Do You Consider 2025 to Be a Successful Season?

[Cuzi]

21 minutes ago, Tryptamine said:

I think that calling it world series or bust is absurd for anyone short of the Dodgers. They were one game from the NLCS. Was it the ultimate goal? Nope.

The Dodgers are the exact opposite of World Series or bust, imo. They've already got theirs and have built a roster that is going to be vying for that on a yearly basis. So while coming up short is a disappointment for them, it's simply "next year."

The Cubs flipped the script and traded multiple long term assets for a 1 year rental. So unlike the Dodgers, the Cubs are trying to figure out how to build the team back up to get back to the playoffs.

You say one game from the NLCS wasn't the ultimate goal. Then what was? Was the ultimate goal building for a 1 year run at a championship? Well, they failed. I'm not sure how you say that's a success unless of course you are grading on the Cubs curve.

[Rcal10]

39 minutes ago, Cuzi said:

The Dodgers are the exact opposite of World Series or bust, imo. They've already got theirs and have built a roster that is going to be vying for that on a yearly basis. So while coming up short is a disappointment for them, it's simply "next year."

The Cubs flipped the script and traded multiple long term assets for a 1 year rental. So unlike the Dodgers, the Cubs are trying to figure out how to build the team back up to get back to the playoffs.

You say one game from the NLCS wasn't the ultimate goal. Then what was? Was the ultimate goal building for a 1 year run at a championship? Well, they failed. I'm not sure how you say that's a success unless of course you are grading on the Cubs curve.

I answered the question based on results on the field. 92 wins and one win away from an NLCS is a successful season. Doesn’t mean I was happy with the season. I don’t like that they aren’t even considering Tucker now. I don’t like so many players going into FA next year. But just answering the question as asked, 92 wins and one win away from the NLCS is a good season. 

[CubUgly]

15 hours ago, Rcal10 said:

 I don’t like that they aren’t even considering Tucker now. I don’t like so many players going into FA next year. But just answering the question as asked, 92 wins and one win away from the NLCS is a good season. 

I honestly have no issue with not considering Tucker, I just don't believe he's going to age well and all accounts are he's going to want 10-11 years.  Why offer some half ass contract you know won't get it done just to try to appease a fan base that will call it out as such anyway? 

But I do want to use the money to get some talent and quit being so annoyingly selective and cautious as to miss out on anything other than value pick ups you hope play above projections.  

It's like we are trying to Out-Milwaukee - Milwaukee - and they are whipping us spending half of what we are.

[Irrelevant Dude]

15 hours ago, Rcal10 said:

But just answering the question as asked, 92 wins and one win away from the NLCS is a good season. 

I think you are answering a different question.  I agree that it was a good season.  But good and successful are two different things.  The Cubs didn't win the World Series and they are no closer to winning a World Series now than they were prior to 2025.  If the team isn't winning a World Series or making progress toward that goal, I don't consider what they are doing a success.

[Jason Ross]

6 minutes ago, Irrelevant Dude said:

I think you are answering a different question.  I agree that it was a good season.  But good and successful are two different things.  The Cubs didn't win the World Series and they are no closer to winning a World Series now than they were prior to 2025.  If the team isn't winning a World Series or making progress toward that goal, I don't consider what they are doing a success.

But by that logic, they were much closer to winning a World Series from 2024 to 2025, so last year was a success from that viewpoint. 

To be clear, last year was a definite success from me. They out did projections and young players all took step forwards. Contextually they weren't the best team in the league and I won't force them to win a WS for that to be a successful year. As we progress further with this roster, I'd set the barometer for success higher. 

Will 2026 be better? Hard to say, we still have two months and change to see what the roster looks like. I will say I'm not as convinced as some people on this board that the team won't do much or that they're going to be taking a step back when the off-season comes to an end. 

[Rcal10]

34 minutes ago, Irrelevant Dude said:

I think you are answering a different question.  I agree that it was a good season.  But good and successful are two different things.  The Cubs didn't win the World Series and they are no closer to winning a World Series now than they were prior to 2025.  If the team isn't winning a World Series or making progress toward that goal, I don't consider what they are doing a success.

Fair. But doesn’t PCA taking a step up and Shaw providing a decent 3rd base option help going forward. Also, Busch taking a huge step up and Horton proved to be pretty good as well bodes well moving forward. So shouldn’t all of those be considered as positives, we didn’t know about, moving forward? I think 2025 did provide a path forward and made them closer to a WS, because of all the unknowns that room steps forward. You can’t factor in what they have done so far this off season when looking back at 2025. 

[Rcal10]

39 minutes ago, Jason Ross said:

But by that logic, they were much closer to winning a World Series from 2024 to 2025, so last year was a success from that viewpoint. 

To be clear, last year was a definite success from me. They out did projections and young players all took step forwards. Contextually they weren't the best team in the league and I won't force them to win a WS for that to be a successful year. As we progress further with this roster, I'd set the barometer for success higher. 

Will 2026 be better? Hard to say, we still have two months and change to see what the roster looks like. I will say I'm not as convinced as some people on this board that the team won't do much or that they're going to be taking a step back when the off-season comes to an end. 

Wish I would have read what you wrote before I responded.  You said what I said, just did it better. 

[Jason Ross]

8 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

Wish I would have read what you wrote before I responded.  You said what I said, just did it better. 

A blind squirrel finds a nut every so often. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Jason Ross said:

But by that logic, they were much closer to winning a World Series from 2024 to 2025, so last year was a success from that viewpoint. 

To be clear, last year was a definite success from me. They out did projections and young players all took step forwards. Contextually they weren't the best team in the league and I won't force them to win a WS for that to be a successful year. As we progress further with this roster, I'd set the barometer for success higher. 

Will 2026 be better? Hard to say, we still have two months and change to see what the roster looks like. I will say I'm not as convinced as some people on this board that the team won't do much or that they're going to be taking a step back when the off-season comes to an end. 

To be fair, in any hypothetical situation, assuming that time is a constant, we are always closer to any singular event than previously, so it's a continuation in time rather than anything the Cubs could have done.

I agree with both of you in this case--I think that the 2025 season was a milestone, or a change towards possible sustainability and a league of new players (Shaw, PCA, etc) that will help our aggregate quadratic (my term, referring to the average of the players' growth or decline projections, in the form of an upside-down U) be further left from the maximum but not too left where our team has a long time before they have the chance to win the next World Series. And we should set the success level higher--I do think that we are making progress.

1 hour ago, Irrelevant Dude said:

I think you are answering a different question.  I agree that it was a good season.  But good and successful are two different things.  The Cubs didn't win the World Series and they are no closer to winning a World Series now than they were prior to 2025.  If the team isn't winning a World Series or making progress toward that goal, I don't consider what they are doing a success.

1: Time error--the constant flux of time permits a singular event to be closer than it was before in all situations.

2: How can you quantify your statement? The word "progress" seems pretty vague here. When I think of progress, I think of how the Cubs added multiple players last year, most notably PCA, who have high trajectories and who have the potential to grow. I see some friction in the pitching arena, but I hope that will be cured with Imai getting signed.

 

 

[Irrelevant Dude]

1 hour ago, The Cubs Dude said:

To be fair, in any hypothetical situation, assuming that time is a constant, we are always closer to any singular event than previously, so it's a continuation in time rather than anything the Cubs could have done.

[Guest]

31 minutes ago, Irrelevant Dude said:

Because I was and am on a lot of forums (I still remember the Duolingo days with nostalgia), I say some stuff that became habit on an old forum (in this case, it was a theory/philosophy one) that will somehow trickle into different forums. I'm so many "people," it's hard to keep track, and my personality changes with every new forum.

Oh, my God. I found a new Duolingo forum that is an offbranch of the original... I must join..

Anyway, how can you quantify the statement that the Cubs made no progress during this season? Is progress subjective, then? The Cubs can, and I think are, able to win the World Series if the owners allocate a little more efficiently, but we're on a good track with our non-pitchers.

Edited December 24, 2025 by The Cubs Dude

[Geographyhater8888]

On 12/23/2025 at 4:48 PM, Cuzi said:

The Dodgers are the exact opposite of World Series or bust, imo. They've already got theirs and have built a roster that is going to be vying for that on a yearly basis. So while coming up short is a disappointment for them, it's simply "next year."

The Cubs flipped the script and traded multiple long term assets for a 1 year rental. So unlike the Dodgers, the Cubs are trying to figure out how to build the team back up to get back to the playoffs.

You say one game from the NLCS wasn't the ultimate goal. Then what was? Was the ultimate goal building for a 1 year run at a championship? Well, they failed. I'm not sure how you say that's a success unless of course you are grading on the Cubs curve.

Cam smith was the only long term asset they traded. Unless he becomes a bonafide star, 92 wins and winning a playoff series was a nice whippets high. What’s a failure for the Dodgers is a success for us. 

Edited December 25, 2025 by Geographyhater8888

[JunkyardWalrus]

22 hours ago, Irrelevant Dude said:

I no longer believe in time. 

[Soul]

2024: 83-79

2025: 92-70

Im calling it a success and on a trajectory upwards.  Counsell increased his win totals in each of his first 4 seasons with the Brewers, and then more or less sustained success for several seasons once the team was built.

I’m choosing to look at it through that lens.  The Cubs want to build a successful small market team in a big market, so they spent their money on the small market manager.

 

[JHBulls]

On 12/23/2025 at 3:37 AM, Cuzi said:

I simply don't believe this any more.

I'm sure the players do, but there's no way I can get behind management having WS aspirations. They simply cant say they are trying to win a WS when they continuously miss out on the best talent the game has to offer because they aren't willing to take a risk and go outside of the comfort zone. The goal of this organization is to compete in their small market division and reach the playoffs, not compete in the playoffs.

2025 was a successful season if you manage to set the bar extremely low, which this organization has seemingly achieved to do with their fans.

They did. Then 2016 happened. 

The Ricketts simply don’t care anymore. Now it’s all about making themselves richer. 

Edited December 26, 2025 by JHBulls

[thawv]

On 12/23/2025 at 5:16 PM, Cuzi said:

Bunch of yes votes because the Cubs have done a masterful job of conditioning the fan base to limit expectations.

It seems all that is needed to appease the fanbase and turn down the heat is to sell out for a year and play a couple games in October. Ignore the fact that everything you did in that year doesn't help the team moving forward and ultimately failed to achieve the entire point of selling out for a single year, just appreciate the playoff badge on the shirt sleeve.

It's brilliant sleight of hand.

Preach!!!  I've been saying this for a long time now.  Program the fans to have low expectations.  Have the fans concerned about Tom's profits and keeping payroll down.  Brilliant! 

[Rcal10]

1 hour ago, thawv said:

Preach!!!  I've been saying this for a long time now.  Program the fans to have low expectations.  Have the fans concerned about Tom's profits and keeping payroll down.  Brilliant! 

I doubt ownership is fooling anyone. But what are the choices. Either be a fan rooting for the team to win and enjoying them, a fan who constantly howls at the moon complaining they don’t spend money, or stop being a fan. Those who choose to enjoy the team aren’t fooled. They just choose not to be miserable. And if winning 92 games and being a few hits away from the NLCS while having guys like PCA and Busch taking steps forward as well as rookies like Shaw and Horton contributing, is not considered a success those who want to be miserable will always be miserable. 

[Geographyhater8888]

2 hours ago, thawv said:

Preach!!!  I've been saying this for a long time now.  Program the fans to have low expectations.  Have the fans concerned about Tom's profits and keeping payroll down.  Brilliant! 

Most fans know the score. This isn’t lovable loser “cubbies” from before the Epstein era where having a good time at day games drinking and buying Ryan Theriot jerseys represented the essence of Cub fans. 
 

Your choices are to stop watching or enjoy the short lived whippets high of 2025.

[Outshined_One]

25 minutes ago, Geographyhater8888 said:

 Your choices are to stop watching or enjoy the short lived whippets high of 2025.

That sums up 2025 succinctly. Nicely done.

[thawv]

1 hour ago, Rcal10 said:

I doubt ownership is fooling anyone. But what are the choices. Either be a fan rooting for the team to win and enjoying them, a fan who constantly howls at the moon complaining they don’t spend money, or stop being a fan. Those who choose to enjoy the team aren’t fooled. They just choose not to be miserable. And if winning 92 games and being a few hits away from the NLCS while having guys like PCA and Busch taking steps forward as well as rookies like Shaw and Horton contributing, is not considered a success those who want to be miserable will always be miserable. 

Tom's payroll isn't going to change my loyalty.  I'm just pointing out how we as fans have been programmed to believe to accept what they put on the field and be happy with it.  Many Cub fans, don't expect much.  That's what they want.  Myself?  I want more than a playoff appearance every once in a while.  I'm not miserable at all.  I'm a realist and not a rah rah fan who thinks it's ok to not try to win.  I also think the 2025 was a success as far as heading in the right direction.  But what is success based on.  Expectations?  A WC spot?  The WS?  Development?  Improvement?   

Fans can be very die hard and still be critical of how things are being run.  Die hard fans get upset.  Rah rah fans don't get upset.  

[Geographyhater8888]

1 hour ago, Outshined_One said:

That sums up 2025 succinctly. Nicely done.

I was leaning on a sugar high analogy but keto diets are popular these days. I figured whippets would be more relatable.

[Rcal10]

50 minutes ago, thawv said:

I also think the 2025 was a success as far as heading in the right direction.  

I deleted everything else from your post because we have heard it all before. And it has nothing to do with the actual question. So we agree, last year was a successful season. 

[Soul]

2 hours ago, thawv said:

Fans can be very die hard and still be critical of how things are being run.  Die hard fans get upset.  Rah rah fans don't get upset.  

Why can't I be both?  This team is a love/hate obsession for me (and I dare say most of us).  Today it's being thankful for a playoff appearance that wasn't a flash in the pan.  Tomorrow it will be disappointment at missing out on a player that I feel could really change the trajectory of the upcoming season. I think most us oscillate back n' forth.  I was all over the map last year, LOL.

Edited December 26, 2025 by Soul

[thawv]

16 hours ago, Soul said:

Why can't I be both?  This team is a love/hate obsession for me (and I dare say most of us).  Today it's being thankful for a playoff appearance that wasn't a flash in the pan.  Tomorrow it will be disappointment at missing out on a player that I feel could really change the trajectory of the upcoming season. I think most us oscillate back n' forth.  I was all over the map last year, LOL.

I have high expectations.  There's no reason at all that the only major market team in a small market division shouldn't dominate every single year.

Edited December 27, 2025 by thawv

[chibears55]

On 12/22/2025 at 10:37 AM, Cuzi said:

I simply don't believe this any more.

I'm sure the players do, but there's no way I can get behind management having WS aspirations. They simply cant say they are trying to win a WS when they continuously miss out on the best talent the game has to offer because they aren't willing to take a risk and go outside of the comfort zone. The goal of this organization is to compete in their small market division and reach the playoffs, not compete in the playoffs.

2025 was a successful season if you manage to set the bar extremely low, which this organization has seemingly achieved to do with their fans.

Yea it hard to say owner/management had WS aspirations when they failed to upgrade the team at the trade deadline and basically stayed as is, especially after losing 7 of 10, 2 of 3 against Milwaukee, and going from 1 up to 1 back in that span.

2025 was successful for Ricketts/Hoyer because they competed and made the postseason, but as a fan it was disappointing because they gave you high postseason hopes up to the deadline and then basically just hung on the last 2 months.