Chicago Cubs: The offseason offers constant excitement for fans

The winter isn’t a time of hibernation but excitement for the Cubs

If you think that because baseball is over for the year that things slow down for this Chicago Cubs blog, I’ve got some news for–buckle up, this is where it’s going to get exciting. Teams announcing free agents this week, as well as 40-man rosters being set is just the start of what will be an exciting winter. We’ve got the Arizona Fall League, Rule 5 Draft, possible trades and free agent signings. I mean, the Cubs are already at the top of the “way too early” power rankings, as well as a Vegas betting sites favorite for the World Series. And we haven’t even started yet.

The fun and excitement carries over to us here at Cubbies Crib. We’re a tight group, but we have different opinions on what the Cubs should do, where they should spend money and more. You’ll see a lot of that in the coming weeks. While David Price sounds nice in name–and after a rough postseason it seems less nice–the team doesn’t need to spend all that money on him. But others feel differently and believe he and Joe Maddon will reunite in Chicago.

The Cubs 40-man roster has obvious importance, but even more as the Rule 5 Draft approaches. If you’re not familiar with who’s subject to the draft, this can offer up a better explanation than I can give. But it starts with not being on the 40-man roster. The Cubs certainly have a few players they want to protect, specifically catcher Willson Contreras. With the future behind the plate for the Cubs “cloudy”, he could be the answer in the near future.

It’s also possible the Cubs could find another gem like they did in Hector Rondon. It’s always difficult to hide a player when you’re expected to be a contender. Rondon had the benefit of being on some bad teams. The Cubs used him sparingly to build confidence. End result? A solid closer for a playoff team.

And how about the trade market? We could all spin possibilities for potential trades. Starlin Castro and Javier Baez will be at the forefront of those rumors, especially from the fans perspective. But you still have players like Dan Vogelbach–who was the Kyle Schwarber of the Cubs before Schwarber became tangled in these defensive/designated hitter talks. Arismendy Alcantara is another who’s seen time in the Show. Or the Cubs could deal some of the lower-level talent for pitching. The Cubs are deep, and many have their eye on the farm system. It’s coveted, just know that.

It will be hard for the Cubs to make the splash that they did last offseason with hiring Joe Maddon and signing Jon Lester. That prompted Anthony Rizzo to proclaim the Cubs would win the NL Central. Crazy kid. They missed by three games. How far will he go in predictions for next season?

I think everyone else might be beating him to the punch this year. But we’d still like to hear it from Rizzo himself. Only three games off this year. So let’s just set the bar a little higher.