Jake Arrieta on Cubs’ optimism: ‘You can feel it’

Every February, teams come into Spring Training with a clean slate. Even the Cubs, losers of a century-plus, are tied for first place. Hope springs eternal for all 30 MLB teams, or so the adage claims.

For veteran pitcher Jake Arrieta, who knows what it’s like to finish 30 games out of first, the start of this spring has a heightened vibe.

Arrieta is a big reason the Cubs are feeling it. The Cy Young Award winner topped the majors with 22 wins, four complete games and three shutouts in leading the upstart North Siders to the NLCS.

And, now he has more help. Lots of it. In the offseason, the Cubs added Jason Heyward, John Lackey and Ben Zobrist, making them the favorites to win it all, according to most experts.

Cubs catcher David Ross concurs.

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