The Chicago Cubs have to like where they currently stand at the All-Star break. The team is 57-39 overall and in first place in the National League Central. While divisional race is far from over, as the red-hot Milwaukee Brewers are just a game behind Chicago, Bleacher Report’s MLB lead writer Zachary D. Rymer is bullish on the Cubs as a legitimate World Series threat. Rymer details why this group is built to succeed in October.
“The goal for the Cubs should be to get into the playoffs and then look to bludgeon teams with their offense,” Rymer states. “The North Siders are second in scoring to the Dodgers, but their offense feels more dangerous. It is elite at both hitting home runs (142) and stealing bases (108), both of which are handy for putting runs on the board in October.
The mound is where the Cubs are relatively short-handed, though things have been better (i.e., 3.54 ERA) since Shota Imanaga came off the IL on June 26. If he's the No. 1 in their playoff rotation, well, that would be just fine. And yet, the Cubs are perhaps the top candidate to make an aggressive play on a top-flight starter at the deadline.”
Rymer additionally notes that the Cubs’ defense, which has made the fifth-fewest errors in the league, and elite bullpen cover up some of the concerns over the starting rotation.
Overall, should Chicago add one reliable starter at the deadline, which appears inevitable, this team should be the most formidable threat to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League. Not bad for a franchise trying to break a four-year playoff drought.
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