All-Star season is one of the best times of the year. Trade talks are heating up, standings are taken more seriously and the best players in baseball get together for the festivities. For the Chicago Cubs, however, this All-Star break may be more of a burden than a break.
Things are finally looking up for the Chicago Cubs. After a road trip to be forgotten, the Cubs started their home stand 5-0. Sure, they’d love to have the likes of Kris Bryant and Yu Darvish back, but they’re doing okay without them for now.
But their All-Star week might throw a monkey hammer into their successful run.
After the Cubs finish up their home stand this weekend against the Reds, they’ll be ending their second half on a short west coast tour. They’ll start in San Francisco before they close out their second half that Sunday in San Diego. Then a day off to travel; some Cubs are bound for Washington D.C. for the All-Star festivities while others will head back to Chicago and actually get their rest in. Then the All-Star Game, travel day and back to work when they host the Cardinals at Wrigley two days after the All-Star Game.
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The Cubs that are participating in the All-Star Game will be going from the west coast to the east coast to Chicago within just a few days.
That doesn’t account for the players that’ll participate in the game and the exhausting media swirl around it. Maybe a Cub participates in the Home Run Derby for the first time since Kris Bryant in 2015. But that seems improbable.
Should the All-Star Game have more travel days built in?
It seems a little silly to cut into a 162 game season for something as trivial as the All-Star Game. But if it helps players, why not? In the months of August and September the biggest rival isn’t wearing a uniform; it’s fatigue. And it’s not bench players or mop up relief pitchers making the extra travel. It’s the best players from each team.
Even just another day would help. Nobody needs to fly in one day, play the next and then fly to wherever their team might be playing. Especially in seasons like this year and last where the All-Star Game is on a coast.
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The Chicago Cubs aren’t going to get much of a break this All-Star “Break”. But they’ll try to keep their hot streak rolling into the second half and onto the postseason.