The year 1908 in the United States marked the first time Mother's Day was observed, the inauguration of President William Taft, and the production of the Ford Model T. 1908 also marked the year the Chicago Cubs won their second World Series title; the team defeated the Detroit Tigers in five games. Since that year, 107 World Series have been held and, although the Cubs have played in seven of them, the organization has not won a single one. 107 seasons is the longest championship drought in Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, and the National Football League. However, as baseball fans gear up for the start of the 2016 season, the Chicago Cubs look prepared to make a legitimate World Series run.
After finishing the 2015 season with a 97-65 record and advancing to the National League Championship Series (NLCS), the Cubs spent the offseason bolstering an already young and talented roster. The team's major signing was outfielder Jason Heyward, a strong defender with a quick bat who took less money to sign with a team with a bright future. The Cubs also added veteran arm John Lackey, versatile infielder Ben Zobrist, and young pitcher Adam Warren. These acquisitions aimed to address some of the Cubs' major concerns in anticipation of the 2016 season.
As the Cubs open their season in Anaheim against the Angels on Monday, April 4th, the team is regarded as favorites to win the World Series. With a homegrown core of Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, the Cubs' roster is littered with young talent that will make them incredibly tough to beat; the average age of the team's 2016 active roster is 28.2 years. However, youth may ultimately become an issue as the Cubs attempt to make a title run this season.
In the 2015 NLCS, the Cubs were pitted against the New York Mets in a best of seven series. The Mets were a team with superb pitching whose offense had come alive with the late season addition of Yoenis Céspedes. In every game of the series the Mets managed to score in the first inning and grab early control of the game. The Cubs repeatedly struggled to come back against a lethal pitching rotation and ultimately got swept by the Mets.
Although the Cubs beat the Mets in all seven of their 2015 regular season meetings, the pressures of the postseason may have proved to be too extreme for the Cubs. Making a viable championship run in any sport is predicated on mentality as much as talent. Despite the Cubs' obvious skill, the team lacked the veteran know-how to reach the World Series. The team's struggles in coming back against the Mets in the NLCS displayed this deficiency. In hopes of righting this shortcoming, the organization signed veterans Zobrist and Lackey. Both of these players have previously won World Series titles; Zobrist doing so with the Kansas City Royals this past season.
As the Cubs' 2016 campaign kicks off on Monday, the question that plagues the organization is: are these signings enough? Although this question won't be answered for another six months, Cubs fans can take solace in the fact that, after 107 years, a World Series title may return to Chicago's north side.
