likely push Mike Montgomery into the starting rotation as ...
Last winter, the Chicago Cubs signed Jason Heyward to an eight-year, $184 million contract. Less than 11 months later, they won their first World Series since the Teddy Roosevelt administration.
Here's the rub: They did it as much in spite of Heyward as because of him.
Heyward played 142 games in his first season on the North Side and won a Gold Glove for his work in right field. His exploits in the batter's box, however, defined abysmal.
He hit .230 and set career lows in on-base percentage (.306) and slugging percentage (.325). It's not as if his stat line was undone by ...
The Chicago Cubs finally won the World Series in 2016. And by looking at their roster, it sure looks like they can turn right around and win another in 2017.
So, they might as well set their sights on the more distant future—specifically on how long they can keep Kris Bryant around with a contract extension worthy of his talents.
The Cubs don't need their star third baseman to prove anything else. All he's done in the last four years is make everyone else look bad. Bryant was Baseball America's College Player of the Year and the No. 2 pick in the ...
Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon defended himself Saturday after Aroldis Chapman criticized his usage in the World Series.
"Would I do it differently? No," Maddon said in an interview with the New York Post's Kevin Kernan. "There is no Game 7 without winning Game 6. And there is no Game 8 if you don’t win Game 7. That’s why you do what you have to do."
Chapman appeared in Games 6 and 7 of the Fall Classic. His inclusion in Game 6 was surprising considering the Cubs were up 7-2 at the time. The four-time All-Star had also thrown a season-high 42 ...
After four years with the Boston Red Sox, veteran reliever Koji Uehara has found a new home with the Chicago Cubs.
ESPN.com's Jesse Rogers reported Wednesday that Uehara inked a one-year, $6 million deal with the defending World Series champs, and the Cubs later announced the news.
Uehara is one of the most interesting relievers in Major League Baseball. He has performed at a high level for nearly a decade despite having a fastball that FanGraphs' stats show has never averaged more than 89.2 mph and dipped to a career-low 86.7 mph in 2016.
The key to Uehara's success is his split-finger fastball that ...
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