Chicago Cubs’ season could be derailed if these things happen

Kris Bryant suffers a season-ending injury

In his first two years at the big league level, suffice to say Kris Bryant has delivered. After winning National League Rookie of the Year honors in 2015, he followed that up with an NL MVP Award last season, helping lead the Chicago Cubs to a World Series title.

Already a two-time All-Star, Bryant drastically cut his strikeout numbers from his rookie campaign, from 199 down to 154 – despite having 49 more plate appearances. He led the team in both home runs (39) and runs batted in (102), while leading the league in runs scored (121).

Not only was he arguably the best offensive player in the league, but he also appeared in games at third base, all three outfield positions and first base. This allowed manager Joe Maddon to be incredibly flexible with the lineup card on a daily basis. Alongside pieces like Javier Baez and Ben Zobrist, Bryant showed his value no matter where he was on the diamond.

Could they survive?

One could make the argument that even if Bryant suffered an injury, the Cubs have the depth to withstand it. You saw that last season with the loss of Kyle Schwarber and the severe offensive underperformance of Jason Heyward. But it’s hard to replace that kind of versatility defensively, on top of the obvious offensive subtraction.

If Chicago lost Bryant, Baez would likely shift over to third base on a full-time basis, with Zobrist taking up permanent residence at second. The outfield would comprise of a combination of Jon Jay, Albert Almora, Schwarber and Heyward.

Any time you subtract 40 homers and 100-plus RBI from a lineup, weaknesses glare brighter than ever. Sure, the Cubs would likely be able to weather the loss – they’re in a better position to do so than most. But they’d quickly go from World Series favorites to a postseason wild card.