Cubs Week In Review: Cubs Convention Shifts Tone, Brings Flurry of Front Office Sound Bites

One of the best things about being a Cubs fan is that even if the team stinks (which it often has), we still have each other. Hundreds or thousands of Cubs fans wearing blue and red jerseys with names like Sandberg, Dawson, Wood, and Sosa on the back descended upon downtown Chicago this past weekend. With more work yet to do in an offseason quickly drawing to a close, this was a weekend meant to boost vibes around this franchise and the season to come. It did.

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Look, if you're seeking a juggernaut baseball team that scoops up every marquee name under the sun while doling out more money than Lloyd Christmas in "Dumb and Dumber", become a Dodgers fan. That's not the type of team Tom Ricketts and Jed Hoyer run, and for better or worse, they're sticking to that approach. Watching coveted players such as Roki Sasaki and reliever Tanner Scott make their way to a league rival is frustrating, even if there's little more the team could have done to pursue either—or at least, little Hoyer could have done.

Be you one of the thousands who count themselves among the ranks of the discontent, then what team Ricketts and Hoyer had to say this past week didn't move the needle for you in a positive direction. Ricketts loves to "break even"; he said as much while taking to the microphone over the weekend. At least in public remarks, Hoyer agrees. Speaking with 670 The Score's Matt Spiegel and Laurence Holmes, Hoyer spoke candidly on the specter of arbitration hearings, the failed courtship of top-tier players, and the need to make moves to bolster this squad's bullpen and bench.

"We're in a very competitive window and we have a chance to be really good," he said. Hoyer firmly believes that the organization, on the strength of a good farm system and "clean books" (his words, wince-inducing for some), the team is in "great position to win a lot."

Some hopes will continue to hinge on players performing at the top of their range in 2025, then, especially in the bullpen. The Cubs need bullpen help if they seriously intend to tackle goals like winning the NL Central crown. Only the Blue Jays and White Sox lost more one-run games than did the Cubs last year, and the North Siders went just 23-28 in those games. Scott won't factor into rebalancing that equation, but someone of sterling repute must. Our Matthew Trueblood wrote up a fistful of candidates to be that guy.

One way or another, I feel like this team has what it needs to ascend to the top of their division once more—and maybe even stay there. Their primary rivals, the Brewers, haven't materially improved this winter, as the Cubs have. Each year, this division is winnable, and in 2025, that sentiment rings truer than ever.

The Cubs Convention is a time for generations of fans to come together to share stories, memories, and their love for the team that plays so close to the lake. Maybe this year, the club is primed to add another compelling chapter to that story.