Chicago Cubs Offseason: Three reasons it’s not time to worry, yet

The Chicago Cubs had a bitter end to the 2018 season with a Wild Card game loss. They haven’t made any big moves this offseason, but it’s not time to panic quite yet.

The 2018 Chicago Cubs didn’t have the end to their season that they had hoped for. In back-to-back games at Wrigley Field, they lost the NL Central in a one-game playoff with the Milwaukee Brewers and then lost the NL Wild Card Game to the Colorado Rockies.

It was extremely disappointing as a Cubs fans to watch two teams celebrate on the Cubs’ home field on two consecutive days, one of them being a bitter division rival. Towards the end of the season, it was clear the offense was completely cold.

Cubs hitters struggled mightily in August and September, which gave the Brewers a chance to catch them in the division race. The Brewers were led by the reigning NL MVP in Christian Yelich, who helped his team make it all the way to the NLCS.

There were a ton of questions after the 2018 season ended, and not that many answers. Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein was extremely clear about what he thought went wrong (Via NBC Sports):

"…Something happened in our offense in the second half where we stopped walking, we stopped hitting home runs, we stopped hitting the ball in the air and we stopped being productive. Not being able to get 2 runs is really unacceptable and it sort of tells a story a little bit of the end of our season."

It was refreshing to hear that from Epstein, although he’s one of the more open MLB executives. Still, a lot of Cubs fans came into the offseason expecting a big name signing for the Cubs.

The name at the top of everyone’s list was outfielder Bryce Harper, who is a free agent after playing his first seven seasons with the Washington Nationals. Harper hasn’t signed anywhere yet, but it doesn’t seem like the Cubs are favored to get him.

Meanwhile, the other teams in the NL Central have been making big moves. The St. Louis Cardinals traded for All-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and signed relief pitcher Andrew Miller.

The Brewers signed catcher Yasmani Grandal to a one-year deal. The Cincinnati Reds traded with the Los Angeles Dodgers for outfielder Yasiel Puig and pitcher Alex Wood. This division will be no joke in 2019.

Cubs fans are understandably anxious about the upcoming season. Just because a team has a quiet offseason doesn’t mean they’ll do poorly next year, right? Here are three reasons for Cubs fans not to panic…just yet.