Chicago Cubs: Yu Darvish, Kyle Hendricks and more

The Chicago Cubs got their first start from Yu Darvish, and it was encouraging. And while there are contract extensions happening everywhere, the Cubs should focus on Kyle Hendricks and locking him up long-term.

It wasn’t a perfect start for Yu Darvish in his first Spring Training game for the Chicago Cubs. But it was promising. Darvish showed the velocity that he could find last season but struggled a bit with his control. This is to be expected of a pitcher who hasn’t faced many live hitters while rehabbing. He came away excited to be back on the mound, and most of all, healthy. Some weren’t happy with the results, but they weren’t ever going to be.

After seeing the St. Louis Cardinals give Miles Mikolas a four-year extension–for essentially one good season in the league–the Cubs need to consider doing the same for Kyle Hendricks. Since coming into the league in 2014, he’s won an ERA title, finished third in Cy Young voting that same year, and has started some of the biggest games in recent Cubs history. Pitching doesn’t grow on trees in Chicago. It’s time to lock up the Professor.

The Cubs didn’t go out and sign a big-name free agent. Their belief was they had the answers internally, and just needed to identify them. A small tweak to Albert Almora‘s batting stance could make the difference to help him secure the center field job. He already plays Gold Glove like defense. A consistent approach at the plate might be what helps him turn the corner. Will this be enough for Almora to lock up the job?

Last night was Wednesday, meaning time for the Climbing the Ivy podcast. Make sure to check out the most recent episodes!

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These and other stories you might have missed:

‘Cubs Darvish looking and feeling healthy’ – Cubbies Crib

‘The Cubs and Hendricks need to talk extension’ – Cubbies Crib

‘How Almora can secure the centerfielder position’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Harper down to three teams?’ – MLB.com

‘Cubs hope may rest on success vs. Reds, Pirates’ – Cubs Insider

Be sure to check back later today for more Cubs news and analysis! And follow us on our Twitter @CubbiesCrib, like our Facebook page for more Cubs conversation! And be sure to check out our Climbing the Ivy Podcast each week as we cover even more Cubs baseball!