Chicago Cubs: Looking forward to what’s next in 2019

As we begin embracing a new year, it’s time to reflect on the current state of the Chicago Cubs. Maybe there’s a surprise or two that the organization can look forward to in 2019?

Well, 2018 has been a ride filled with plenty of ups and downs if you’re a Chicago Cubs fan. No matter the sport, there are always things to appreciate during a grueling season, as well as some things to feel upset or disappointed in. What happens in the daily sports world, unfortunately, can’t please everyone after all.

With that in mind, looking back, how did 2018 fare for the Chicago Cubs? While they didn’t end up pleasing their fan-base over the course of their season, given their earlier than expected playoff exit, there is still quite a bit of optimism that 2019 can bring forth to the organization that still has championship aspirations.

Chicago Cubs: Disappointing finish, yet far from done

While the Cubs ended 2018 largely on a sour-note, given their lackluster finish to the season, there is still great hope that this team can rebound in a major way in 2019.

For starters, the Cubs won 95 regular-season games in 2018 with injuries to key players on the roster. Players like Yu Darvish, Kris Bryant, Pedro Strop, and Brandon Morrow all at various points throughout the season missed significant playing time due to injuries. When they were playing, none of them performed anywhere near their best. Looking forward to 2019, all of these key contributors should be healthy again, thus primed for big rebound seasons if all goes according to plan. With that note: it’ll help Darvish a ton if he simply stops worrying about what every fan in town thinks of him before he even steps on the mound.

Let’s not forget about some of the younger players on the roster to date. Ian Happ, Kyle Schwarber, and Kyle Hendricks all had uneven performances throughout the season. They’re all still young enough where they haven’t reached their ceilings as players yet. Thus, a new year brings forth an even better opportunity to improve for these key players on the Cubs. If of course they’re all still on the roster come April. Happ and Schwarber might not want to tune into social media anytime soon before then, given their names are continually floating around in trade rumor circles this offseason.

Buyer’s remorse? That certainly applies to the signings of Jason Heyward, Tyler Chatwood and Darvish. Still, maybe 2019 will bring out the best in all three of them as well. After all, it’s hard for players in any sport to find their footing with a new team. Sometimes it takes longer, especially for someone like Heyward, who unfortunately has to witness another hitting coach depart after one season. Besides, maybe all it’ll take for Chatwood to get back on track is simply rediscovering how to throw three strikes in a row? Who said baseball was easy after all?

How can anyone talk about the Cubs without mentioning Joe Maddon? 2018 was a letdown year for the manager, in large part because he always tries too hard to make splash decisions instead of the obvious ones. Juggling the lineup card with players unsure of where they’re going to bat in the order from one game to the next was certainly deflating to the entire team. It’s as if Maddon was playing Wheel of Fortune while being blindfolded in order to appropriately dictate which players go where before the game begins.

Unfortunately for Maddon, he’s running out of cards to pick from, as his contract expires following the 2019 season. Thus, no manager may be under more immediate pressure to win than him. This certainly will be a make-or-break season for him. As a result, maybe he’ll worry less about making constant lineup changes while worrying more about simply putting his players in the best position to win games moving forward.

Finally, might the Cubs do the unthinkable this offseason and sign free agent Bryce Harper? While it will likely take moving a big contract or two that’s already on the roster (ahem . . . Jason Heyward) to create enough resource to make this now far-fetched dream possible, why bet against Theo Epstein? He out of all people understand the importance of the Cubs winning another World Series while their championship window is still open. Maybe he’s got one more trick up his sleeve that’s already in the works?