The Chicago Cubs couldn’t repeat as World Series champions last year, but they still had a very good year. They ran into a better Dodgers team in the NLCS and were eliminated in five games.
This Cubs didn’t stand pat this offseason. They made some moves and cut some of the fat by deciding to not re-sign a few starters and let a few bullpen arms walk. They spent wisely by signing starter Yu Darvish to a pretty team-friendly contract. The Cubs did spend $126 million, but many thought Darvish could command a contract near $200 million at the start of the offseason.
Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant are perennial MVP candidates for the Cubs. Kyle Schwarber could be a guy on their level, but he has a rough year at the plate. He focused on his fitness this offseason and dropped weight. Will his power still be there?
Here is the 2018 MLB season preview for the Chicago Cubs.
2017 Win/Loss Record: 92-70
Key Additions: SP Yu Darvish, RP Brandon Morrow, RP Steve Cishek, RP Shae Simmons, SP Drew Smyly, RP Anthony Bass, OF Peter Bourjos, C Chris Gimenez, RP Dario Alvarez, SP Luke Farrell, RP Cory Mazzoni & SP Randy Rosario
Key Losses: SP Jake Arrieta, SP John Lackey, RP Wade Davis, RP Hector Rondon, OF Jon Jay, RP Koji Uehara, C Alex Avila, C Rene Rivera & RP Felix Pena
Interleague Schedule: AL Central
Projected Starters: Wilson Contreras, Anthony Rizzo, javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Kyle Schwarber, Albert Almora Jr. & Jason Heyward
Projected Starting Rotation: Yu Darvish, Jon Lester, Jose Quintana, Kyle Hendricks & Tyler Chatwood
Closer: Brandon Morrow
Fantasy Sleeper: SP Tyler Chatwood – Chatwood was a sneaky signing by the Cubs. His overall ERA was pedestrian, but his road ERA was only 2.57 the last two seasons. All the starts he had at Coors Field as a member of the Rockies skewed his ERA in a negative way. It shows that he would have success on another team. He’s not a strikeout guy and has better control outside of Coors Field, so he should see his ERA and WHIP decrease as a member of the Cubs. Also, being the fifth starter on the Cubs should lend him to some easy wins against low-level starters.
Prospect To Keep Your Eye On: C Victor Caratini – The Cubs have unloaded some of the league’s best young talent over the last three seasons. They still have a few gems in their farm system, but the high-level ones are few and far between. I’m taking Caratini due to the fact that he should start the season on the big league roster and will get some at-bats. I don’t see many other prospects cracking the lineup this year. If Contreras lands on the DL, Caratini should do just fine. He hits for average and had a little pop to make up for the loss of Contreras for periods of time.
Team Analysis: The Cubs hoped to repeat as champions last year, but they fell short in the postseason. The bullpen was a huge issue as they no longer had Aroldis Chapman to lean on late in games. They added some arms this offseason, but they didn’t opt for the traditional closer. They signed Brandon Morrow and Steve Cishek who will battle Carl Edwards Jr. and Pedro Strop to pitch late in games. It’s an interesting move as an established closer like Greg Holland was still available.
Young slugger Kyle Schwarber had a rough year at the plate in 2017. He only hit for .211 and struck out 150 times in 422 at-bats. He spent the offseason dropping weight, so he will be a better fit to play left field everyday. He also hopes that getting in better shape will speed up his bat. The Cubs hope that the weight loss doesn’t equate to a loss of power.
The Cubs lost starters Jake Arrieta and John Lackey this offseason. They just opted to sign Yu Darvish and Tyler Chatwood to take up their spots in the rotation. Darvish had a rough World Series for the Dodgers last season as he tipped pitches, but he apparently fixed that issue.
The NL Central may not be as competitive as in year’s past as the Pirates are shipping off some of their best talent. The Cardinals appear to be their only real threat in the division. They should hang with the Cubs for most of the season, but the Cubs pitching should be the key to winning the division again. They are a World Series contender this season.
2018 Wins Over/Under Betting Line: 93.5 (Prediction: OVER)
2018 Projected Win/Loss Record: 97-65 (1st in NL Central)
CLICK HERE to read the rest of our 2018 MLB Team Previews
Follow us on Twitter @Sweetbob & ‘LIKE’ us on Facebook!
About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.