Chicago Cubs: Four in-house players that are critical for the second half

Chicago Cubs: Everyone has their role to play

There are plenty of names on this Cubs team that will be vital to their success. But I’ve singled out four of them that might not be as obvious as others (Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo.) In a difficult NL Central, there isn’t a lot of room for error. It’ll be interesting to see where the teams are at the deadline, and who will make the moves to contend and who will stand pat.

In the end, outside of the Reds, I don’t see many sellers in the division. If anything, I think the teams will stick with what they have and make a run at it with what’s in-house.

It’s hard to say how much money the Cubs will have left for the deadline, as they were stingy during the offseason. But the Zobrist money that was freed up gave the Cubs an opening, and they took it. Teams often have an allotment for deals, and even with Zobrist’s saved salary, it’s hard to say how much more the Cubs can do.

But Kimbrel is an excellent start.