Cubs Fans Should Be Psyched About Potential MLB Realignment for 2020

The Chicago Cubs did next to nothing this past offseason. General manager Theo Epstein allowed Nicholas Castellanos and Cole Hamels to walk freely to the open market, and they made minimal additions to their roster. Even with their lack of action, the Cubs were projected by PECOTA to clinch a postseason berth in 2020, which seemed odd at the time.

That prediction looks much more feasible if Major League Baseball goes through with their 10-team divisional realignment, and fans should be excited about it.

We'll address the elephant in the room. Yes, Chicago will still have to play their usual division rivals in the Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, and the Cincinnati Reds. And yes, the Cubs will have to play the National League powerhouse in the Atlanta Braves this upcoming season.

Even so, the Cubs win this proposed division realignment, because they'd have to face the relatively weak AL Central teams. Of course, that doesn't include the boisterous Minnesota Twins, because they're actually a good team. But having to play the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals? Come on, those games are going to be massacres once the Cubs get their claws on them. All of the other teams in the game would be banging the table for the opportunity to earn those easy Ws!

As for the Chicago White Sox, they're on the rise, but they don't benefit from having to play the relatively stronger teams in this new Central Division. The Cleveland Indians are on the verge of blowing everything up, which means they won't be a competitive squad for much longer. Those are huge advantages for the Cubs.

It's not a foregone conclusion that this proposal will be approved. But if it does, the Cubs can easily make one last playoff run with a variety of watered-down additions joining the usually-powerful central before Epstein pulls the plug on this current roster.