Chicago Cubs: A dogfight in the National League Central

Chicago Cubs: Competition is good, right?

There is no denying that the 2016 season was a ton of fun. The regular season finish for the Cubs was the best in team history, culminating in a much-deserved championship. The other division rivals found themselves toyed with as the Cubs stood tall.

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Beginning last season, however, there was a shift in the division which has continued into this season. Despite winning the Central again, all of a sudden some of the other teams stood a chance, embracing that opportunity.

The St. Louis Cardinals, for example, have fallen on hard times. As the once dominant face of the National League Central, they have merely been cast aside as just another team in the division. The Milwaukee Brewers, however, are now finding themselves taking that spot the Cardinals once held.

Following the collapse in 2017, the Brewers saw themselves as competitive. It spurred them to go out and make moves for Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich to bolster the roster. The Cubs, to counter, nabbed Yu Darvish. So far, the former is working out more fortuitous than the latter.

Giving credit where credit is due, the Brewers are a good team plain and simple. They have found a way over the course of the past two seasons to become competitive. They are, to the Cubs, the annoying uncle we all have who shows up unannounced at Thanksgiving and hangs around.

That being said, they have created that competitive shift within the division, making it known that despite the Cubs possessing the better roster in every category, you still need to show up every day ready to play baseball.

Chicago Cubs: Learning there’s never an easy opponent

The interwoven connections within divisions can be strange. For example, there are teams who many expect to be bad year in and year out. In the Central, this is the Cincinnati Reds.

The Cubs, despite holding an 11 1/2 game advantage over the Reds, entered Saturday 3-7 versus them this season. The Brewers, who lead the division by 2 1/2 games, are 7-3 against them. Chicago has also, strangely enough, dropped five straight games versus the Reds. It could be argued they are a reason why the Cubs don’t find themselves in first place currently.

In a piece from NBC Sports Chicago’s Vinnie Duber, Joe Maddon spoke on the Reds and the division as a whole.

“It’s turned out to be a pretty tough division right now, it’s very strong which is good. I want that. I want us to play, hopefully, what’s considered the best division in all of baseball. I think that should bring out the best in our players on a nightly basis. So give them credit, man, they’re playing a lot better.”

The Cubs and Brewers, meanwhile, have had relatively lopsided head-to-head results so far this season. Despite finding themselves in a 2 1/2 game hole, the Cubs have won 8 of the first 11 games against Milwaukee. Never a leisurely day in the National League Central.

Rest of season outlook

To be honest, the rest of the season will most certainly be a battle. While it finally feels the Cubs are putting it all together, as they just experienced a six-game win streak, the Brewers continue to find ways to win, as they are on their own five-game streak.

Conversely, as the trade deadline approaches, the Brewers find themselves linked to Baltimore Orioles star Manny Machado. If the Brewers can somehow pull off a deal for Machado, the division will become that much tougher for the Cubs.

That being said, it would be somewhat of a surprise if they did make a trade for Machado, as the market value for the shortstop is seemingly inflated and the Orioles will probably ask for the moon in return.

Next: Theo: Don't expect big-time trade this summer

Ultimately, the Cubs should find themselves at the top of the National League Central by season’s end. The Brewers will continue to be fierce competition, and it would surprise nobody if they find themselves playing into October. Be that as it may, the Cubs are indeed still the kings of the Central.