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From an outside perspective, far away from the fried food and beer snakes of Wrigley Field, the 2023 Chicago Cubs could be seen as an ostensibly unremarkable team, and for a large part of the season, they were. The Cubs are a slightly above-average team, with a mix of lovably scrappy under-the-radar talent and former stars. A crop of players who sit lurking quietly, keeping pace ahead of the Cincinnati Reds. Also, they are a few games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the eternally underwhelming National League Central division.
Cubs Annual Deadline Sale Seemed inevitable
In June, with the Cubs underperforming and the trade deadline looming, another “Going out of business, everything must go,” style gutting of the roster seemed inevitable. With newly resurgent outfielder Cody Bellinger and Cy Young candidate Marcus Stroman being the two most likely, and most appealing trade targets.
Foreclosure in the month of July has become commonplace for Cubs fans. Most of whom are now grizzled by the last handful of trade deadlines, and the mass exodus of a once World Series-winning roster. The intervening seasons between the surrealistic heights of the 2016 playoff run, and this scrappy 2023 team were an odd, and distinctly joyless bunch for Chicago Cubs fans.
Rapid Decline Due to Several Reasons
The franchise’s rapid decline from relevancy could be attributed to any number of things. Including the emergence of the Dodgers, and an overall improved crop of National League competition. Additionally, a largely stagnant Cubs roster littered with well-paid, underperforming veteran players. Players like Jon Lester and Jason Heyward, coupled with the unforeseen decline of their championship-winning core. Furthermore, a precipitous drop in player performance across the roster affected everyone from former N.L. MVP and Cy Young award winners Kris Bryant and Jake Arrieta. To the fleetingly promising, turned nonexistent middle infield combination of Javy Baez and Addison Russell. Throw in the departures of the president of baseball operations, Theo Epstein, and the manager, Joe Maddon, and the picture of how the Cubs wandered into the baseball wilderness really comes into focus.
Organizations mismanage their way into this purgatorial zone all the time. The Tigers and Rockies seem to have taken up permanent residency here. However, when you’re stuck in the middle and rapidly approaching the bottom. You’re left with no choice but to sell off assets and burn it all down in the hopes to rebuild, right? That was presumably the logic in 2021 when the Cubs bottomed out and traded long-time franchise stalwarts Rizzo, Bryant, and Baez. Then they zagged in 2023, trading for veteran 3rd basemen and former Cub, Jeimer Candelario. A soft buy that demonstrated organizational confidence and postseason aspirations.
Are Cubs Ready to Contend?
Are they serious contenders? No, but they’re entertaining. There’s value in that, especially for the fans. For the first time in a while, Wrigley Field feels like it has its Budweiser-soaked energy back. There’s a growing sense of excitement about this suddenly competitive Cubs team. The excitement feels drastically different from the mid-2010s with all of it’s promise of prospects and a dynastic young core. The city has bought in, and why not? An enjoyable baseball team with no added baggage and no pressure to win is a beautiful thing. Furthermore, if they manage to sneak into the playoffs, all the better.
