MLB Writer Believes 'Best Is Yet To Come' For Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs could have a lot to look forward to as the MLB season progresses.

May 29, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga (18) reacts in the third inning after giving up 5 runs against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. / Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Cubs season has been all over the place, but they currently sit just one game behind in the race for a Wild Card spot.

Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly looked around the league to summarize each team's season in one sentence. Here's what he had to say for this ballclub:

"The best is yet to come."

The talent is there on the roster, but there still might be some work that needs to be done before the MLB trade deadline if they want to be serious contenders and have Kelly's prediction come true.

To start off with the good, the Cubs have had one of baseball's best rotations this season, despite the implosion of Kyle Hendricks.

As a staff, they rank No. 7 in the league with a 3.47 ERA and in the upper-half for pretty much every stat.

Shota Imanaga had been in the midst of a dominant season before getting shelled by the Milwaukee Brewers earlier this week. Still, he's been one of the best pitchers in MLB.

Fellow rookie Ben Brown has also shined in his role as a starter, taking a no-hit bid against the Brewers into the seventh inning before getting pulled by Craig Counsell.

Javier Assad and Jameson Taillon also have sub-3.00 ERAs after seven or more starts each.

While the starters have done very well, the bullpen is another story. Their relievers rank No. 25 in the league with a 4.48 staff ERA.

Chicago has been linked to elite relievers such as Mason Miller and Ryan Helsley, thanks to the fact that they are missing a solid closer. Hector Neris has done well, but ideally isn't just closing games out.

Also underperforming is the Cubs' offense, which ranks in the bottom-five of MLB for pretty much every possible statistical category for the month of May.

The biggest need in the trade market for that side of the ball is catcher. Miguel Amaya is slashing just .196/.258/.286 this season.

The biggest name that they have been connected to in trade talks so far has been Colorado Rockies catcher Elias Diaz, who would be a very solid rental for this season. Danny Jansen is another option who is seeing the ball very well at the plate.

Overall, it's clear that this team is very close to being real contenders in the playoffs.

It's possible that the players who need to turn it around can, but most likely they will need to dip into the trade market to smooth out the rough edges.