I’ve said it more times than you – or I – would like. For the Chicago Cubs to have any chance of returning to a second World Series in four years, the starting rotation has to step up and put the team on its back. Pair that rotation with an offensive more than capable of ranking right there with the best in baseball and you have the makings of a championship-caliber club.
But perhaps the biggest X-factor on the pitching staff is right-hander Yu Darvish. We all know the narrative. Chicago signed him to a six-year, $126 million contract late last offseason, replacing the departed Jake Arrieta, who joined up with the Philadelphia Phillies earlier in the winter.