Chicago Cubs: Previewing the 2016 season

The Chicago Cubs made a plethora of moves in the offseason to try to end their World Series drought. As the season opens, they are considered one of the favorites to win it all. Is all the hype deserved?

All the talk is over. The offseason is over. It is now time to break out the hot dogs and smell the blades of grass on major league grounds.

The 2016 Major League Baseball season is finally upon us. We now get to see how all the offseason moves work (or don’t work). The time for talk is gone and the time to back up that talk is here.

The Chicago Cubs made a plethora of moves in the offseason to strengthen a team that surprisingly made it to the National League Championship Series last season.

While they were expected to make a jump from the last place finishes they had in the previous five seasons (three of them with 90+ losses), no one realistically expected them to win 97 games and make it four games from the World Series.

This season, things are different. Instead of being the hunters like they were last season, they are now the hunted. They are the popular choice to win the World Series. That brings with it a world of pressure.

How will the team handle that pressure? Is this a World Series-bound team? Let’s take a look at the 2016 Chicago Cubs:

Next: Can the skipper continue his mastery at handling major league players?