 The Chicago Cubs finished the previous season at the bottom of the Central division with a 68 – 94 record while the Giants won the West at 90 – 72 , though were defeated by the eventual 1997 World Series champion Florida Marlins in the NLDS . The Giants ' Barry Bonds drew criticism for his postseason performance , which had been a recurring criticism dating back to his time with the Pittsburgh Pirates . The Cubs made several offseason acquisitions following the 1997 season including trading Doug Glanville for second baseman Mickey <unk> along with signing Jeff <unk> and Henry Rodríguez as free agents . 
