Chicago Cubs: Top three signs the team isn’t in decline

After three disappointing ends to productive seasons, the latest media reports say the Chicago Cubs team is in decline, all evidence to the contrary.

Recently there have been reports indicating the Chicago Cubs are in a gentle decline and I couldn’t disagree more. To say Chicago is in decline because they have struggled to get into the postseason the past two years is not a fair assessment of what this group has done and is capable of doing.

Reporting also points to the fact that because the team decided to invest in developing players already on the roster, Theo Epstein and the front office ignored traditional player development and so spent millions in free agency. Reports say that for all that investment, the club didn’t even make the 2019 postseason.

While all of these assumptions are true, it doesn’t mean the Cubs are in decline, it just means they want to win and are leaving no stone unturned in the path to a second championship. Even the reporting that tries to sell the fact that the Cubs are going down the tube can’t accept its own premise by admitting that “decline” can take a while.

No kidding. That kind of logic sounds a lot like the forecast last season that Cubs were to come in dead last.  After a 95-win season two years ago and an 84-win season this year, how can Chicago ever escape this downward spiral?

Yes, that’s sarcasm folks.

The truth is, the club has had strong performances since 2016 and the fact that the team have been just a few games out of postseason contention the past couple of years proves what a potent team the Chicago Cubs continue to be in their division and in Major League Baseball. So without further ado, here are the top three signs that the team isn’t in decline.