ST. LOUIS -- Winning a World Series for the first time in 108 years is hard enough, but repeating as champions might be an even more difficult task. No National League team has won back-to-back titles since the 1975-76 Cincinnati Reds, although the Chicago Cubs could change that. They’re young, healthy and incredibly deep.

Would winning a second consecutive title top 2016? Could last year’s historic run ever be surpassed? We set out to find some answers by asking those very questions to Cubs players on the eve of the regular season. Here’s what they told us:

Miguel Montero: “We set the bar high. The first goal is to go back and win it again. To accomplish that, a lot of things have to go right. I see a lot of good teams not able to go all the way. We have the team to do it.”

Carl Edwards Jr.: “We could go undefeated [he said with a smile]. That won’t happen, but we could have a better record. More guys on the All-Star team. Win in less than seven games. But I don’t think we’re trying to make it better. We just want to have fun, everyone play their role and see what the outcome brings.”

Javier Baez: “It’s going to be tough. I don’t think 2016 is going to go away for a few years. But we have to focus on this year. There’s going to be a lot of talk of 2016, but when it’s time to play we have to play our game now and try to forget that for a few hours.”

John Lackey: “You don’t have to top 2016. We just have to be better than everyone else in 2017. [Kyle] Schwarber is back. We got rid of Rossy [David Ross]. He stinks. He can’t hit. We should be better. I was just inside talking to Ross and he said that. ... Willson Contreras is better than he is. Let’s be honest.”

Could the Cubs become the first National League team to repeat as world champs since the Reds in 1975 and '76? Andrew Hancock for ESPN

Justin Grimm: “You go out and win another World Series. That’s how you top last year. ... We have to have even more fun. That’s how you get through the grind. Maybe I should strike a model deal. That’s how you top last year.”

Joe Maddon: “The season reveals stuff about your team you’re not thinking about today. ... Not everything is going to be smooth sailing. I try to have them think properly so when it does go bad, we can fight through it. ... Last year is over. The World Series is done. Time to turn the page. It was wonderful. It was great. We learned some things. Let’s try to apply what we learned, but not rely on what happened in the past and believe we’re just going to replicate that just because we did it.”

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Jon Lester: “Even though you have accomplished things personally, you still want these [young] guys to accomplish things. That’s where that drive gets you. You don’t want to let your teammates down.”

Montero: “I just believe the guys are still hungry. They have more experience now. The young guys are no longer the 'young guys' anymore. They are All-Stars and World Series champs.”

Tommy La Stella: “I think it's win another one. We got the monkey off our back. As far as I’m concerned the pressure is off and we can go out and play free and easy. We can give these fans their second championship in 109 years.”

Mike Montgomery: “It’s going to be hard to top. What we did last year is unique in all of sports, but we just need to focus on bringing our best and we can be better.”

Ben Zobrist: “I don’t think you can top last year because it was a 108-year drought, but the challenge now is to stay on top. That’s even a bigger challenge, but that’s not going to top 5-7 million people at that rally.”

Addison Russell: “More consistency throughout the whole year. More wins, that would be nice, but playing more consistent baseball as a group. Doing the small things as a group. Getting a guy home with less than two outs. We weren’t perfect. That’s how we start to top 2016.”

Grimm: “You get excited coming to the park. Everything is new. But it’s much less stress now. We did it once.”

Montero: “Another World Series. That’s how we top it. Win 105 games instead of 103. Maybe another grand slam. Play the game and see what happens.”

Zobrist: “If we get back to the World Series, we’ve accomplished something not many teams have done, and if we win it we are in some pretty elite company going back-to-back.”

Schwarber: “It’s a really good ballclub. We know that. ... It’s going to be cool to see how it all plays out this season.”