Will the Chicago Cubs Win the World Series in the Next Five Years?

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs have not won a championship since 1908.  You could point fingers at many different reasons why its been so long.  Some people prefer to point fingers at Steve Bartman, the man that robbed a Cubs left fielder of a foul ball in a critical postseason situation, causing them to lose the game and get knocked out of the postseason and losing hopes of a World Series victory.  Bartman recieved death threats for years, and had to be disguised and escorted out of the stadium after the game for his own safety.  But whether Bartman is part of the championship drought or it's just because of the fact that the Cubs have not been very good over the last century, some say the drought may be ending soon.  The Cubs have spent the whole drought in Wrigley Field, which opened in 1916.  Wrigley Field is such a reminder of the past, so legendary that every little change, every small renovation angers people.  They want to see Wrigley last forever the way it is.  But Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts says some updates are coming to Wrigley in the near future.  "This massive investment will help us generate the resources we need for our baseball operations to develop championship-caliber players," Ricketts said at a news conference at Wrigley. "If this plan is approved, we will win the World Series for our fans and our city."  The renovations are estimated to cost around $500 million, and it includes a huge electric scoreboard nearly three times the size of the hand-operated scoreboard that has been there for a century.

There's Bartman!  Get him!

Anthony Rizzo is a stud,
but he needs to be more
consistent.

Okay, sure, the Cubs are getting a major update at Wrigley, but does that mean that the Cubs are going to "win the world series for their fans and their city"?  Do they have the right tools?  Well, they have plenty of young studs, such as Starlin Castro, Jeff Samardzija, and Anthony Rizzo.  Alfonso Soriano is pretty good, too.  But the fact is, they don't have enough.  To become legitimate contenders, they are going to have to make some trades and get some starters.  Make some good draft picks and some trades for a superstar or two, and they are a top team.  But certainly not right now.  They simply don't have all the weapons that teams like the Yankees and the Nationals have.  They will win a World Series eventually, and though I would like to see it in a classic Wrigley Field, it will probably happen in a much more updated and upgraded Wrigley.  I would expect to see it in about seven to ten years, but not within the next five.

Starlin Castro is a great young shortstop.  I see him becoming the next
Derek Jeter.