When the 2016 Chicago Cubs won the World Series, it cemented their place in history, snapping a once-thought unbreakable 108-year curse. That team, highlighted by a core of Kris Bryant (the 2016 NL MVP), Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, Jon Lester, and Kyle Hendricks, won 103 games and finished with a +252 run differential under Joe Maddon.
Fast-forward five years and with the departure of team president Theo Epstein, Maddon’s parting after the 2019 season, and the recent trade of Yu Darvish to the San Diego Padres, the days of Chicago as perennial contenders in the NL Central seem to be coming to a halt.