Chicago Cubs: The good, bad, and ugly heading into Opening Day

The Chicago Cubs certainly have some things to worry about right now.

2020 Hangover

While 2020 was a rough year for most, the Cubs were no exception. The offense struggled mightily up and down the lineup. The team finished in the bottom half of the league on average, HR’s, and K% in the league shortened 60 game season.

The two bright spots were the surprising seasons that Ian Happ and Jason Heyward put together. While Heyward led the team in BA and Happ led the team in HR, these were their best seasons in a Cub uniform. Furthermore, Happ has not lived up to his first-round pick status and Heyward will never live up to his 8 years/ $184 Million dollar contract.

The Cubs ultimately won the NL Central on the back of good pitching and defense. The season would quickly come to an end in the Wild Card round vs the Miami Marlins scoring only one run in two games. If we see any carryover into 2021, it could be a long season for our beloved.

Pitching

Let’s call a spade a spade. The pitching staff of the Chicago Cubs has been neglected since the Epstein era started. Refusing to draft and develop homegrown arms has reared its ugly head.

I can appreciate the moves they did make over the years to acquire the likes of Jon Lester, Jose Quintana, and Aroldis Chapman but now that those faces are gone, the cupboard is left relatively empty.

Outside of Kyle Hendricks and Jake Arrieta, the starting rotation and bullpen have names that even the biggest fan will likely not know. The lack of pitching may be the reason we see the Cubs become sellers at the deadline.