Thomas Domol

At an astonishingly reasonable price, Jed Hoyer scored one of the best players in baseball by landing Tucker, a 27-year-old outfielder and Tampa native. Kyle Tucker does virtually everything: he's a 30+ homer per year machine, swipes bases at an almost alarming clip, and provides a sorely needed defensive upgrade to an outfield that's helped blow its fair share of games. More than anything else, however, Tucker's arrival announces in a roar, not a whimper, that the Chicago Cubs are contenders. I am pretty good at writing articles, but I don't move the needle for Chicagoland sports fans the way Jed Hoyer does. For as long as I can remember, the President of Baseball Operations for one of baseball's most historic franchises was maligned for his lack of action and a perceived reluctance to make a move like the one we just witnessed. The trade sent Isaac Paredes, reliever Hayden Wesneski, and recent top draft pick Cam Smith to Houston but kept a bevy of other promising prospects in the Cubs' deep farm system. What Hoyer did is like a restaurant patron finding out they're getting a cake prepared by a Michelin-starred chef when they weren't expecting dessert. To sweeten the deal, we learned that more delicious courses are inevitably on the way. Pitching should always be a priority for serious contenders, and that's what's next on the North Siders' agenda. This past week, while the club selected Gage Workman, previously of the Detroit Tigers, in the Rule 5 Draft, ripples of a trade for the Cubs to acquire another starting pitcher turned into an all-out squall. The trade talk of Cody Bellinger since he picked up his $27.5 million player option is so prevalent at times it's as if it's already happened. While I will be one to mourn his departure, he, and possibly Seiya Suzuki, can yield more than a lot in the trade market. When my next article is published, it seems to manifest in the form of lefty hurler Jesus Luzardo of the Miami Marlins. In his time with the Fish, Luzardo's oft-injured tendencies have lowered the ceiling on his mostly untapped potential. The chance the Cubbies' are willing to take on him is worth it. The story of a previously maligned player having a life renewed with a change of venue is not new. The story is not written yet. Though the Cubs are now comfortably situated as postseason contenders, more is yet to come. About a week ago, at the outset of the Winter Meetings, a clip went viral of skipper Craig Counsell beaming from ear to ear on what was to come in shaping a new-look version of his team. Maybe he knew what was on the horizon; maybe he still does. Wrigley Field is known for generating indelible memories; it looks like that won't change anytime soon.

With the offseason's biggest pieces beginning to find their places in the puzzle, please bear in mind, my loyal reader, this unshakable truism: our best-laid plans don't always come together as neatly as a jigsaw would have them do. I'm not saying that coveted free agents like Corbin Burnes and Roki Sasaki shouldn't be on your Cubby wish list, but I am saying that sometimes, you've got to work with what you've got. Through the hiring of new first base coach José Javier and the signing of southpaw starter Matthew Boyd, the Cubs are shooting for the playoff stars with pedigree and reliability. Politely ask one of Matthew Boyd's former clubs, the Detroit Tigers, if an absolute murderer's row of talent guarantees desired results. Back in 2014, two years removed from their latest World Series appearance, the Tigers rolled out a starting rotation featuring three Cy Young Award winners in Justin Verlander, Rick Porcello, and the still dynamite Max Scherzer. Along with an offense featuring two-time MVP Miguel Cabrera, power/speed dynamo Ian Kinsler and star supporting sluggers Victor Martínez and J.D. Martinez, that team... got swept out of the first round of the playoffs by the Baltimore Orioles. They did win their fourth straight division title that year, and there's plenty to say for that, but it would be their last venture into October until a whole different version of the team made a surprising run to the 2024 postseason. Sex appeal does not a healthy baseball franchise make. It's become more evident than ever that the moves we want this team to make aren't the ones they're going to make. Maybe it's time to work with what we've got. Of course, depending on if and when Cody Bellinger is traded (and to whom; I'm putting my money on the Yankees), all of that could change. Bellinger and his $27.5 million figures to alter things more than just a bit for Craig Counsell's squad, but if there's a move (and a second move after it) coming, we haven't seen it yet. What has happened is the arrival of a left-handed pitcher, Matthew Boyd, from 2024 ALCS participant Cleveland. Boyd's injury-riddled half-decade renders him a weird form of upside play. He's not a fortune-shifting pitcher, but his solid ERA from the Guardians' playoff run in 2024 made him an attractive back-end starter target. Of the smallish moves this squad has made thus far in the offseason, I actually kind of like this one. From a coaching standpoint, the Cubs are set to have a brand-new individual on "one," bringing on first-base coach José Javier. The former Yankee farmhand, at age 32, further reinforces the club's youth movement in personnel who hope to bring analytically charged, fresh ideas to a squad that stumbled at every crucial moment last season. Having most recently served as a defensive coach for the Yankees' Triple-A team, Javier will primarily be helping the team dominate with great infield defense. In conjunction with third-base and baserunning coach Quintin Berry, though, he'll take on some responsibility for abetting base stealers during the games. Putting together these recaps is a true joy. I get to both react with you (the audience and my fellow esteemed writers), and respond to what's to come. With some huge free-agent prizes still at large, the Winter Meetings loom in such a way as to make this time of year wonderful—or, if the Cubs strike out, anything but.

Everyone loves a good comeback story. This past year notwithstanding, Kyle Hendricks proved this on more than one occasion, especially in 2023. Now, there's no such thing as too much pitching, and that baseball adage is still valid, but the recent acquisition of Brooks Kriske and fellow reliever Phil Bickford stretches that truth to its limits. By contrast, with the Los Angeles Dodgers' monopoly on the league's top talent, most other players seem like fixer-uppers. Regardless of what the public perceives the team's needs to be, Hoyer, both privately and publicly, believes pitching will solve the club's playoff calculus. Lugging around two pitchers with astronomical ERAs, both either over or close to ten, this duo doesn't seem like the answer. Similar to so many decisions Hoyer and the Cubs' front office make, the add comes at the low cost of risk and low cost of finances. Feel free to take this information with a whole Costco-sized bag of salt, as the North Siders are far from done with the offseason shuffle. The imminent trade of superstar outfielder Cody Bellinger and the money it would return are likely the move we're all waiting for when it comes to welcoming the next big-name, jersey-selling member of the Chicago Cubs. The Cubbies' big splashy move is an inevitability, like a toddler on Christmas morning receiving a toy that's difficult to assemble and much easier to break. The question on my mind, and certainly the minds of other fans of this baseball team, is: Do any of these pieces work when they fit together?

If you're one of the millions of podcasters across the globe, you could very well justify dedicating a myriad of episodes to how the Cubs blew numerous critical games in their doomed quest to reach the postseason. Two such topics rich with fodder were the North Sider's inability to produce clutch hits and a bullpen that oftentimes came unraveled in high-leverage situations. It is no surprise that the bulk of the six players non-tendered by the Cubs this past week served as either relief pitching or designated hitter. When it comes to the former, the move that sent shockwaves through Wrigleyville was the release of 2023 All-Star closer Adbert Alzolay, whose long Cubs journey saw him go from a starting pitching prospect and owner of one of the coolest bobbleheads ever to a shutdown closer. Finally, to the maligned reliever the squad got during the 2024 season. For a time considered one of the more sure-fire closers in the game, Alzolay's ERA doubled from 2.67 in 2023 to 4.67 in 2024. What's waiting on the other side of the winter meetings and the duration of the offseason might not be any better, but that wasn't good enough by any measure. One huge move Craig Counsell's club made this week to counter the departure of Alzolay was the acquisition of former Cleveland Guardians reliever Eli Morgan. Of all the changes that just came through, including the exits of fan favorites Mike Tauchman and Patrick Wisdom, Morgan has the biggest impact on the club's more immediate future. Designated hitter is the most difficult role in baseball. For that matter, pinch hitter is too. If you're not hitting or delivering crucial offense in even more crucial situations, you're not providing much value to your franchise. I loved Nick Madrigal, Patrick Wisdom, and Mike Tauchman when they came through, and I scratched my head when they didn't. My scalp itched a lot last season. As all three players now find themselves lost in the catacombs of free agency, what the Cubs figure to do with the financial return their exodus created remains unclear. I'll be happy if we wake up to a phone notification proclaiming Max Fried to be a Cub. Even without a murderer's row of electric hitting, a stout starting pitching rotation will keep you in contention, and the Cubbies proved as much in 2024. Despite Justin Steele's substantial dip in production across all categories, staff ace Shota Imanaga, who finished a respectable 5th in Cy Young voting, set the tone for his fellow starters and had a clear residual effect, especially in April and September. If the Cubbies yield any positive results from this offseason, a complementary starting pitcher has to take up residency in Chicago. I don't know many other ball clubs that can do so much in a week yet still leave the fan base feeling the same. The organization trusts in the talent developed from within. How much of that trust will be rewarded?

Though it's increasingly difficult to comprehend with each passing season, The Friendly Confines once served as home of the Chicago Bears, who just renewed their historic rivalry with the Green Bay Packers. Maybe that's why it feels (odd, yet) familiar to see two of the Big Ten's most storied programs, Northwestern and Ohio State, clash in a football game on its grounds. Is a Hail Mary still considered a fly ball? On the mound, one newcomer answered the Cubs' prayers in 2024. Shota Imanaga is one of the best pitchers in professional baseball, and this past week, amid the bright lights of Vegas, he was rewarded for it. The man who truly knows what it's like to be "Mike" was named to the Second Team All-MLB squad, as announced by comedian and Chicago-native Roy Wood Jr. He seemed as giddy as the rest of us that the breakout hurler works on the North Side. For the first two months of the season, there was no better pitcher in baseball than Imanaga. Although Pittsburgh Pirates rookie ace Paul Skenes splashed onto the scene and (along with his girlfriend) absconded with the rookie hurler spotlight. Imanaga was magnificent in his freshman campaign: Over 29 starts, he turned in a record of 15-3. He pitched 173 1/3 innings, struck out 174 batters, and had a very low walk rate of 4%. Unlike teammate and fellow starter Javier Assad, Imanaga rarely had to work his way out of trouble, often looking dominant and borderline unhittable. A few mid-season flops raised his ERA to 2.91 and effectively took his name out of the Cy Young race, but Imanaga's value to this club remained immeasurable. We should demand more success from the Chicago Cubs. They continue to evince a gun-shy approach to loading the team up with intimidating talent through trade and free agency. With that said, however, Imanaga provided some great memories this season, and some evidence that we are closer to ecstasy than misery.

Most things seem to be bigger in Texas, but immune from that list, apparently, is Jed Hoyer's offseason aggression. How could the de facto face of this franchise, which crushingly missed the playoffs the past two seasons, show even a whiff of complacency? Part of it can justifiably be attributed to the staggering "Winds of Wrigley," which Hoyer views as both an impairment and an opportunity. "I do feel like our offense was hurt by Wrigley last year, but our pitching staff was helped." Since it is a recap of the week and not previous articles written for this very fine publication, I won't rehash the narrative on the Cubs' unforgiving home field. What I will say, however, is that with the likes of Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, and the renaissance-enjoying Jameson Taillon, the Cubs have a real shot at cementing a dominant starting pitching through free agency. Say, perhaps, the Cubs land free-agent target and lefty Max Fried, which instantly gives Craig Counsell's squad the best starting pitching rotation in the National League Central. That could be the answer, or it could even come from a far away yet familiar place... One huge development from this past week came from the great country of Japan, as 23-year-old Roki Sasaki officially posted for MLB free agency. The market figures to be scorching hot for the right-hander. However, the Cubs are not the favorites to land him; they are certainly in the running, especially considering the presence of fellow countrymen Seiya Suzuki and Imanaga, who could prove critical in persuading the dominant righty to make Chicago his new home. Though small and expected, it was a week of change for the Cubs. Juan Soto will likely get overpaid, but that's a typical result for a Scott Boras client. It feels a particularly off-putting kind of surreal to see Kyle Hendricks pen a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels. Yes, that's a real sentence; that happened. Though this offseason proves otherwise, the stove is not supposed to get this hot this quickly. Sadly, it appears the Cubbies might keep theirs lukewarm.

Come with me on a reluctant journey to September 27th, 2023, where we find our Chicago Cubs, led by former skipper David Ross, chasing a surprise postseason berth. With the Cubs leading the Atlanta Braves 6-5 in the home half of a two-out eighth inning from Truist Park, Braves catcher Sean Murphy sent Drew Smyly's 3-2 pitch off the end of his bat and into mid-right-center field. Calling off center fielder Cody Bellinger, Suzuki charged in to make the third out and preserve his club's late lead... and missed it. The ball dropped in, allowing the Braves to plate what would become the winning run. That moment is now seared into the brains of Chicago sports fans' craniums with the infamous likes of Cody Parkey and, yes, Steve Bartman. Though painful to admit, this was not the last time the Cubbies' right-hander would make a mistake like this, though not always with quite as consequential stakes. He is a defensive liability in right field, and with Cody Bellinger fully ready to take over the position, Suzuki should be shifted to designated hitter. Perhaps that shift already happened, as Cody Bellinger started 33 of the Cubs' last 40 games in right field, while Suzuki spent that time as the designated hitter. As the squad's offense all but disappeared through the middle of the summer, Seiya Suzuki produced at a respectable clip in 2024: 21 homers, 73 RBI, and an .848 OPS. Suzuki didn't necessarily shine like the top of Hancock Tower, but he didn't hurt his club's chances either. With his power and increase in plate discipline, the Cubs' 29-year-old is still well-positioned to help the North Siders breakthrough in 2025. If nothing else, Cody Bellinger is a name people in baseball respect. His resurgence as a bonafide superstar since arriving in Wrigleyville is no fluke. As the 2025 season will no doubt see Belli blast his 200th career home run, he also boasts an OPS of .818 over eight big league seasons. We know he can hit the ball, but the Cubs desperately need someone to catch it, too. As luck would have it, he can do that as well. In 2024, Bellinger had an 87% catch rate. It's a tough ask to say much of anything was good for the Cubs last season, given the expectation for the club, but that's pretty good. What's not pretty good, unfortunately, is that much of Bellinger's and Suzuki's 2025 success could rely on the addition of a power bat in the middle of the lineup to protect them both. I'd never tell you to hold your breath, but when it comes to Jed Hoyer's and Carter Hawkins's complacency, that rings especially true. Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki have certified weapons in the Cubs' arsenal, but their team won't hit its target unless deployed correctly.

As the 2024 MLB season drew to an official close this past week, the hot stove speculation began for all 30 major league teams. As it turns out, the stove got white-hot in the blink of an eye. One of the biggest Cubs' offseason questions is answered as left-handed slugger Cody Bellinger opted into his $27.5 million player option for the 2025 season. While this closes the book on one offseason mystery, it opens up a whole lot of other pages in other books. Most notably, with a massive sum of money now tied up in their Gold Glove-caliber superstar, what will this team actually accomplish in the coming months to ensure they are serious contenders come the spring? Along with other significant moves, the Cubs did a lot this week that could drastically alter their 2025 path. Let's dive in to see how it all went down. The 2024 season saw a modest decline in Cody Bellinger's offensive performance compared to 2023, where he blasted 26 home runs and drove in 97 runs. This past season, he racked up 78 RBI and tallied 18 round trippers. Regardless of his drop in offensive output, he's still a player that opposing managers must plan for, and he has turned out to be an affable presence in the clubhouse. So he's back and likely to make a new living in right field, swapping places with the defensively unreliable Seiya Suzuki, who is presumably moving to the designated hitter spot. This move doesn't necessarily make the team worse. Still, it tightens the reins on the already pretty tight purse strings of the Cubs' front office, which may have designs on landing a blockbuster starting pitcher. Still, the dream of Juan Soto in Cubby pinstripes is now all but gone with this development. If Bellinger manages to reach base a lot next season, which he is wont to do, he'll have one of the best in the sport guiding him along the bags. With the previous dismissals of Mike Napoli and Willie Harris, it was clear that Craig Counsell has a different vision for his staff, which is more akin to what he worked with during his successful days in Milwaukee. Thus, the Cubs announced hiring a new third base coach, Quintin Berry, this past week. Berry, 39, is known for his base-running prowess and achieved this to effect with Counsell as both were members of NL Central division-winning teams. Aside from the base-running excellence Pete Crow-Armstrong and Nico Hoerner displayed in 2024, the club's numerous gaffes on the base pads resulted in crushing results in close games, which could have easily meant the difference in deciding the club's playoff hopes. Once a stud in places like Boston, Berry hopes to change these fortunes radically. This offseason is moving at a pace so torrid I don't have an apt comparison to align it with, but then again, one offseason rarely possessed such an attractive crop of franchise-changing talent. With this in mind, the Cubs have officially declined the $10 million option of left-handed reliever Drew Smyly, an individual who registers quite low on that spectrum of talent. Despite punching out 56 batters over 58.2 innings pitched in 2024, Smyly faltered in absolutely crucial, high-leverage moments for the Cubs in 2024. Money in, money out, money staying. If the 2024 MLB season proved anything, teams must be willing to spend some serious coin to contend for the World Series seriously. The Dodgers did it, and Dave Roberts and his squad still reek of premium champagne. What a concept: invest in premium talent and get premium results. Jed? Tom? Are you reading this?

Cubs' President of Baseball Operations, Jed Hoyer, can be frustrating, off-putting, and certainly unrelatable. But one thing he is not: dumb. Whether you listened to him throughout the 2024 season on 670 The Score or digested his press clippings on this very esteemed website, Jed Hoyer insists that the team's internal pipeline has what it takes to yield championship success on the North Side of Chicago for years to come: maybe he's right. This past week, young Cubs catcher Moises Ballesteros earned the honor of Minor League Player of the Year. Splitting time between Tennessee and Iowa in 2024, the 20-year-old Ballesteros notched a .289 batting average and drove in 78 RBI, including 19 homers. Despite a late-season breakthrough from Miguel Amaya, the Cubs sorely lack power at the catcher position. Though his talent is still raw and his full potential unknown, Ballesteros may provide long-term answers sooner than you think. In other good news, the Cubbies' mostly-decent pitching situation figures to get even better as righty Brandon Birdsell was named Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Birdsell turned a sub-four ERA of 3.91, recorded 135.2 innings pitched, and walked a mere 5.4% of the batters he faced in 2024. In July, the 24-year-old was called up from the Double-A Tennessee Smokies to the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. Though his repertoire of pitches needs work, especially in the off-speed department, he is forecasted to be a solid starter in the backend of the rotation. With the impending departure of Kyle Hendricks and the jury still out on guys like Javier Assad, this would be a boon for the North Siders. To reference the great 2010 rock band Modest Mouse, Here's some good news for people who like bad news: Nico Hoerner is injured with no guarantee he'll be ready at the start of the 2025 campaign. As reported by MLB insider Bruce Levine and other sources this past week, one of the Cubs' leaders in theft, totaling a career-high 31 stolen bases, Hoerner, underwent surgery to repair his right flexor tendon. Hoerner is a defensive staple in the Cubs' close-to-elite middle infield. If he is to encounter any setbacks in his offseason recovery, his loss would create a seismic ripple in the club's early-season chances—something to keep an eye on. The Cubs' "big question" in the 2023 offseason was: Will Cody Bellinger re-sign with the team? Despite clocking in a 2024 season that was barely a shadow of what the lefty achieved in 2023, it appears that Bellinger will once again kick the free agency tires when it opens up in just over a week. Anecdotally, he shouldn't. The Cubs' utility superstar is set to earn a staggering $27.5 million from Tom Ricketts' team in 2025. That he'd earn anything close to those numbers elsewhere is a stretch, to say the least. He'd be wise to stay. Life-long Cubs fan Eddie Vedder wrote a pre-2016 song called "All The Way," pining for his beloved squad's eventual World Series-winning ecstasy. As the globe watches the heavyweight prize fight between the Yankees and Dodgers, it feels like we're back in those times: clinging to hope and left with not much else to do but wait until next year.

Though it's difficult to measure either player's true worth amid the Cubs' dismal results this season, Dansby Swanson and Ian Happ were vital pieces in at least keeping their club in ball games. Boasting 18 outs above average, Swanson provided the Cubs with near-lockdown defense at the shortstop position this season. Even paired with his dishearteningly pedestrian offensive output, Swanson's defensive prowess provided mostly convincing evidence for a role in Craig Counsell's everyday lineup. Curiously, after winning the honor in 2023, Nico Hoerner wasn't one of the top three Gold Glove vote-getters at the keystone this season. Perhaps if the Cubs had achieved their postseason goals, or the not-so-Friendly Confines had not posed such a documented disadvantage this season, there would have been more accolades to go around. One aspect of these particular Gold Glove "finalists" (that's not really what they are, there was no nomination process or second round of voting, but that's what the league is calling them) worth noting is the fact that they were bestowed upon two of the club's most prominent leaders, especially in the case of left fielder Ian Happ. You know from my previous work that Happ is a player I deem essential to the clubhouse. His even-keeled approach keeps himself and his teammates in check throughout a challenging season. But more than that, and setting aside his blistering offensive ascent in the second half of the 2024 season, he is one of the best in the business at tracking down balls in one of the more punishing zones of Wrigley Field. He was spectacular when it comes to his approach angle on balls hit to left field. Regardless of whether or not the offense he showed this season is sustainable going forward, his defense more than makes up for it. Now, all the Cubs need is elite pitching and a fearsome, problematic bat in the middle of the order and we're in business. Finally, and notably, we missed one very positive and important development about two weeks ago, when catching guru and coach Jerry Weinstein announced he would be leaving his longtime post with the Rockies for a more wide-ranging role with the Cubs. We don't yet know what shape that will take, but Weinstein has long been one of the clearest and smartest voices on Baseball Twitter about the mechanics of catching and various defensive and baserunning plays. He's in his 80s, so it seems unlikely that this will be a uniformed gig in the dugout, but wherever he's deployed, he'll be a highly valuable addition to the organization. With the postseason nearing its end, it seems wise for the Cubs front office to take these nominations not as a good sign that veteran talent exists with the big-league club, but as an indication that there is much work yet to be done. The calendar is just about to turn over to the season of feasts, and with it, continued hope that one day soon the Cubs will have more to eat.

"The work is underway to close the gap to make the Cubs a perennial playoff team.". Thus were the opening remarks of Tom Ricketts' second paragraph of his annual address. These comments echo with resounding curiosity given the team's seemingly crippling aversion to spending. The remaining teams battling for the World Series crown have over $300 million in payroll to dole out. Two of the most notorious spenders, the Yankees and Dodgers, are prohibitive favorites to meet for the Fall Classic in about a week. How do Ricketts and his brain trust intend to close this glaring gap? While it remains to be seen whether or not the club finally starts spending the money necessary to be a serious contender, Ricketts, along with Jed Hoyer, adamantly believes the talent already exists within the organization. "Jed, Carter, and our team of coaches, analysts, scouts, and strategists have created one of the top player development groups in the game today...". While it's certainly true that the franchise boasts some serious firepower coming through the pipeline, the Cubs were profoundly lacking in power-hitting and completely went off the rails in run production through the middle of the season. The answers can't simply come from within with another attractive crop of free agents waiting in the offseason wings. Perhaps knowledge of this fact informed the club's decision to bring the baseball legend Jerry Weinstein into the fold. Weinstein, 81, has a yet unspecified new role with the Cubs, but he is well known for his prowess as a catching expert and most recently served with the Colorado Rockies. If he does work with the catchers, the Cubs stand much to gain as Miguel Amaya and in-season acquisition Tomas Nido failed to provide any real stability at that position. As Craig Counsell pieces his ideal coaching staff together, he and his club mutually parted ways with third base coach Willie Harris. A staff member since 2021, Harris served under former Cubs' manager David Ross. Harris also spent time with teams like the Mets, Nationals, Reds, and Orioles. Key base running decisions led to a plethora of major inflection points for the Cubs this past season. It always seemed as if he held runners when he should have sent them and sent runners when he should have held them. The individual who fills this vacancy will come into a situation with plenty of speed on the base pads with guys like Pete Crow-Armstrong and Nico Hoerner, but hopefully, more help is on the way. With another week of heavy activity in the books for the Cubbies, it's now clearer than ever that the franchise knows their approach must shift drastically to get back on the postseason schedule—time to fill in the gaps.

With the MLB playoffs bringing October heat in other major markets like New York, the North Side of Chicago begins its long offseason slumber. If this last week was any indication, maybe, just maybe, the organization, through numerous and significant changes, knows it's time to wake up. As we start acquainting ourselves with the remaining postseason clubs vying for World Series glory, one thing is abundantly clear: success is out there and up for grabs in Major League Baseball. Should you seek proof of this, look no further than AJ Hinch and his scrappy Detroit Tigers, who, after deleting perennial postseason stalwart Houston, hold designs on canceling Jhonkensy Noel and crew's "Big Christmas" up in Cleveland. If the Motown Cats turned 0.2% playoff odds into 100%, why can't the Cubs do so as well? Those answers, with correlating insights, belong to a different piece in the near future. Still, at the very least, the actions taken this past week demonstrated at least the impression of frustration and discontent from the club's front office. So, what were those actions? A whole lot of coaching changes. Let's investigate who, what, and how these changes affect the Cubbies' makeup and philosophy. First base coach Mike Napoli, hitting coach Jim Adduci, bullpen coach Darren Holmes, and a pair of strength coaches have all been dismissed. I don't want heads to roll; I want to make deep runs in the postseason. These moves won't resonate significantly until next season begins in earnest, but one big thing it allows is Craig Counsell's license to build a proper staff. When you look at the roles these former Cubs coaches occupied, they magnify glaring deficiencies in categories that doomed the North Siders' playoff hopes in 2024. Jim Adduci, for instance, was the hitting coach for a team that turned in a .242 combined batting average. Now, this was for many documented reasons, not the least of which were the mighty winds of Wrigley, but that specific position was an obvious place to look to. On the other hand, Mike Napoli and Darren Holmes helmed positions that, at best, were inconsistent in producing success for the Chicago Cubs. Who is at fault? One obvious individual is the one you're thinking of: Jed Hoyer. Did he have anything to say about his team's performance? You bet he did. This past Tuesday, he delivered his end-of-season address, and the sound bites that came out of it, at the very least, highlighted his awareness that a plethora of this franchise's stakeholders are fed up with the playoff absences he has become the face of since the end of the 2017 campaign. Hoyer does not necessarily come across as a proponent of revisionist history but as one who seems out of touch even after failing to meet self-appointed elevated goals. His and Tom Rickett's cold feet regarding long-term top-tier free-agent signings have left this team in place of good enough but not great enough. Said Hoyer: We're disappointed, too, Jed. He and the organization have the most inside track on what changes are coming down the pipeline, and indeed, if they are enough to alter the fortunes of this club radically, it remains to be seen. Adding an "established starter" like Corbin Burnes (please!) would certainly do the trick if a tutorial is not provided. A frugal track record leaves supporters of this squad wondering if this season's failures are finally the turning point in restoring the Cubs to a place of desired prominence. So, with the offseason commencing, we have our heading in what must happen. The road laid before this club in securing a joyful future is long.

Game by Game: Monday The Cubs started the week as a team with nothing to play for, and they looked like one against the Phillies in their first of a three-game set from Citizens Bank Field. Caleb Kilian took the bump for the Cubbies, delivering 5 2/3 innings and getting thoroughly shelled by Kyle Schwarber's club. Kilian gave up five earned runs on eight hits and issued four free passes. Offensively, the Cubs' favorite 2024 tradition of stranding baserunners held sway as they left nine on base in this late-September contest. Nico Hoerner and Mike Tauchman were responsible for Chicago's only RBIs, coming through with one apiece. Final Score: 6-2 Phillies Tuesday In my previous recap, I stated that this club's ascending over the .500 mark was a goal worth pursuing. By virtue of winning game two of their final road trip of the season, the Cubbies ensured at least the same amount of games up as games down. Lefty Justin Steele got the nod in this contest, his last start of the season. He went four innings, surrendering two runs, including a solo shot by Phillies slugger Bryce Harper, and punching out three. The Cubs' offense, which enjoyed somewhat of a second-half resurgence, was sharp on this day. Though stranding eleven baserunners, the North Siders got key contributions from consistent second baseman Nico Hoerner, who went 3-5, and from their utility star Cody Bellinger, who laced a clutch 3-run triple in the sixth inning. Even when it doesn't matter, winning always feels good. Final Score: 10-4 Cubs Wednesday The Phillies are one of the more likely contenders for this year's Fall Classic and probably had even less to play for in this one than their opponents from the North Side of Chicago. But that didn't stop them from not so kindly dispatching Craig Counsell's squad in the series' finale. Javier Assad toed the rubber in this one and got absolutely lit up. One of the several Cubs' pitchers to suffer truncated work due to injuries in 2024, Assad let up eight earned runs on eight hits, never really finding any kind of rhythm. The Cubs pushed six runs across the plate versus Ranger Suarez's ball club, including four runs on two complete bombs by Nico Hoerner, whose bobblehead is featured prominently in the man caves of Cubs fans all over the Chicagoland area. Final Score: 9-6 Phillies Friday For the final three games of the 2024 campaign, Ian Happ and the Cubs welcomed the Cincinnati Reds to Wrigley Field. Once foes in competing for a wild card playoff spot, the Cubs and Reds looked like two teams defeated by failure to reach lofty expectations. Jameson Taillon sailed through 7 shutout innings and, in doing so, checked in with a 3.27 ERA for the season. The two teams combined for nine hits, and the game's winning run came on a Miguel Amaya sacrifice fly in the fifth inning. Near the outset of the week, the Cubs' front office indicated it intends to bring "an established" starting pitcher in to help end the team's postseason drought. The Cubbies' pitching performances in this contest provided reason to believe that whoever that individual turns out to be will not find an empty cupboard in Chicago. Final Score: 1-0 Cubs Saturday As the words begin to appear on screen, I find it increasingly hard to articulate what Cubbies' veteran pitcher Kyle Hendricks means to me, millions of Cubs fans worldwide, and the organization. Far beyond in services in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, "The Professor" has stood out as example number one when it comes to professionalism, endurance, and overall nasty stuff since becoming a Cub in 2012. He delivered a (probable) final lecture worthy of his legend on this day. Going 7 1/3 innings, Hendricks induced one ground ball after another in a swift and efficient outing. Hoisting his cap high in the air in salute to a crowd of grateful supporters, Kyle Hendricks walked off the mound of the Friendly Confines one last time, having positioned his club nicely to pick up their 83rd win of the season. And they did. The North Siders' preserved the good vibes by scoring three eighth-inning runs. Mike Tauchman, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Isaac Paredes all notched RBIs in the winning effort. What a Saturday scene at Wrigley. Final Score: 3-0 Cubs Sunday After matching their win total from 2023 the day prior with an enormously emotional series-clinching contest, the Cubs fell flat in the series' final game. Caleb Killian and company held the Reds to 27 straight scoreless innings before falling to Cincinnati in extras. The Cubs scattered three hits in this contest, which found Seiya Suzuki and Michael Busch, two offensive stalwarts of the club in 2024, with a chance to leave the people with a good taste in their mouths heading into 2025. It was not meant to be. With two runners on, the powerful Michael Busch flew out to left field in an oh-so-unceremonious way to end the Cubs' 2024 campaign. Final Score: 3-0 Reds (10 innings) So that's it. One hundred sixty-two games over and out for the team and a city starving for postseason play, but with top brass unwilling to feed them. The next time the Cubs play the regular season, you and I will hopefully be in Japan watching our squad take on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jed Hoyer is set to deliver his end-of-season address this coming Tuesday. The fact that he couldn't get this club to the postseason this year is an unequivocal failure. He, Carter Hawkins, and Tom Ricketts should and must come under fire as to why they simply could not orchestrate a contending playoff club. Big changes are on the horizon, but until then, there will be a reprieve.