Bears Whiskey Nut wrote:
I am (as a typical Cubs fan is) very optimistic for this year. I think there will be some interesting story lines;
1. If everyone is healthy, I REALLY like our starting rotation. If Darvish is healthy, he's electric. He's also your #3 or #4 starter behind Lester, Hendricks and Hamels. Speaking of Hamels, I love what he gave to this team last year.
2. I was never a fan of Chili Davis, and thought that he screwed up the swings of a lot of the players last year. Davis was in Boston, and the hitters struggled. He left, and they lit the league up. I see the same thing happening on the Northside. Bats will return in 2019.
3. Maddon is going to have a real conundrum on his hands in May. I expect that Baez is going to light it up at SS, and force the Cubs to decide what they should do with Russell moving forward. I am guessing that they are going to trade Addison at the deadline in order to restock their farm system. Ultimately it will be good for the Cubs.
I can see Spring right around the corner. The Boys of Summer are coming! Baseball is back!
I'm mixed about the Cubs. I think they'll need to do some major shuffling before the deadline in order to find themselves. Keeping Russell is a major risk, and hoping that Bryant and others remember how to see a pitch simply because they fired Chili Davis is kind of a shot in the dark.
I have ZERO faith in Darvish. I consider him one of those pitchers who gives you 5-7 quality starts a season, but can't stay healthy and has no killer instinct. Heyward I still haven't made my mind up on. Love his defense, but the guy's offense has fallen off the wagon. Schwarber's career is sort of in a weird place, too.
Baez is one of the best reasons to watch the Cubs, and I love Rizzo, Hendricks, and whenever guys like Bote come out of the woodwork. That said, injuries are becoming a disturbing trend, and if the Darvish and Quintana acquisitions don't start paying off in a consistent way, it makes me wonder if a shakeup is coming.
The team's window is on the edge of a knife, and the farm isn't exactly bursting (but has some solid talent at the top). I hope they remember that playing baseball is fun.
