The Cubs will win the NL Central in 2015, Anthony Rizzo says

The Chicago Cubs made two of the offseason's most interesting moves, nabbing Joe Maddon as their new manager and paying lots of money for Jon Lester to be their ace.

That — along with the Cubs' crop of young talent — is enough for All-Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo to issue a strong proclamation as we inch toward spring training.

We just did, Anthony, quote you on that.

Confidence is fine, but Mr. Rizzo is riding high off Maddonisms, Lester's good Southern manners and decorated deep-dish. Most people agree the Cubs will be an interesting team this year, what will full seasons ahead from Javier Baez and Jorge Soler, plus Kris Bryant waiting in the wings.

But winning the division? That's a tough ladder to climb, with the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates ahead of them. Even Maddon only said they'd be "talking playoffs" this year. A second wild card is lot more realistic than a division title, but who are we to spit on your pizza.

Maybe Rizzo has just watched "Back to the Future 2" too many times since the calendar flipped to 2015.

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Mike Oz is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz