Ricketts: Cubs have 'great shot at competing for our division'
It's time for optimism again in the North Side.
Without a playoff win in five years, the Chicago Cubs are confident they could return to contention in 2023.
"I think we have a great shot at competing for our division," team chairman Tom Ricketts said Saturday during Cubs Convention, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Cubs went 74-88 last season, finishing third in the NL Central and 19 games back of the division-winning St. Louis Cardinals. Despite the expanded postseason format, the NL Central produced only one playoff team last year, with three coming from the NL East and a pair from the NL West.
While success has eluded the team over the past five years, going 358-351 with an 0-3 record in the playoffs, they showed promise in the second half of the 2022 campaign and have made key additions this winter. After the All-Star break, the Cubs went 39-31 with the fifth-best win-loss record in the NL.
Furthermore, Jed Hoyer and the rest of the Cubs' front office have made some splashy moves this offseason, notably adding shortstop Dansby Swanson on a seven-year, $177-million deal. They've also added Cody Bellinger, Eric Hosmer, Jameson Taillon, Tucker Barnhart, and Brad Boxberger.
The Cardinals, their most bitter rival, managed to poach Willson Contreras away from the Cubs via free agency on a five-year, $87.5-million deal.