The Chicago Cubs
All that shade being projected on the Cubs by Houston was about last year’s team and rightly so.
However, they have restocked a bit, and the north side is now looking for another title.
First, they swapped out the declining but still dangerous Jake Arrieta for the younger, still-in-his-prime Yu Darvish. That alone could make all the difference both during the season and beyond.
Despite his World Series, tip-pitching meltdown, Darvish was dynamic in the playoffs. His NLDS (1.80) and NLCS (1.42) ERA’s are proof of that.
And his addition to the staff of Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Jose Quintana, and Tyler Chatwood has manager Joe Maddon making bold predictions, as reported by Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune:
"To surpass the Cubs’ starting pitchers of 2016 as manager Joe Maddon’s best rotation, the current crop at least must match that group’s 81 victories while compiling a 2.96 ERA. The addition of Yu Darvish and Tyler Chatwood at the front and back ends of the 2018 rotation, however, prompted Maddon to declare five weeks ago that this is his best starting five since taking over as in 2015. “That’s my scouting part of it,” said Maddon. “ (Jon) Lester is going to be stronger, Kyle has another year under his belt, (Jose) Quintana is with us for a full season, Chatwood is going to be very good on sea level (after pitching in high altitude for the Rockies), and then you add Yu Darvish. “I just think (the overall) stuff is better — that’s what it comes down to.”"
The Front and the Back
Not content to bolster the starting rotation, they also added closer Brandon Morrow, most recently with the Dodgers and late-inning reliever Steve Cishek, who finished 2017 with the Rays.
Chicago might finish the season with the NL’s best starting and relief staffs. If that happens, the Cubbies are going to have a great year — especially as the offense has AL-quality firepower in its belly.