Vibe Check: Chemistry Took the Cubs Far, but Stability Will Take Them Further

[RavenCub30]

Image courtesy of © Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

After the baseball world witnessed its brightest star, Shohei Ohtani, make history with his 10-strikeout, three-homer performance over the weekend, something still felt like it was missing. What is it? Might I offer an answer? It's a stadium called Wrigley Field and the brand of baseball they play there. Let's face it: Baseball is better when the Cubs are better.

The admirable, "You gotta hand it to them" thing about sports villains is that they often effusively embrace their role as such. Arguably no team in professional sports willfully accepts that role more than Dave Roberts and his Los Angeles Dodgers. To say that Ohtani and his squad made quick work of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS would be akin to proclaiming how easy it is for Michael Jordan to dunk on a Fisher-Price rim. Put bluntly, the Dodgers have too much money and a clear monopoly on snatching up the best players in the game. Don't let anyone tell you that's good for baseball, it's not. The "small-market" franchises owned by billionaires who beg for pity aren't innocent in this equation, either, but the Dodgers are a chief factor in the 2027 lockout rumors.

We've been treated to an outstanding postseason. From high-heat Daniel Palencia "Gasolina", to a 15-inning marathon thriller between the Tigers and Mariners that blurred the lines between last call and first call, baseball made a stirring case as to why its postseason tournament stands tall as one of the best. Perhaps, then, the need to sustain the momentum that the game has built up this October, will serve as one of the driving forces in reaching a new Collective Bargaining Agreement to resume baseball operations for all 30 teams in 2027 and certainly in 2028. I love baseball too much to further discuss losing it even temporarily, so let's move on. 

One of the tentpoles of baseball which makes it such a special exercise in athletic competition is its emphasis on moments, and to a greater extent, stories. An early-morning walk through Gallagher Way, taking in the sights of statues of some of the Chicago Cubs legends like Fergie Jenkins and the late, great Ryne Sandberg proves as much. Since 1876, some version of the club we know as the Chicago Cubs has played baseball. Sitting in my green folding seat in the 200's section down the first-base line of Wrigley Field for Game 1 of the Cubs' Wild Card series versus the San Diego Padres, I could feel every bit of this club's storied history. Standing with the other 40,000 in attendance, the ground under my feet rattled with the type of force that made you look up at the blue skies bewildered in search of the source of origin for thunder. It turns out, it was the best kind of thunder: the kind created by happy Cubs fans. 

With each out Matthew Boyd recorded, the sense of wonder and responsibility for the supporters in the building increased, with knowledge that, in the playoffs, as the external noise grows louder, so does the internal noise for the opposing players. In the bottom of the fifth inning, trailing by one, all of the noise rested firmly between the ears of the Cubbies, with slugger Seiya Suzuki striding hot into the batter's box. He laced a homer to left-center, tying the game as the crowd erupted. Now, through an uncommon formula of chemistry unique to the Cubs, the squad had encountered several instances throughout the season which put them to the test. After knotting up the game, the North Siders' underrated backstop Carson Kelly stepped to the dish, with designs on untying game. On a 2-2 count, Kelly deposited a homer that just cleared the basket in left-center field. At that exact moment, everyone in the building could feel the energy change. The feeling, electric as it was, felt familiar, as this Chicago Cubs team made a living off of resilience, and feeding on each other's energy. The celebration was epic yes, but it was created through a template that was painstakingly manifested. 

In their near-comeback versus the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS, the Cubs stuck to a similar formula, battling back from an 0-2 deficit and sending the series to a do-or-die Game 5. Ultimately, what stopped the Cubs short of their loftiest goals in 2025, was failing to meet at the intersection of chemistry, talent, and experience. The club did not make enough moves to ensure it wouldn't run out of ammo in October. Chicago appeared to absolutely empty the tank to make it as far as it did.

Though they possess the will and belief, they need more. The 2026 campaign will almost inevitably begin with Kyle Tucker on another team. That may be alright in the long run for the Cubbies, given the crop of talent they've got in their farm system, the existing core of the big league club, and some freshly available upcoming free agents like Alex Bregman. Should they actually land a player of that caliber, he'll be coming into a clubhouse with a pretty rock solid foundation. 

Once the conclusion of the Fall Classic officially ties a bow on the 2025 MLB season, the work begins once again in earnest for all 30 clubs. If they wish to be the last team standing in the near future, the squad that should be hardest at work is your Chicago Cubs.

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[Arlen]

Go for the prospects and the long-term, Cubs, yes, yes, and it appears wise to figure in that potential lock-out. Thanks. 

[Arlen]

Plus the Los Angeles Dodgers promote the transvestite men that mock Christians, dressed as nuns. 

[Rob]

8 hours ago, Arlen said:

Plus the Los Angeles Dodgers promote the transvestite men that mock Christians, dressed as nuns. 

[Arlen]

17 hours ago, Rob said:

I don't remember that kind of thing in old-timeyness... ruling out Sodom and Gomorrah, of course, but I wasn't there.