The Chicago Cubs went from winning a World Series in 2016 to being sellers the past two trade deadlines. The good news for the Cubs faithful is reinforcements may be coming this summer as the franchise shoots for a postseason push.
The Cubs season has had ebbs and flows, but they’re one of the hottest teams in baseball right now, winning nine of their last 11 games. Overall, Chicago is 36-38 and just 3.5 games back from the first-place Cincinnati Reds in the NL Central.
The Cubs are in London for a two-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals, and their trip across the pond comes at an inflection point in the season. If the Cubs can keep winning, their ownership group is willing to bring in more pieces to get them over the hump.
“Obviously, we’re buyers right now,” Cubs owner Tom Ricketts said, per the Chicago Tribune. “Things can come off the rails, but I don’t think they will.”
Ricketts has reason to believe things won’t come off the rails. The North Siders are a balanced bunch, ranking No. 4 in the NL in team ERA (3.95) and No. 4 in OBP. However, two areas of weakness are in the power department and the bullpen. Chicago ranks No. 22 in bullpen ERA (4.29) and No. 18 in home runs (82).
As things stand, the Cubs are close to being a contender and a force in the NL, but if they don’t add at least one power bat and a reliable reliever, they are likely to just hover around .500. No one knows this more than the Cubs front office and Ricketts. As the old saying goes, it takes money to make money.
“I think what we have is a core that can compete for the division and compete for the playoffs,” Ricketts said. “And now it’s finding the missing parts to add to it.”
Per Spotrac, the Cubs rank No. 13 in the majors in team payroll at $182,893,387 and can afford to take on more salary if it helps the team win.
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