This idea falls pretty firmly in the ‘unlikely to come to fruition’ category, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t warrant talking about. Since seeing their season draw to an abrupt close in the NL Wild Card game, the Chicago Cubs have repeated talking points about payroll limitations and internal improvements till they’re blue in the face.
Well, that’s just too bad. So far, we’re talking about a team with very real World Series aspirations standing pat – making really two moves this winter outside of retaining Cole Hamels for 2019. Chicago sent fan favorite Tommy La Stella packing via trade, replacing him with veteran Daniel Descalso on a two-year deal and, just Thursday, inked reliever Brad Brach to a one-year deal with an option for 2020.