Chicago Cubs: The veterans have a lot riding on the 2020 seasonr
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All of these veterans were given a chance by the Cubs to prove themselves and help this team reach their full potential. With no 2020, the redemption tour is gone and their status for 2021 is left up in the air. All the hard work the team did to round out the roster with low-cost, high-upside players may be all for nothing as they may be forced to re-evaluate the team’s makeup.
Along with the one-year deals, the Cubs have returning veterans with a lot to prove. Daniel Descalso and Tyler Chatwood are in the final years of their respective contracts, Craig Kimbrel hits age 32 in the midst of his three-year, $43 million deal and Jon Lester heads into his age-36 campaign in the final guaranteed year of his six-year, $155 million deal.
All of these veterans simply cannot afford a season off, as Chatwood, Descalso and Kimbrel have everything to prove if the want to not only help this team win, but to even find jobs for themselves when it’s all said and done. Lester has heard all the rumors about retirement and this is his opportunity to shut the naysayers up. No 2020 would be the absolute worst thing to happen to this group.
This year’s squad feel like a group on its last legs before a rebuild. This was their season to come and show everyone what they are truly made of. If the season is lost, we may never get to see the magic in this team and what they could accomplish with a new sense of direction under Ross. Going into 2021, the Cubs may find themselves looking like the pre-2015 rendition of the club.