5 Cubs
CONTENDERS
SCOUT'S TAKE
KEY QUESTION
There are a lot of great players on this team, but Kris Bryant is the most important. He wasn't healthy last year—he was trying to hold on with his bad shoulder, and it resulted in that one-armed release. His swing looks closer to what it was two years ago, but can Bryant get all the way back to MVP form?
GETS MOST OUT OF TALENT
Kyle Hendricks has the Greg Maddux approach down pretty well: He's not lighting up any radar guns—he topped out at 88—but this guy can flat-out paint. He's got a great mind for pitching that no one else in the league can match.
OVERRATED
Yu Darvish clearly has No. 1 starter stuff, but he's fallen flat in L.A. and now Chicago; maybe he's just not cut out for a big market. Between him and Tyler Chatwood, the Cubs really whiffed on their big starter signings from last year.
LAST LICKS
Javy Báez's instincts on the field are just off the charts. Is there a player who's more fun to watch? ... They've made some big deadline deals recently, but they don't have many more big chips to trade. They're going to get beaten at the deadline by teams that can offer more.
THE PAYOFF PITCH
IT'S RARE for managers to be cast in a lame-duck role these days, so take the Cubs' decision to not extend Joe Maddon's contract past 2019 seriously. Maddon, who led the Cubs to their first World Series title in a century, has regressed tactically, becoming a push-button operator of his bullpen as the rest of the league moves toward more fluid arrangements. His quirky style off the field may also be wearing thin as Chicago's young core becomes a veteran core. Maddon may be a victim of his own success, raising the expectations during his four-year tenure to the point at which a 95-win season—tying for the best record in the NL though 162 games—can be considered a disappointment by newly spoiled Cubs fans. Despite a championship and two division crowns, Maddon will be managing for his job this season.
OVER UNDER
89.5
The Cubs' core talent is still elite, but with the farm system emptied out and their NL Central rivals improving, the window on the North Side is closing—fast.
LINEUP
2B Ben Zobrist
.305/9 HR/.378 OBP
3B Kris Bryant
.272/13 HR/.460 SLG
1B Anthony Rizzo
.283/25 HR/101 RBI
SS Javier Báez
.290/34 HR/21 SB
LF Kyle Schwarber
.238/26 HR/61 RBI
C Willson Contreras
.249/10 HR/54 RBI
RF Jason Heyward
.270/8 HR/57 RBI
CF Ian Happ
.233/15 HR/.353 OBP
BENCH
OF Albert Almora
.286/5 HR/.378 SLG
IF Addison Russell
.250/5 HR/.317 OBP
FANTASY BREAKOUT
IAN HAPP was disappointing last year, but he's only 24. He has 20-20 potential and positional versatility.
ROTATION
LH Jon Lester
18 W/3.32 ERA/1.31 WHP
RH Kyle Hendricks
14 W/3.44 ERA/1.15 WHP
LH José Quintana
13 W/4.03 ERA/1.32 WHP
LH Cole Hamels
9 W/3.78 ERA/1.26 WHP
BULLPEN
CL Pedro Strop
13 SV/2.26 ERA/8.6 K9
RH Carl Edwards Jr.
2.60 ERA/1.31 WHP/11.6 K9
RH Steve Cishek
2.18 ERA/1.04 WHP/10.0 K9
MANAGER
Joe Maddon