The Cubs could greatly benefit from the contributions of Yu Darvish, Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos right about now., but if you could only have one back, who would it be?
How about all three? There’s no question the Cubs would be in a better position with the contributions of any of the following players: Yu Darvish, Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos.
Chicago has fallen off lately, in the midst of a five-game losing streak which has pushed them five games out of first place and 5.5 games behind a Wild Card spot. Their starting rotation has been inconsistent all season, and now their offense is back to their stone-cold ways.
The Cubs dropped the ball by not replacing the production of these three players
Darvish finished second in the NL Cy Young Award voting last summer, but he was dealt to the Padres in an effort for Chicago to ditch his contract which hinted toward a rebuild. He’s picked up where he left off for the Padres this season, posting a 2.44 ERA, 0.938 WHIP and a 10.8 K/9 ratio through 96 innings.
As a group, Cubs starters own the eighth-highest ERA (4.62) in the majors this season. It’s a glaring weakness and will likely hold the team back from serious contention. Although, their bats haven’t been much better.
Chicago’s woeful offense has managed just 2.3 runs in their last 15 games while holding the 3rd-worst batting average (.223) in the majors this season.
Meanwhile, Schwarber is having a home-run happy June, similar to Sammy Sosa in 1998. Schwarber leads the NL with 25 homers, and he’s launched 16 home runs in his last 18 games. His .911 OPS in 292 plate appearances this season is higher than anyone on the Cubs with the exception of Patrick Wisdom who owns a 1.045 OPS in 86 plate appearances.
Another hot bat the Cubs can use right now is Castellanos. All he’s done since leaving Chicago for Cincinnati after the 2019 season is hit. This season, he has the second-highest batting average in the majors (.342), along with 15 homers and 50 RBIs. His 100 total hits and 27 doubles this season are also the most in the big leagues.
As a fan, seeing what all three of these players are doing stings. Adding more salt to the wound is the fact the team didn’t even get anything in return for Schwarber and Castellanos when they left. The Cubs got a few teenage prospects in exchange for Darvish, but none considered to be MLB’s best because San Diego took on a large bulk of his remaining contract.
If the Cubs ownership and front office truly believed in doing whatever it takes to win, they would have found ways to keep at least one of these stars, or at the very least replicated their production with new additions.