Tagged: Chicago Cubs
3 reasons why: Chicago Cubs will win the World Series
As the 2016 season approaches, I will be taking a look at the 10 teams with the best odds of winning the World Series and examining three reasons why each may ultimately hoist the trophy. Today’s team:
Chicago Cubs (4/1 odds to win World Series): It has to happen eventually, right? Although the Cubs haven’t won the World Series since 1908, there’s no way that streak can live on forever. The folks in and around Wrigleyville thought they had a chance to host a parade in 2015, but perhaps 2016 will be the year. There’s plenty of reason for optimism.
Young, talented roster: The Cubs have built from the ground up. The front office did a good job bolstering the Minor League system and all that patience and acquired talent is paying dividends. The Cubs are not only loaded with talent, but they’re loaded with young talent. Six of the club’s eight projected positional starters are 26 years old or younger. And if that’s not enough youth, the organization showed off its depth as it placed six prospects on MLBpipeline.com’s Top 100 list.
Strong off-season: Winning 97 games is a major accomplishment, but the Cubs 2015 season ended in disappointment. Looking ahead to 2016, that’s a good thing. Not only do the Cubs have new motivation, but they also went out and got some key players. Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist are the two headliners, but don’t discount the addition of John Lackey either. Heyward gives the Cubs a Gold Glove outfielder, Zobrist gives manager Joe Maddon a versatile player that can be utilized in numerous roles and Lackey provides the team and rotation with another strong veteran presence.
Jed Hoyer, Theo Epstein, Joe Maddon: Jed Hoyer and Theo Epstein have reversed a curse before (2004 Red Sox) and have shown a desire to do the same in Chicago. The Cubs built their core through the draft and have made big free agent splashes each of the last two years – Jon Lester and Jason Heyward – to fill in the gaps. Hoyer and Epstein certainly know how to build a team and although the Cubs look solid right now, it’s hard to predict what the team may need in the middle of the season. No need to worry though, Hoyer and Epstein and clearly willing to be aggressive and have a strong desire to win. So if it becomes apparent the Cubs need to acquire a player, it’s a safe bet the front office will certainly try. If having a strong front office wasn’t enough, the Cubs also have one of the best managers in the game in Joe Maddon. The three Manager of the Year Awards serve as validation, but Maddon’s numbers speak for themselves. Maddon has managed 10 full Major League seasons and has a winning record in seven of them.
Cubs still favorite, D-backs make huge jump in 2016 World Series odds
A trio of teams – the Cubs, Red Sox and D-backs – have garnered the bulk of the offseason headlines thus far.
Yes, plenty of teams have made moves to put themselves in a better position going forward, but the three teams mentioned above have made the biggest, most significant moves and the betting lines reflect that.
On November 2, the day after the World Series concluded, Bovada, an online casino and sportsbook, posted odds for the 2016 World Series. The Cubs (11/1) were the odds-on favorite while the Red Sox (20/1) were in the middle of the pack and the D-backs (50/1) seemed like a long shot.
Fast forward through the Winter Meetings, into the middle of December, and plenty of things have changed.
The Cubs are still the favorites, but the odds are now 8/1 after the club strengthened the rotation and signed John Lackey, in addition to bolstering an already potent lineup with the additions of Ben Zobrist and Jason Heyward.
Boston got a head start on the off-season wheeling and dealing when it traded four prospects to San Diego in exchange for Craig Kimbrel. The Kimbrel trade was a big move that strengthened a ‘pen that finished the season with a 4.24 ERA, 26th in all of baseball. However, it turns out it was just a precursor as Dave Dombrowski still had some tricks up his sleeve.
The Red Sox made another big splash when they inked David Price to a monster contract and as a result, their World Series odds jumped from 20/1 to 9/1.
But perhaps the biggest off-season shocker took place just before the Winter Meetings when Arizona landed Zack Greinke. Not only did the Greinke signing give a tremendous boost to Arizona’s starting rotation, but it also subtraced an ace from the Dodgers’ staff and kept the Giants, a division rival and the other finalist in the Greinke sweepstakes, from acquiring the superstar.
Of course, once the D-backs added Greinke it was a clear sign that the team was in “win now” mode, so Dave Stewart and Tony La Russa went out and made another bold move, trading for Shelby Miller.
The D-backs finished second in the National League in runs scored a season ago and added two quality arms to the rotation which is why the odds went all the way from 50/1 to 20/1.
Although the Giants missed on Greinke, the club added Jeff Samardzija and saw odds swing from 20/1 to 8/1.
While all those changes were significant and interesting, there is still plenty of offseason left, which means time for more deals (what happens if the Cubs get another pitcher?).
10 Things I’m Watching In 2015: Lester, Shields, Scherzer
As we count down to Spring Training, here’s the eighth installment of my ’10 Things I’m Watching In 2015′ series. Today’s topic: Jon Lester, Max Scherzer and James Shields.
How will Scherzer Lester and Shields fare in the National League?
Generally speaking the American League is known for offense and the National League is known for pitching. The DH contributes a lot to this fact and it is likely a reason that big name free agent pitchers often opt to pitch in the National League.
When the 2014 season ended there were three big-name, free agent pitchers on the market and all three of them – Jon Lester, Max Scherzer and James Shields – opted to make the transition from the AL to the NL.
While Scherzer spent the first two seasons of his career in the NL, Lester and Shields have never pitched for a NL team. Each of them have spent nine seasons in the American League.
The trio of pitchers have combined for six All Star games and a Cy Young Award (Scherzer) and considering they all have strong stuff, it’s likely they will do just fine in the NL. However, it may be interesting to watch their transitions, especially over the first couple months as they get used to new parks, lineups and catchers.
Also, I wonder which one of them is the best hitter? And how long will it take Lester to collect his first hit?
Previous Entries:
10 Things I’m Watching In 2015: Chicago Cubs
Baseball is finally here. To some it may feel like the season just ended, but to those that live and breathe baseball, it may feel like it’s been gone for an eternity. Either way, there are 10 days left until the first official team workouts here in Arizona and to help pass the time I will be releasing a daily blog post about 10 things I’m excited to watch in 2015.
These posts are in no particular order, so if I list your team or favorite player 10th, fifth or first, there’s no reason to read too much into it. I’m anxious for the upcoming baseball season and these are 10 reasons why:
Things I’m watching in 2015:
Cubs
It’s hard not to be excited and/or curious about the Cubs in 2015. After a tremendous off season there will certainly be a lot of eyes not only on Opening Night, but throughout the entire season.
While the Cubs made plenty of moves over the past few months, the biggest were the additions of Joe Maddon and Jon Lester.
It’s hard to argue with Maddon’s resume. Maddon had a winning record in six of his last seven seasons with the Rays and his team won 90 or more games in five of those seasons. Meanwhile, the Cubs have won 90 or more games just once (2008) since the year 2000.
While hiring Maddon would have constituted a solid off-season, the Cubs weren’t done as they then added Jon Lester via a six year deal worth $155 million.
Lester is coming off a season in which he posted a 2.46 ERA, but will have to adjust to the National League – although it’s hard to imagine that being any sort of drastic adjustment for someone who has been as successful as Lester.
The Cubs also upgraded their rotation when the brought back Jason Hamel. Although Hamel struggled with the A’s, he was 8-5 with a 2.98 ERA as a Cub last season.
Lester and Maddon were clearly the Cubs two biggest moves of the off season, but they aren’t the only reason, I’ll be watching the Cubs this season. Dexter Fowler was a solid addition to the Cubs outfield and the progress of Javier Baez will be interesting to monitor as well.
Jake Arrieta is also coming off of his best ever season as he posted a career high in wins (10) and a career low in ERA (2.53)
Kris Bryant has generated a ton of hype and whenever the Cubs top prospect makes his Major League debut, it will undoubtedly be a major story surrounding the team.
The Cubs are littered with players to watch this season and although it may take them a while to learn to win and completely change the culture in Chicago, the Cubs are going to be one of the most fascinating teams to watch next season.
Boor on Baseball 