Chicago Cubs: Who are we really cheering for these days?

Chicago Cubs: Picking a future lifetime player jersey

So what do you tell those young fans that admire Rizzo, Bryant or Baez and wonder which of them will be lifetime Cubs? Maybe they don’t want to buy a jersey that they will have to boo against in a few years? For instance, I haven’t pulled out my former Cubs pitcher, Jake Arrieta jersey, since he departed the Cubs for the Philadelphia Phillies. So what current Cubs players might just end up being lifetime North-siders?

Unfortunately, the players aren’t in total control of the process. There are a lot of financial decisions that owners must make on behalf of their team when deciding on whether to take on a player into and past their mid-30’s. Most players say they would like to play until they are 40 years old, but the truth is that even the most physically fit players will be done by age 38.

Legendary Cubs second baseman, Ryne Sandberg, played until he was 38. Chicago Cubs manager and former catcher David Ross was 39 and Rossy has said numerous times; it was his time. The best predictor is an age when trying to figure out which players might retire as Cubs. Use age 38 as your retirement age or point of no return, and you have an idea. News and web searches can tell you the rest. Predicting which Cubs may be lifetime Cubs is a lot more difficult because of all the things that could happen in a career.

So here’s my first bit of advice on which Cubs baseball jersey is a safe bet to purchase: buy the #3 Ross jersey first. Ross was a part of the magical 2016 Cubs and is now the manager, so either way, you can’t go wrong buying a Ross jersey. Here are a few other good jerseys that could just end up being Cubs for life:

#44 Anthony Rizzo – 30 years-old, wants to be a Cub until he retires, currently seeking a deal to stay.

#9 Javier Baez – 27 years old, seeking a deal; Cubs could lock him up for his career.

#2 Nico Hoerner – 22 years-old, won’t be a free agent until 2025, could be a lifetime Cub depending on his performance.

These are the jersey’s I would look to buy if you want your jersey and money to last this season and several more. If you’re going to cheer for laundry, just make sure its laundry that is sticking around.