2024 Game 140 2024 Benchmark 8 less wins from 2023

[Original Ivy Walls]

Cubs, these last couple of years, have been like the attractive girlfriend(s) (or boyfriend(s)) of your past, who are often characterized as "high maintenance. " They are seemingly always in some crisis or drama, yet you remain trapped in being attracted to them. MLB is ruled by money, which is the underlying structure of modern society, and yet we try to find a leisurely escape from that constant grind in our daily lives. My friends and family, across three generations of Cubs fans, look at it like an extended television mini-series or, as my wife describes it, as one of the permanent streaming programs on the Food or History Channels. I describe it in another generation as a summer soap opera. But I also look at seasons when they come to the final 20 or games like a business executive/investor and math head (I still teach night school mathematics and today mourn the murder of a fellow math teacher in Georgia), as numbers rule. 

The Cubs this year and last are a collection of good players who are difference makers—also-rans. When you look at the composite talent difference between division leaders this year and last to the Cubs, it is stark, especially with the money invested to field the marque club at the major league level. Last year, they were 1.5 games out of the division lead and twelve games over .500. Today, at game 140, they are four games over .500 and 4.5 games out of the final wild card spot with the hot NY Mets between them and Atlanta. Any critical-thinking executive worth his salt would identify this as a decline, not an advancement.  Penny-wise and dollar-foolish have been the Cubs' underlying management since 2019. 

The Cubs straddled with injury after injury is not just a coincidence or bad luck. It is exacerbated by their approach to preparation, player development, and lack of talent (depth).  As a former competitive athlete in forlorn youth now dating four decades ago, most of us knew that injuries were caused by fatigue and pushing oneself behind the limit of a capability more so than the random consequence of playing the game. This year's soap opera opening game in Texas saw the ace starting pitcher go down at the onset, trying to make a play where he was not physically ready to compete coming out of spring training; hamstring injuries don't happen, unlike broken fingers of batters. Over the last couple of years, the Cubs have had a deviation of soft tissue injuries beyond what competitive clubs have. Why?

But beyond that, the Cubs have to change their strategic management approach and stop simply fielding payroll like a medium-market team. In terms of financial value, they are valued among the top five baseball teams. Still, they are unwilling to compete with New York, LA, Philadelphia, Houston, Texas, or Boston regarding difference-making talent.  

Sure, they appear to have a strong minor league prospect stable, but in reality, tell me who is a true difference maker instead of a good player replacement. Juan Soto is a 26-year-old free agent. At ten years, he will command Ohtani-level money. He is not Heyward; he is a future Hall of Famer.  So now you have strategic decisions for us, the paying audience. (if they don't compete with the big kahunas, maybe I won't watch and attend the soap opera anymore).  This would mean removing Happ from LF and club (or moving him to RF).  The other move is to recognize that PCA is a future All-Star and to lock him up well beyond arbitration and the first couple of years of free agency. He is an OF anchor and is emerging as an offensive star. That leaves us on the infield. Paredes is a stopgap. Is the answer at 3B Shaw, it is a risk but it appears he can ascend. Hoerner is a fan favorite but not on a championship team. If Bellinger stays, he moves to first base, allowing Busch to go to his natural position at second base, and now offensively, the Cubs have some firepower, much of it left-handed.  All this will cost money, which does not include being cheap with the bullpen.  

[BigSlick]

The 2024 Cubs hate you, the viewer. They don't do it like the 2024 White Sox, that would be far too easy. No, they have a much more exquisite torture for you. Losing the first two games of the series and then winning in a blow out with a no hitter is exactly the kind of torture I'm talking about. 

[Tryptamine]

They buried themselves with that absolute dumpster fire of a bullpen the first couple months of the season. Even an average pen for those months and we're talking half a dozen more wins and a very different outlook in these last 20ish games. 

[spaincubsfan]

26 minutes ago, Tryptamine said:

They buried themselves with that absolute dumpster fire of a bullpen the first couple months of the season. Even an average pen for those months and we're talking half a dozen more wins and a very different outlook in these last 20ish games. 

Nerris & the Prof being an absolute shell of himself before finally being pulled from the rotation cost us a minimum of 8 games. Swing that in the win column and we are easily 80-60 & most likely leading the div.

[Donzo]

6 hours ago, Tryptamine said:

They buried themselves with that absolute dumpster fire of a bullpen the first couple months of the season.

There was that six to eight week strech of dreadfull offense, too.

[Stratos]

Both last year and this year the offense has either been excellent or just bad (and mostly only effective during the summer), same with the pen.  They need to play better in the 1st half next season.  Feels like they've thrown away both seasons.

We're probably going to roll the dice with a pen of randoms next season again, but 3B and CF should be better over the full season and hopefully catcher too.  Will be interesting to see what they do with the 2nd catcher spot this winter.  Bethancourt seems solid.  Besides catcher its hard to see them adding a bat since we have no other obvious holes.

I've been sour on most of the big FA's the last few years due to their ages and the contracts they'd demand but we'd get several prime years of Soto if signed and can afford it if Bellinger is traded or opts out.

[BigbadB]

Seasons like the last two makes me believe the season is about 100 games too long. It's amazing how quickly a season can flash by you when a team is playing good. It's painful to see them playing so badly and then realize there are still 5 months left of the season. 

Congratulations to Original Ivy Walls for reaching Old Timey Member status with only 3 posts, with the 3rd one being today. 

My hats off to anyone who can still be watching games at this point. Let down after let down early in the season just makes me find other things to distract my day. I still peek in on scores and watch how the young future talent is doing, but I just can't sit down and watch "the Professor" take the hill in a game I'm pretty sure I already have an idea of the outcome. He's a Cub HOFer in my book, but that he is still getting starts on a major league team is not good. 20 starts with a 6.60 ERA, YUCK!

Then we are looking at not having a single player reach 100 RBI this year, and the potential of no one else making it to 75. YUCK! I'm not the slightest bit interested in sitting down to a Cub game right now, and yet here I am trying to figure out how to get Marquee Network on my tv's for next year now that I no longer have DirecTV. I always start the year excited, and by midseason, I'm "Meh". It's quite possible that 2016 made it harder for me to watch baseball, because I now know what it feels like to win it all, and now that we have done that, less than playoff caliber play turns me right off now.

[imb]