Chicago Cubs (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
The Chicago Cubs went into this 2021 season with some strange expectations. For the first time since 2015, people went in expecting a good team but not a great team. So far this year, they have been a great team. It started off very slow which had people wondering. The direction of this franchise going forward still remains in question but the players certainly have made it hard.
The Chicago Cubs are one of the most interesting teams in baseball right now.
Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, and Anthony Rizzo have been key pillars of this team for a long time. All three of them are currently playing on expiring contracts which is a little scary for Cubs fans. Add the fact that Willson Contreras only has 2022 left and it makes it even worse. If they don’t do things the right way here, there might be some trouble on the horizon.
After their afternoon win on Wednesday, they are 35-27 which is right there for first place in the National League Central with the Milwaukee Brewers. They are certainly a good enough team to make the playoffs as constructed but the question will be whether or not they risk the future to try it one more time. There are people that think they will be buyers before they are sellers but that remains to be seen.
To be in a position like this, there have to be players that reward your faith in them. The Cubs have a few players who have done that. There are also going to be some players who don’t justify the faith you put in them. These are the two players that have justified it the most and one who hasn’t: