The Chicago Cubs made a magical run to the National League Championship Series with an unproven young squad last season, and now the team's front office has added a trio of veterans with the hopes of taking them to the next level in 2016.
Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer have signed veteran hurler John Lackey, super-utility player Ben Zobrist, and outfielder Jason Heyward to multi-year deals, which has reigning NL Rookie of the Year Kris Bryant feeling optimistic about the club's chances of ending its World Series drought next season.
"It's been crazy. I didn't think we were going to sign him (Heyward) at all," Bryant told the Chicago Tribune. "It just kind of came out of the blue, but, it kind of says a lot about his character. Everybody else, they seem seem like they want to come to the Cubs. It's such a historic franchise, and playing at Wrigley Field, and the city is awesome, the fans are great. I mean, it's going to be a really fun year with all the new additions we have, and the ones coming back."
CUBS' NOTABLE FALL SIGNINGS
| PLAYER | POS | YEARS | $(M) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Heyward | OF | 8 | 184 |
| Ben Zobrist | 2B/OF | 4 | 56 |
| John Lackey | SP | 2 | 32 |
| Trevor Cahill | RP | 1 | 4.25 |
Chicago also acquired right-hander Adam Warren from the New York Yankees in the Starlin Castro deal. Warren will compete for a spot in the starting rotation, and, at the very least, holds tremendous upside as a long man out of the bullpen.
The Cubs finished 97-65 in manager Joe Maddon's inaugural season, earning a wild-card playoff berth. Chicago prevailed in a do-or-die contest with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and then dispatched the powerhouse St. Louis Cardinals in four games before falling to the New York Mets in the NLCS. However, the Cubs still hold the longest World Series title drought in the majors, with the franchise's last championship coming back in 1908.