Kuzul

CLEVELAND — It was the wise Satchel Paige who warned, “Don’t look back; something might be gaining on you.”

Don’t the Cleveland Indians, who let a three-games-to-one World Series lead slip away to the Chicago Cubs, know it. Didn’t the Los Angeles Dodgers, who fumbled a two-games-to-one National League Championship Series lead, learn it. Weren’t the San Francisco Giants, who allowed a 5-2 lead in Game 4 of the NL Division Series to dissipate, guilty of it.

It took 108 years for the Chicago Cubs to catch up to the rest of baseball in the month of October.

But now that they’re champions, look out, because it may take everyone else several years to catch back up to them. Here’s something worth stashing in your closet next to the sunblock for next spring training: The last time the Cubs won a World Series, they did it in back-to-back years, 1907 and 1908.

These Cubs waged a campaign on multiple fronts this autumn to exorcise a century’s worth of demons: Rival teams, curses, ghosts and, to a degree, their own youth.

Youth is resilient and youth is beautiful, but it also is not on the clock. Players develop at their own pace, which is why the 2015 Cubs came steaming down the tracks ahead of schedule, and why still-learning uber-talents like Javier Baez (23), Addison Russell (22), Willson Contreras (24) and, at times, even Kris Bryant (24) maybe weren’t the perfect, mistake-free players Cubs fans expected at times as 2016 climaxed.

Experience is the great teacher. That this band of incredibly skilled, and young, Cubs was able to win it all while gaining it was impressive. That there is every reason to believe we haven’t seen the best yet of a team that won 103 games this summer is the stuff of imagination and wonder.

“Hey, listen,” Ryan Dempster, the retired pitcher who serves as a special assistant to Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, said as champagne sprayed in the Cubs’ clubhouse early Thursday morning. “The tough part is to realize that that’s the next goal, right?

“They can do it again and again down the road. Right now they deserve to embrace this moment. All year, they had a target on their back from other teams, the media, fans, and yet they still were the best team in baseball. They did it.

“To see what they did tonight bodes well for the future.”

Bryant, Russell, Baez, Kyle Schwarber (23), Anthony Rizzo (27) and Kyle Hendricks (26) are among the core players who are under contract through at least 2020. Jorge Soler (24) is another whom the Cubs think will develop into an impact player, though he had a disappointing season and stayed in the background this fall. Outfielder Albert Almora (22), who also played some but mostly remained on the bench during the postseason, was a first-round pick in 2012.

In Game 2 last week, the Cubs set a World Series record by starting six players under the age of 25: Schwarber, Bryant, Baez, Russell, Contreras and Soler. The previous record was five players, set by Cincinnati in Game 4 of the 1970 World Series.

Russell and Baez are growing up together in the middle of the infield and already are setting the bar high.

“I think the combination we have up the middle is as good as you’ll ever see,” starter Jake Arrieta said.

Bryant likely will be named the NL’s Most Valuable Player later this month when the awards are announced. Schwarber had just five plate appearances before a devastating knee injury ended his season. Then, in a stunning comeback on the game’s grandest stage, he batted .412 (7-for-17) with two RBI and two runs scored in 20 World Series plate appearances.

“He jacks everybody up,” manager Joe Maddon said of Schwarber during the World Series. “He makes the lineup better, thicker. Zo is seeing better pitches.”

Zo, Ben Zobrist, used one of those pitches to push an RBI double into left field in the 10th inning of Wednesday night’s Game 7, snapping a 6-6 tie.

There were times this postseason, especially at the plate, in which the Cubs were maddeningly inconsistent compared to what we generally expect of a 103-win team. There also were reasons.

“I think a lot of it has to do with youth,” Maddon said. “That’s what I keep bringing up. As we continue to move forward together, the one area of our club that I anticipate is going to get better is offense.

“If you put your scout’s cap on right now, normally you look at our group, or any group, you’re going to see running speed that should hopefully remain the same, possibly regress a little bit. Defense should remain the same, possibly get a little bit better. Arm strength the same thing, you want to at least maintain what you have. But if you had to write numbers down on a piece of paper, the one you’re going to project a lot on would be offense, whether it’s hitting or hitting with power.”

Over 17 postseason games, the Cubs batted .233 with a .293 on-base percentage and a .399 slugging percentage.

In the World Series, they batted .249 with a .316 on-base percentage and a .404 slugging percentage.

During the regular season, they hit .256/.343/.429.

Part of the struggle during the postseason, of course, is attributable to a steady diet of Corey Klubers, Madison Bumgarners and Clayton Kershaws. You’re not facing the Milwaukee Brewers‘ fourth and fifth starters in October.

But part of the inconsistency is growing pains, too. Baez was the MVP of the NLCS, then hit .167 with 13 strikeouts in 30 at-bats in the World Series. As one veteran scout said, Baez suddenly regressed to the young kid whom the Cubs first called up in 2014.

Everybody handles moments differently, and those who have an excitable personality, like Baez, sometimes have difficulty slowing things down when the noise becomes deafening. Also, opposing scouting reports are thick and detailed in the postseason, and these intelligence briefings expose the holes of even the greatest hitters. Not everybody is capable of making adjustments from at-bat to at-bat, or even from game to game, especially on the big stage. Baez, who is eminently capable of winning a Gold Glove at multiple positions (second base, third base, shortstop), made great strides offensively this summer, cutting his strikeout percentage down to 24 percent from 30 percent in 2015 and 41.5 percent in 2014, per Fangraphs.

“It’s going to be easy to understand that the area we’re going to get better at is offense,” Maddon said. “Understanding themselves better. Understanding what the pitcher’s going to try to do against them. Understanding how to make adjustments in the game. Understanding how to utilize the entire field more consistently as they gain experience.

“The part that’s really exciting to me is that we’re in this position right now, two years in a row. Last year we didn’t quite get here, but two years in a row now we’ve been one of the last four teams playing with a really young group of baseball players that are going to continually get better.”

Even despite Baez’s World Series struggles at the plate, there were moments like this one:

While Baez, Russell and Bryant consume most of the spotlight, signs of talented young Cubs were everywhere this autumn. At one point during a pivotal moment in Game 5 against Cleveland, rookie Carl Edwards Jr. (25) was on the mound throwing to catcher Contreras.

Both players started this 103-win season at Triple-A Iowa.

Contreras, too, was guilty of a rookie mistake under the bright lights. Though he was behind the plate in Game 2, catching Arrieta’s 5 1/3 no-hit innings, he rightfully caught heat for preening after a double in Game 1. After blasting a Cody Allen pitch to right field, Contreras flipped his bat and walked about five steps, admiring the fly, before realizing it wasn’t over the fence and turning on the afterburners to reach second.

Contreras apologized to Cubs fans via Twitter:

Said Maddon, “As [the young players] gain more experience, you’re going to see a lot of that stuff go away.”

Not surprisingly, the Cubs have left a trail of admirers in their wake.

“They’ve got a lot of versatility,” retired manager Jim Leyland, who now works for the commissioner’s office, said. “I love their young shortstop [Russell]. … He kind of gets lost a little bit with [Cleveland’s Francisco] Lindor and [Houston‘s Carlos] Correa and some of the other guys, [Corey] Seager out in Los Angeles, but this kid’s really good.

“Anthony Rizzo’s a two-way player; he’s an excellent fielder as well as a power guy. … And I think a guy like Ben Zobrist has been a big key for them. He kind of solidifies things. They’ve got a nice combination, and Joe does a great job with them.”

Perhaps as impressive as anything else was this young core’s ability to block out the anguish of more than a century of Cubs baseball, the billy goats and curses and black cats, and lift this franchise to heights few of us have ever before seen. And though it was far more difficult than it sometimes appeared, they made it look as if they were lifting a simple Louisville Slugger more often than not.

“I think the way they did it,” catcher David Ross said. “There are a lot of young, successful and talented players here, and they expect to succeed. They’re not worried about past things. They’re looking at now, and the future is very bright. …

“I’m happy for the city of Chicago, for Cubs fans who have been so dedicated. These guys worked their tails off. They’ve all been through a lot, and they deserve everything they get for the rest of their life.”

Not only will the surging Cubs be favored again in 2017, but there also doesn’t even appear to be a spot for Zobrist, the World Series MVP. Baez is the projected second baseman and Schwarber the left fielder with Almora expected to supplant Dexter Fowler in center field. Where might that leave Zobrist? Possibly on the trade block. Or in even more of a super-utility role than he’s accustomed to.

“There’s no question this should be a very good team for a very long time,” Leyland said. “Whether they’re going to get back to the World Series every year, that’s a different story. It’s pretty hard to do.”

Undoubtedly. But in winning it all this year, the Cubs have taken that long, difficult first step. Maybe this powerful young core develops into the next dynasty, or maybe not. But one thing is certain: Given the talent, youth and build of this team, the Cubs should be powerful for the next five or six years, minimum.

And as this group writes its own history, it will do so from a blank canvas that includes no previous baggage.

“It’s really great for our entire Cub-dom to get beyond that moment and continue to move forward,” Maddon said, “because now, based on the young players we have in this organization, we have an opportunity to be good for a long time, and without any constraints, without any of the negative dialogue.

“The burden has been lifted.”

Scott Miller covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report.

Follow Scott on Twitter and talk baseball.

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There might not be another celebration quite like what we are expecting out of the Chicago Cubs and their fans after 108 years of waiting.

The Cubs won their first World Series title since 1908 Wednesday night. Two days later, they will take part in a parade that will likely only be a continuation of a full week of parties.

Longtime fan Bill Murray is certainly looking forward to it, per MLB Network:

Whether you are preparing to join the fun or just watch along at home, here is what you need to know about the upcoming event.

Cubs World Series Parade

Date: Friday, Nov. 4

Time: 12 p.m. ET

TV: MLB Network

Live Stream: MLB.com; CBS Chicago

The celebration is certain to be a big one, with just about anyone within a few hours drive likely to take the day off and join the fun.

“We’re going to have a parade in Chicago that will stand the test of time,” mayor Rahm Emanuel said Thursday, per John Byrne of the Chicago Tribune. “It will be a parade that 108 years have waited for. It will be a parade and a celebration that all of Chicago for 108 years in their mind’s eye, have been envisioning. We’re going to make it a reality in the city of Chicago.”

This is a lot to live up to, but the attendance alone is certain to make this event a memorable one.

As Carrie Muskat of MLB.com noted, the Chicago Blackhawks drew about 2 million people for their parade for their third title in five years. It’s easy to imagine a lot more will care about the Cubs in a city of this size, even considering the fact those on the South Side already celebrated the Chicago White Sox title 11 years ago.

The attention for this series is also much more than anything we have seen in years. Austin Karp of Sports Business Daily reported over 40 million people watched Game 7 between the Cubs and Cleveland Indians, the most for a baseball game in 25 years.

Everyone from the diehards who were suffering for decades to the casual fans who just started watching this week will be able to enjoy this event, which will likely flood the streets throughout the city.

According to WGN, fans will be encouraged to watch from one of three locations, at Addison from Sheffield to Pine Grove, North Michigan Avenue from Oak St. to Ohio St., and Columbus Dr. from Monroe St. to Balbo Ave.

The parade itself will travel from Wrigley Field down Michigan Ave. and then Columbus Dr. toward Lower Hutchinson Field in Grant Park, where the official rally will take place around noon local time.

There could be north of 3 million people crowding the streets, so either be prepared for some all-day craziness or watch from the comfort of your own home.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The day Mike Hargrove was traded to the Cleveland Indians, the team was 8.5 games out of first place and the drought was 31 years old. It was 1979, and while no one thought of the Indians as winners, there were many other cities and organizations that had waited much longer since last winning a World Series.

The Boston Red Sox were 61 years into a curse that would last for another two decades. The Chicago White Sox were 62 years into a wait that wouldn’t end until 2005. The Philadelphia Phillies had been around ever since the first World Series in 1903, and they’d never won one.

The Chicago Cubs? They were already the stuff of legend.

One by one, those other teams won. The Phillies in 1980, and the Red Sox in 2004. Then the White Sox, and finally Wednesday night, the Cubs. Hargrove spent seven years as an Indians player, nine years as the Indians manager and now the last six years as an Indians adviser.

He managed some of the greatest teams in franchise history, with two trips to the World Series. In 1997, his Indians were two outs from a title before losing to the Florida Marlins in extra innings in Game 7.

He was there Wednesday night at Progressive Field, too, when Rajai Davis hit the home run off Aroldis Chapman and when Ben Zobrist ripped the double that eventually made the Cubs champions.

He woke up Thursday like so many others in Cleveland, excited about what he had seen but disappointed to come so close again and lose.

But don’t tell Mike Hargrove what happened Wednesday was the continuation of any curse. Don’t tell him that another year without an Indians championship means they’re never going to win.

Instead of devastation, he feels hope. Instead of despairing about a missed opportunity, he looked at what the Indians have, what they’ve done and who they’ll get back from injury when it comes time to play again. Yes, he said, this Indians team is the one that can win.

“I really do believe that,” Hargrove said. “I think this group can break through. I certainly don’t think it’ll take 108 years.”

One-hundred eight was the Cubs’ number. The Indians are facing 68, now going on to 69 next season.

But as Hargrove and others who lived through the great Cleveland years but ultimate World Series disappointments of the 1990s watched this team, they felt mostly admiration.

They also had flashbacks, as another Indians team played extra innings in another World Series Game 7. Only four Game 7’s in World Series history have gone to extra innings, and the Indians were part of the last two.

Flashbacks?

“Yeah,” said Brian Anderson, who pitched in relief 19 years ago in Miami. “And not good for me or the Indians either time. It was an eerie reminder.”

As I pointed out in my Bleacher Report story on the Indians of the ’90s, Anderson grew up in Northeast Ohio and experienced much of the region’s sports angst as a fan. He still does as a Cleveland Browns season ticket holder.

But as he watched this World Series and rooted for his team, he didn’t see this as another sign the Indians can’t win or won’t win.

“I hope people don’t feel that way,” he said. “A lot of the national narrative has been that the Cubs are here to stay. But I don’t see any reason the Indians can’t do it, too. With [Danny] Salazar, [Carlos] Carrasco and [Corey] Kluber in the rotation, with [Andrew] Miller under control and a great young core, I think they can be the team that can end the drought.”

Looking back, it’s incredible they came as close as they did to ending it this year, with the injuries that kept Salazar and Carrasco from starting in the postseason and kept outfielder Michael Brantley from playing basically all year. It was “an implausible journey” to Game 7, as longtime Indians broadcaster Tom Hamilton said Thursday.

Yes, the Indians held a three-games-to-one lead in the World Series. But even at that point, they were facing a Cubs team that held a big edge in the upcoming pitching matchups. Without Salazar and Carrasco, Indians manager Terry Francona was using his remaining pitchers on short rest and necessarily overtaxing a bullpen that had been brilliant.

“At the end of the day, taking nothing away from what the Cubs accomplished, in Games 6 and 7 the lack of depth finally caught up with us,” Hamilton said.

Still, that chance was there, right in front of them. Maybe it wasn’t as clear a chance as in 1997—this time, the Indians never held the lead after the fourth inning in a game that could clinch a title—but it was there.

“My brother texted me at 7:30 this morning and said he needs me there,” an Indians fan told me the morning of Game 7. This friend lives in Michigan, but he nervously headed to Cleveland.

“I want this so bad,” he told me. “It’s there. We gotta take it!”

They couldn’t take it.

“Brutal,” was all my friend could manage when it was over.

The narrative now is naturally about the Cubs fans, the ones who have waited so long and the ones who didn’t make it long enough to see the championship. In Wright Thompson’s fine story for ESPN.com, he visits an Illinois cemetery where fans left pennants on gravestones of those who were gone.

The Indians fans have largely gone unnoticed, even though their wait for a title has lasted most of their lifetimes. Hargrove may not have grown up an Indians fan, but he is too young to remember their last title.

They won in 1948. He was born the following October.

He was there at Progressive Field for Game 7, enough of a baseball person to appreciate what the Cubs had done.

“You feel good for them,” he said. “But you’d rather your guys were feeling good.”

There was no one to blame, no regrets about any decisions made or not made. There were no goats in this World Series, not in the sense of a curse, not in the sense of a player whose failure cost his team the title.

“I hurt for everybody who is part of that team and city,” said Dan O’Dowd, the MLB Network analyst who spent 11 years in the Indians front office. “But I’m so proud to be associated with the Indians, with how hard they competed. I think they were 24th in payroll [actually 27th by USA Today‘s numbers]. It’s incredible how they maximized that.”

Hamilton agreed, thinking back to an amazing postseason.

“Anybody with an ounce of common sense or baseball intelligence would have to be grateful for a month of baseball this city hasn’t had since the ’90s,” he said. “If people aren’t happy with that, I feel bad for them.”

Just as in the ’90s, though, there’s that one final step the Indians couldn’t manage.

Sandy Alomar Jr. understands that all too well. He played for the Indians teams of the ’90s. He serves on Terry Francona’s coaching staff now.

He came to Cleveland in a December 1989 trade and has spent most of the last 27 years trying to break through and win a title. Before this year’s run to the World Series, he would hear the current players joke about Cleveland fans still living through the teams of the past.

“I say, ‘Win it,'” Alomar said one day last summer. “Turn that page. Win it. I want this organization to win. I’d be the first one to be jumping up and down, trust me.”

It almost happened. One more time, the Indians came as close as any team could come, to extra innings in Game 7.

It didn’t end well for the Indians, not either time.

In Cleveland, the wait goes on.

Danny Knobler covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report.

Follow Danny on Twitter and talk baseball. 

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The offseason has arrived. For the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians, that means taking a moment to reflect on an epic seven-game World Series. For the Cubs in particular, it means getting used to the moniker “world champion” for the first time in 108 years.

For 28 other teams, it’s time to get to work.

Among those 28 teams, no franchise is more fascinating than the New York Yankees.

Consider: The Yankees began the 2016 season with a veteran roster. They were creaky, but they had a shot to contend in the noisy, wide-open American League East.

Then, at the trade deadline, they did the unthinkable. They sold, which counts as an “s-word” in the Bronx.

New York shipped out uber-relievers Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman and proven postseason slugger Carlos Beltran, among others.

In the process, the Yanks restocked the farm. In fact, when the deadline dust settled, they had the No. 1 minor league system in baseball, per Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter. 

Then a funny thing happened. The Yankees called up some of those youngsters—most notably catcher Gary Sanchez—and they started winning.

New York went 33-25 in the season’s final two months and stayed mathematically alive in the wild-card race until the final day of September. 

“We were very excited in the clubhouse,” Sanchez recently told me.

Yankees fans should be excited too. Yes, it stung to watch Chapman and especially Miller blaze through the postseason. 

New York’s future is bright, however. After years of trudging on the fringes of relevance, an honest-to-goodness resurgence is underway. 

Of course, these being the Yankees, the timetable is always accelerated. This fanbase and the entire city have no patience for a protracted rebuild. They need to have a fruitful offseason aimed at winning now.

Here’s the good news: There is a way to do that without slamming the brakes on the youth movement or undoing the gains of last season. The Yankees can spend strategically, sprinkle in some trades and lower-level signings and set themselves up for 2017 and beyond.

As general manager Brian Cashman—the architect of this summer’s sell-off—limbers up his phone-dialing fingers, let’s examine a few key moves he and his brain trust should consider.

Sign a Bullpen Stud

While the 2016-17 free-agent class is weak overall, it features some elite relievers.

The most obvious name is Chapman, whom the Yankees acquired from the Cincinnati Reds in late December before flipping him to the Cubs in July.

Chapman served his 30-game domestic violence suspension while with the Yankees and wound up pitching just 31.1 innings in pinstripes. During that time, he racked up 44 strikeouts and locked down 20 saves.

The fire-balling lefty would rejoin right-hander Dellin Betances to form a stalwart back end of the bullpen. If Chapman spurns New York, the Yankees could set their sights on the likes of Kenley Jansen and Mark Melancon.

The demand figures to be high and the price tag steep for any of those names. But the Indians just showed the world how far a team can ride a couple of shutdown late-inning studs, and it’s a formula the Yankees employed with success last season before jettisoning Chapman and Miller.

Dangle Brian McCann and Brett Gardner

The Yankees didn’t sell everyone at the 2016 deadline; there are still veteran pieces with trade potential on the roster.

That includes catcher Brian McCann, who is slated to serve as an $18 million backup to Sanchez. 

The 32-year-old lefty-swinging catcher is down from his All-Star peak, but he hit 20 home runs last season and was the third-best pitch-framer in the American League, per StatCorner. 

The Atlanta Braves are a possible fit. McCann has a full no-trade clause, but he’d likely waive it to start for his former club as it opens its new ballpark this spring.

There were rumblings of a McCann-to-Atlanta deal this past season, but “the Yankees’ fondness for Braves right-hander Mike Foltynewicz likely killed more serious talks,” per George A. King III of the New York Post.

Instead, New York could target 26-year-old outfielder Ender Inciarte, who missed time to injury but hit .291 with seven triples and 16 stolen bases.

The New York Post‘s Joel Sherman highlighted the Houston Astros as another potential McCann suitor, noting that the ‘Stros could lose their lefty-hitting catcher, Jason Castro, to free agency.

An unnamed executive told Sherman that the Yankees can “probably get something desirable back [for McCann], especially if they eat about $6 million annually of the $18 million he is owed in 2017 and ’18.”

Outfielder Brett Gardner is owed $12.5 million in 2017 and $11.5 million in 2018 with a $12.5 million team option for 2019. He’s 33 and coming off a down year that saw him hit just seven home runs with a .713 OPS.

New York was listening on Gardner at the 2016 deadline but got “no serious takers,” per Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball. In a thin market for free-agent hitters, however, he’ll garner interest.

The Yankees outfield is already fairly crowded with more young talent on the way. If the team moved McCann for Inciarte, Gardner would become even more expendable.

New York shouldn’t give him up for the sake of it, but if the team could flip him for some starting-rotation depth, it should pounce.

McCann and Gardner are steadying forces in the clubhouse. In July, Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal called them “practically the team’s co-captains.” There’s value in keeping guys like that around on a young team, even if their playing time is diminished.

That puts the Yankees in a strong position: They can listen to offers, but they don’t have to sell any pieces out of desperation.

Sign a Starting Pitcher

No aces are available in free agency this winter, even if the Yankees are looking for one. 

And a trade for a top name like the Chicago White Sox‘s Chris Sale would gut the farm.

New York already has Masahiro Tanaka, who quietly put together a stellar season, posting a 3.07 ERA in 199.2 innings, his highest total since coming over from Japan in 2014.

Michael Pineda has bat-missing stuff and led AL qualifiers with 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings. He also struggled with command and consistency and posted an unsightly 4.82 ERA.

After that, it’s veteran CC Sabathia and a hodgepodge that includes Bryan Mitchell, Luis Cessa, Chad Green and Luis Severino.

Again, the Yankees won’t find a Cy Young candidate to add to this mix via free agency. But they could nab a serviceable back-end arm or reclamation project from a group that includes Doug Fister, Andrew Cashner and Jeremy Hellickson, to name-drop three plausible if not entirely sexy options.

Trading for a second-tier starter could be the better route, but with so few impact free-agent arms, the expected return could be steep for anyone of value.

The good thing about most of this winter’s free-agent pitchers is they won’t command huge commitments in years and dollars.

New York could patch a hole now while it waits for top pitching prospect Justus Sheffield (ETA 2018) and for the ludicrously loaded free-agent trove of 2018-19, when some of the top pitchers and hitters in the game may be ripe for the picking.

Let the Kids Play

Whether or not they trade more veterans, the Yankees should hand ample playing time to their emerging young core.

Sanchez is a no-brainer after posting a 1.032 OPS with 20 homers in 53 games and gunning down 41 percent of would-be base stealers.

Aaron Judge hit just .179 in 27 games with the Yankees, but he’s a physical specimen with big-time power and should be given regular reps in right field.

Greg Bird had an eye-opening debut in 2015 but missed all of last season while recovering from shoulder surgery. Now, the 23-year-old should be back to take over at first base. 

Outfielder Clint Frazier—who came over from Cleveland in the Andrew Miller trade and is the Yanks’ No. 1 prospect, per MLB.com—could also see the big leagues at some point in 2017.

Letting young players play isn’t exactly an offseason goal. The point, however, is that New York should remember the lesson of last season: Going young doesn’t mean abandoning all hope of contending. 

The Boston Red Sox are likewise flush with young talent and are the defending division champs. The Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays, last year’s wild-card teams, are losing key pieces but will be in the mix. The AL East, though, remains open. The Yankees are well-positioned. 

There will be slumps and rough patches as opposing pitchers adjust to these kids and they’re forced to adjust back. 

The Yankees have the talent, however, to win now with an eye on the future—which is the phrase that should be stamped above the door to Cashman‘s office. 

All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise specified. All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and MLB.com unless otherwise noted.

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If MLB locked 1,000 screenwriters with 1,000 typewriters in a room for 1,000 days, they couldn’t have conjured a better storyline for the 2016 World Series.

The game’s two longest suffering franchises. A galaxy of young stars on both sides. Montages of weathered knuckles and weary eyes and vintage Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians gear wistfully narrated by Bryan Cranston. 

Then, unbelievably, a taut seven-game affair packed with twists and intrigue. The Cubs—who had elevated the role of lovable loser to an art form—overcoming a 3-1 series deficit and winning in 10 innings in Game 7. On the road, after coughing up a late lead.

After the skies opened and the rain poured down for 17 minutes, just enough time for overpaid, underperforming right fielder Jason Heyward to deliver an inspirational speech.

The masses were transfixed, and why not? In a year defined by ugly, divisive politics, here was sport reduced to its most transcendent elements: talent, angst, high drama, joy.

“It’s got to be a top-three game of all time,” said Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein of Game 7, per MLB.com’s Andrew Simon, David Adler and Matt Kelly. “Everyone’s prone to hyperbole at moments like this, but I think it really was. It felt like it. I died like six times. It was pretty remarkable.”

The numbers don’t lie: 40 million people tuned in to watch Wednesday’s Game 7 on Fox, the highest viewership for a baseball game in a quarter-century, per USA Today‘s A.J. Perez. 

Overall, the 2016 Fall Classic averaged 23.4 million viewers, according to Paulsen of Sports Media Watch, up 59 percent from last season’s Kansas City Royals-New York Mets tussle.

It was the highest average since 2004, when an average of 25.4 million people tuned in to watch the Boston Red Sox defeat the St. Louis Cardinals and secure their first title since 1918. 

Maybe the takeaway is folks like to watch a long curse end. Undoubtedly, MLB owes a fat gift basket to Epstein, the architect of the Sox’s and Cubs’ drought-busting runs.

There’s something deeper at play, though. 

Granted, baseball is America’s pastime in name only. According to data cited by Bloomberg.com’s Will Leitch in April 2015, 67 percent of Americans consider football to be the nation’s pastime as compared to 28 percent for baseball.

Other professional leagues, from the NBA to the UFC, are also breaking off chunks of cultural relevance.

Baseball is stodgy, the narrative goes. It moves at a glacial pace and discourages displays of unbridled celebration with its mothball-infested unwritten rules. Hence reigning National League MVP Bryce Harper’s “Make Baseball Fun Again” campaign. 

There is no question baseball needs to keep looking in the mirror. The implementation of instant replay has helped get more calls right, but it’s still a work in progress. New technology could reduce umpire error even further.

The league has embraced other shifts, including the second wild card. Now, with the collective bargaining agreement expiring in December, everything from adding the designated hitter to the National League to stricter pace-of-play rules are on the table. 

The biggest thing baseball has going for it, though, is history. The NFL and especially the NBA may have more marketable superstars. The NFL has the edge in event viewing.

But you can’t manufacture the past. The Cubs-Indians clash was intriguing because of the players involved—burgeoning studs like Chicago’s Kris Bryant and Cleveland’s Francisco Lindor.

More than that, however, the interest came from the way those franchises were embedded with the cities they represented. The way generations of fans had lived and died with the laundry. 

America may not think of baseball first. But when the sport presents a compelling narrative, America is ready to come running back.

No, not every World Series will feature two teams with this kind of backstory, and one of them from a big market to boot. 

Yes, many casual observers will never be able to follow a 162-game season with the fervor they give to a once-a-week NFL tilt or a loaded UFC fight.

The effects of this series may be fleeting; it’s doubtful there will be a notable MLB ratings bump by the time April rolls around. 

Still, as Elizabeth Williamson of the New York Times noted:

It was a thrilling escape of a World Series, played in the shadow of a more consequential national cliffhanger, a battle of angry teams and distrusted coaches, in which 50, 60 or 80 percent of Americans say they’re afraid of what will happen to the country if the other side wins, and some threaten not to accept the result at all. This World Series brought joy in a time of exhaustion, and a reminder that there are things so much more important than the game.

It was a series that lent itself to flowery language edging toward hyperbole. The type that reminded you why this complex, confounding, indelible game has lasted so long—surviving wars, segregation, a depression, recessions, labor strikes and shrinking attention spans. 

A lot has changed since the Cubs last won the World Series in 1908, or the Indians in 1948. Here’s one thing that hasn’t: baseball.

It was in the spotlight then, and it’s in the spotlight now.

It’s tough to come up with a more compelling storyline than that.

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The Detroit Tigers have picked up their $6 million contract option on pitcher Francisco Rodriguez, the team announced Thursday.

Rodriguez saved 44 games last year while posting a 3.24 ERA in his first season with the Tigers, who acquired him in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers in November 2015.

Although he had five blown saves and his strikeout rate reached a career low at 8.0 per nine innings, the closer found a way to help the team late in games throughout the 2016 campaign.

“We liked the job K-Rod did last season and the numbers show he was a reliable closer for us,” general manager Al Avila said, per Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press. “He stabilizes the back end of our bullpen and provides veteran leadership to our younger bullpen arms.”

Rodriguez is MLB‘s active leader with 430 saves in his career, good for fourth on the all-time list behind only Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman and Lee Smith. He has been selected to six All-Star Games and finished in the top five in Cy Young voting three times.

While he has lost some life on his fastball, Rodriguez remains one of the most consistent relievers in baseball. He is set to retain his role as the Tigers closer, with Alex Wilson and Justin Wilson remaining key cogs at the back end of the bullpen.

The 34-year-old had a $2 million buyout if the team had declined the option on the final year of his contract.

Salary information via Baseball-Reference.com.

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The Seattle Mariners announced they picked up outfielder Seth Smith‘s $7 million club option for 2017 on Thursday.

Since the Mariners acquired him in a trade with the San Diego Padres ahead of the 2015 campaign, Smith has posted a .248 batting average and .336 on-base percentage with 28 home runs, 105 RBI and 116 runs scored across 273 games with the organization.

His 16 home runs last season marked the second-highest total of his career behind only his 2010 campaign with the Colorado Rockies. He also set a new career high with 63 RBI.

The Ole Miss product attributed his success to a better approach at the plate after making some minor adjustments, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.

“Just make sure you are getting started early enough,” Smith said in July. “Some basic hitting things that sometimes you need to get back to.”

He’s also been better suited for a platoon role in which he starts only against right-handed pitchers. He owns a .355 on-base percentage and .827 OPS against righties compared to his .282 OBP and .594 OPS against lefties in his career, according to Yahoo Sports.

Ultimately, the Mariners decided he was worth the $7 million investment. The team’s offense ranked sixth in runs scored last season, and picking up Smith’s option leaves one less void to fill as Seattle attempts to match or exceed that output in 2017.

How the outfield will shape up probably won’t become clear until after spring training. Smith could end up splitting time with Guillermo Heredia at one of the corner spots, but the team may thrust him into a full-time role if a platoon partner doesn’t emerge.

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The Texas Rangers have officially picked u p the $5.25 million contract option for Jonathan Lucroy, according to Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball. 

Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegraph confirmed the report. 

General manager Jon Daniels noted the team would make the move in early October, per T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com, and it is now confirmed.

The Rangers acquired the catcher in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers before the deadline, a move that only came after he vetoed a deal that would have sent him to the Cleveland Indians.

Despite Cleveland’s playoff run, he had no regrets with his decision.

“I’m good, man,” Lucroy told Jerry Crasnick of ESPN in October. “There’s too much drama with all that. I’m not worried about it at all. It’s over with and in the past.”

Between his time with the Brewers and Rangers, the 30-year-old player batted .292 in 2016 with 82 RBI and a career high with 24 home runs. He was also selected to his second All-Star game, his first time coming in 2014 when he finished fourth in the MVP voting.

The catcher helped solidify the lineup in Texas as the squad went 33-22 over the final two months of the regular season, ending up with the best record in the American League.

While the team fell short in the ALDS, the Rangers return many key players from the recent run and will likely be top contenders once again. As long as Lucroy can stay healthy, he will be a big part of the team’s success over the course of the upcoming year before becoming a free agent in 2017. 

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For the first time in 108 years, the city of Chicago will be able to bask in the glow of a World Series celebration with the Cubs when the team holds its victory parade on Friday.

The Cubs capped off their historic season with a dramatic 3-1 series comeback against the Cleveland Indians, highlighted by an 8-7 win in Game 7 that saw them blow a three-run lead in the eighth inning before scoring two runs in the top of the 10th and holding off one more Cleveland rally. 

Parade Predictions

Predicting a parade isn’t nearly as agonizing as a game because no matter the outcome, no one feels like they lost. 

However, it will not be a stretch to say the Cubs’ parade will be the biggest baseball celebration in history.

Using the totally unscientific list of largest peaceful gatherings compiled by Wikipedia (via Paula Schleis of the Akron Beacon Journal), the Boston Red Sox‘s celebratory parade on October 30, 2004, ranks first among sporting-related events with an estimated 3 million people in attendance. 

If you prefer something a little more concrete, the Chicago Tribune reported in 2013 the Chicago Blackhawks’ parade in Grant Park drew approximately 2 million fans. 

As of May 2016, per Greg Hinz of Crain’s Chicago Business, the city’s total population is just over 2.7 million. There will also be spectators from around the area making a journey into the city for this historic moment. 

One thing that does hurt the potential turnout is the quick turnaround from Wednesday’s game to Friday afternoon. Fans who could have been looking to fly in might not be able to make necessary arrangements in time. 

But this is still going to be a huge event with a record number of fans joining in the festivities. 

As for what to expect from the actual celebration, there is nothing likely to surprise anyone. There should be many Cubs legends in attendance, but as far as which person will get the biggest ovation, don’t count on it coming from anyone who wore a uniform. 

It’s not hard to pinpoint when the Cubs’ plan was put into place: October 25, 2011. Things were rapidly unraveling for the franchise as they went from 97 wins in 2008 to 71 in 2011, leading to the firing of general manager Jim Hendry in August 2011. 

After a three-month job search, the Cubs introduced Theo Epstein as their president of baseball operations on that date in October. Here is what he said at his introductory press conference, per ESPN Chicago:

We’re going to build the best baseball operation we can. We’re going to change the culture. Our players are going to change the culture along with us in the major league clubhouse. We’re going to make building a foundation for sustained success a priority. That will lead to playing October baseball more often than not. Once you get in in October there’s a legitimate chance to win the World Series.

Epstein’s model has so far been nothing short of brilliant. His first three first-round draft picks were Albert Almora (2012), Kris Bryant (2013) and Kyle Schwarber (2014). He helped execute trades that brought Jake Arrieta, Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell and Kyle Hendricks to Chicago. 

Jon Lester, who was with the Boston Red Sox when Epstein was general manager, signed with the Cubs before the 2015 season.

No one in Major League Baseball has built an operation with a more consistent level of success on the field and in player development than Epstein. He was the primary architect of three World Series teams in Boston, even though the 2013 title came after he left, and did the same thing in Chicago. 

Players are the ones who have to do the work on the field that everyone recognizes, but Epstein deserves to be the most praised person at the victory parade because of how he completely transformed the way business was being done in Chicago.

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Shortstop Alcides Escobar reportedly will return to the Kansas City Royals for a seventh season as the team is reportedly set to pick up his 2017 team option.  

Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball first reported the decision, with Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com confirming the report.

According to Spotrac, the 29-year-old veteran will earn $6.5 million during the upcoming season.

Escobar is coming off one of his best offensive seasons, as he hit .261 with 57 runs scored and 17 stolen bases to go along with a career-high seven home runs and 55 RBI. He also appeared in all 162 games for the second time in three years.

Per Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star, Royals manager Ned Yost marveled at the Venezuela native’s ability to compete day in and day out: “He just doesn’t wear down. When he has injuries, he heals extraordinarily fast, so that he’s not out a long time. He’s got a very high tolerance for pain. He doesn’t ever show any effects of it.”

In fact, Escobar has appeared in at least 145 games in seven straight seasons dating back to his final campaign with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2010 before getting traded to the Royals.

Escobar’s greatest success came in 2015, as he was named to his first and only All-Star team and also won a Gold Glove for the first time.

In addition to that, Escobar was a key part of Kansas City’s run to a World Series championship. He hit .321 with one home run, nine RBI, one stolen base and 13 runs scored, and was named the American League Championship Series MVP.

Escobar averaged nearly 29 steals per season from 2011 through 2014, but he has run less over the past two campaigns and registered just 17 swipes in each.

Also, despite Escobar’s Gold Glove, it is fair to question how great of a fielder he actually is. He posted a career-worst defensive runs saved above average of minus-6 last season, and since his career high of 10 in 2011, he has registered a positive figure just once, according to Baseball-Reference.com.

Even if Escobar is somewhat overrated defensively and has become less of a threat on the basepaths, he remains among the most reliable shortstops in baseball.

He shows up to play every day, can be used near the top or bottom of the lineup and proved in the 2015 playoffs that he can come through in clutch situations.

Escobar is a good fit for a Royals team that thrives on being relentless and having flexibility within the lineup, so bringing him back at a fair price was an obvious move on their part. 

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

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