Call to the pen
Fansided

Chicago Cubs Core Is Fine – Their Pitching Isn’t

By TC Zencka

Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras talks with starting pitcher Jon Lester during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras talks with starting pitcher Jon Lester during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)
(Photo by David Banks/Getty Images) /

Last season was a tough pill to swallow for Theo Epstein and the Chicago Cubs faithful. What comes next is going to be even harder.

It’s been three years since the Chicago Cubs won the World Series, and in a certain light, they could have, oh, say another 100 years or so before worrying overhard about the drought. Theo Epstein and company are under no such illusions as they prepare for what could be a tumultuous offseason in Wrigleyville.

Re-watching their title-winning game 7 from 2016, it’s surprising how similar the team looks to the squad that faceplanted into an 82-80 record in 2019. Dexter Fowler is gone, Javier Baez no longer bats ninth, but the rest of the starting lineup remains (though that’s about to change).

There’s a decent chance Ben Zobrist retires after a complicated season, and Addison Russell‘s career has cratered to the point that he’s a likely non-tender. The rest of the position player core remains intact, and in many ways, they look better than ever.

Javier Baez evolved beyond a fan favorite a defensive whiz into a fringe MVP candidate and a premier power player at shortstop. Willson Contreras is coming off his most complete season to date and shows signs of coming around as a pitch framer. Kyle Schwarber finally put it all together in 2019’s second half, ending the year with 38 home runs and a premium-level .531 SLG.

Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant anchor the heart of the batting order, and when healthy, they’re much the same players they were in 2016. Bryant especially has struggled when less than 100%, but when he’s on, he has light-tower power and he’s a game-changing baserunner.

Take that core, add absolutely nailing the deadline acquisition of Nicholas Castellanos, and it would be reasonable to assume the 2019 Cubs pushed for title contention. Spoiler alert: they didn’t.

The public identity of these Chicago Cubs hangs on the position player side because that’s where their stars live. Homegrown, personable, talented stars. The faces of the curse-breaking 2016 Cubs. Namely, those listed above: Bryant, Rizzo, Baez, Schwarber, Contreras, and to a less-earnest degree, Jason Heyward.

The rumors swirling this offseason center on which of these core position players might be on the move. So let’s start there.

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