Way back in 2016, it would have been difficult to fathom that the Chicago Cubs would be just three years away from a year of reckoning for the core that broke their World Series curse.
Yet here we are, fathoming exactly that.
By all rights, there shouldn't be any doubts about the Cubs' playoff chances for 2019. They brought an end to their 108-year championship drought just three seasons ago. Their 387 wins since 2015 are the most in Major League Baseball. If not for a late swoon, they would have nabbed a third straight National League Central title in 2018.