Cubs postseason chances take a small hit after this signing

Now that J.D. Martinez has signed with The New York Mets, the road to the postseason for the Chicago Cubs becomes a little more crowded. Before the signing, the Mets bolstered a solid lineup, but questions surrounding their pitching made you not look at them as a team you should bet on to make the playoffs. All that has changed. Much like the Cubs, if the Mets' pitching holds up, they have as good a chance to make the postseason as anybody.

Taking a page from the Dodgers' book with deferring deals, the Mets secure a key bat that makes their lineup of Brandon Nimmo, Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, and J.D. Martinez one of the better ones in the National League. With multiple teams looking to be playoff contenders this season, the Mets just stepping into the postseason picture doesn't help the Cubs' chances.

The Dodgers, Braves, Phillies, Padres, Giants, Marlins, Reds, and now Mets will be competitive this year, and the Cubs must outplay three of them to at least make a Wild Card appearance. I initially had predicted a playoff field of Los Angeles, Atlanta, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, and Chicago. With the addition of Martinez, New York can be right there with them.

Over the winter, I projected the Cubs to get Martinez and utilize his bat at the DH spot. This contract seems cheap for one year, after what he did in Los Angeles last season. Still, once the Cubs made it clear they would only go over the first tax of the luxury tier if they were competing at the deadline, it became a foregone conclusion that the Cubs would once again pass on Martinez.

In doing so, the Cubs leave the DH spot as a position that can be rotated based on many things. This flexibility can be more beneficial than not having it, as it pertains to getting players more at-bats. Therefore, this isn't the biggest miss in the world. It will be the Cubs' rotation more than anything that will take them as far as they can go.

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