the brewers were not nearly better than the cubs last year. the cubs are also obviously adding a pitcher. What? They were a young team that had a 5.5 game lead on them at one point. They fell apart at the end of the year. They've added a ton so far, what if they sign Darvish? finishing 6 games behind a team (with an inferior run differential) does not mean you were "nearly better" than them. once the cubs got quintana and fixed their rotation, they obliterated them. factor in the likely regression for their veterans who overachieved last year, and the difference between the 2 teams going into 2018 is going to be obvious.