As season begins, Cardinals and Pirates take a backseat to Cubs hype
PITTSBURGH — A matchup between the teams with the best regular-season records in 2015 to begin the 2016 Major League Baseball season would generally create quite a bit of buzz.
However, as the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates get set to play the opener at PNC Park on Sunday afternoon, neither team is even generating the biggest stir in its own division.
The Chicago Cubs have been installed as the favorites to win the World Series by the oddsmakers after going 97-65 last sason for the third-best record in baseball but also third place in the National League Central behind the Cardinals (100-62) and Pirates (98-64).
The Cubs were the kings of the offseason, spending $272 million in free agency to sign right fielder Jason Heyward and right-hander John Lackey — who both played for the Cardinals last season — along with second baseman Ben Zobrist.
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The Cubs’ narrative is too juicy to pass up when you throw in the fact that they haven’t won the World Series since 1908 or even been to the Fall Classic since 1945. The Cubs also beat the Pirates and Cardinals in the postseason last year
Thus, the Cardinals and Pirates have been almost reduced to afterthoughts.
In St. Louis’ case, it is hard to remember the last time a team coming off a 100-win season generated so little fanfare the next spring. It is almost as if the Cardinals have to remind people that they are the three-time defending division champion.
“The Cubs are the favorites this year, the people’s choice,” third baseman Matt Carpenter said. “A lot of people aren’t giving us much of a chance, even in Vegas the odds of us of winning the World Series aren’t great.
“It’s a different situation for us. We’re the ones used to having the targets on our backs. That’s fine with us, though. We’ve never been the type of team or organization to really worry about what those on the outside think. We just worry about taking care of our own business.”
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The Pirates revel in being underdogs, even though they have finished second to the Cardinals in the division each of the last three seasons and played in the NL wild card game each year. The Pirates say they aren’t bothered about the Cubs getting all the attention.
“We expect it,” center fielder Andrew McCutchen said. “The Cubs had a good team last year and they made big moves in the winter. They’re the big story.
“Nobody ever picks us to win anyway. It’s no big deal. We’ll go out and play the games and see where everyone is at (in the standings) at the end of the season. We feel like we can be right there with anybody.”