Chicago Cubs News: Darvish, the 2018 Draft and Cishek

There were plenty of things that had to go the Chicago Cubs way to sign Yu Darvish, and they did. And the draft is four months away, so it’s as good a time as any to start talking about it.

It seemed to take on a mind of its own for the Chicago Cubs. While pursuing a free agent pitcher, they went to the end of the world and back with who the “favorite” was. It started with Alex Cobb, then went to Yu Darvish. We came back around to Jake Arrieta for a bit before finally ending up with Darvish. So how did all these things work out the way that they did to get him?

The 2018 MLB Amateur draft is just four months away. For the Cubs, the stakes have never been higher. As they come off their third straight NLCS, they’re going to need to reload with pitchers, while keeping in mind that these positional players won’t be around forever. The Cubs have done a fine job of developing players throughout the years, and they’ll need to continue it to keep pace in the National League.

When the Cubs signed Steve Cishek, his days of closing games were behind him. At least, that’s what he thought. While Cishek won’t be “the guy,” he’ll fill various roles within the Cubs bullpen. From his days as a closer with Miami to his recent experience with Jim Hickey in Tampa Bay–Cishek will have the ability to take on all challenges presented to him in the pen.

These and other stories you might have missed:

‘How the Darvish signing came to fruition’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Examining the importance of the 2018 Draft’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Cishek can fulfill a wealth of roles’ – Cubbies Crib

’30 burning questions entering camp’ – MLB.com

‘Everything you need to know about 2018’s new skippers’ – ESPN

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