MESA, Ariz. — It's safe to say that Cubs players are as jazzed about the Yu Darvish signing as Cubs fans are.
"It just goes to show what this front office is all about. They’ll do anything to get us to that next level," outfielder Albert Almora said. "Before Yu, I thought we had a great team, a great starting staff, and they just threw that icing on the cake. Let’s go get it."
Perhaps more than anything, signing Darvish to a six-year deal worth $126 million showed the team's new normal: World Series or bust. In baseball's never-ending arms race, the Cubs answered the Houston Astros' trade for Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees' trade for Giancarlo Stanton with an upgrade of their own.