Cubs Lose Favor In The Windy City

Do you remember when the Chicago Cubs won the World Series in 2016? For Cub fans, it seems like yesterday. The celebration in the locker room was a site that everyone in the country seemed to rally behind — images of former manager Joe Maddon popping a bottle of champagne with the cork just missing 1B Anthony Rizzo’s head, 3B Kris Bryant sharing a laugh with OF Kyle Schwarber while starting pitchers Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks and Jon Lester celebrated like kids with C Wilson Contreras. It was a magical night for the team that finally broke the drought that had lingered since 1908.

The hangover for the Cubs was meant to be temporary and the goal was to return to the World Series in 2017. But as any MLB club will tell you, repeats are few and far between; in fact, there have only been 14 teams to achieve the feat since the sport was created, as stated on MLB.com.

So what exactly happened to the Cubs, and how did their window for title contention—one that once seemed wide open—close so mercilessly?

2017

With established, long-term deals for Lester, Rizzo, UTIL Ben Zobrist and OF Jason Heyward, the Cubs had no room to match the five-year, $82.5 million contract OF Dexter Fowler signed with the rival St. Louis Cardinals.

In the end, the Cubs decided to let Fowler walk and the decision was a good one. However, placing their trust in Schwarber, who missed virtually all of 2016 with a severe left knee injury, was a mistake. Following his injury-riddled season, Schwarber finished the campaign with a batting average close to the Mendoza Line and a .315 OBP. Due to his struggles, the Cubs optioned him to Triple-A Iowa on June 22, 2017.

Nearly all of the starters, who combined for 81 wins and posted a 2.96 ERA in 2016, were fatigued from the World Series odyssey, and their performance dipped to 48 wins and a 4.12 ERA in 2017.

Injury-prone LHP Brett Anderson started only six games that year, prompting the Cubs to trade for SP José Quintana two weeks before the trade deadline at the cost of their top two prospects — OF Eloy Jiménez and SP Dylan Cease, who in 2020 both contributed to the White Sox’s first playoff appearance in 12 years.

The Cubs managed to play their best baseball in the final two months of 2017 to pull away and win their second consecutive NL Central title. But after defeating the Washington Nationals 3-2 in the NL Division Series, the Cubs’ offense went 0-for-14 with runners in scoring position against the Los Angeles Dodgers, losing the NLCS 4-1.

2018

A lack-luster 2017 offensive season resulted in a new hitting coach, but even Chili Davis couldn’t answer the team’s problems. After an abysmal second half with a .705 team OPS, it was clear that Davis’s role was in jeopardy and he we was fired after only one season.

In an effort to replace Arrieta and SP John Lackey, the Cubs signed free agents SP Yu Darvish and SP Tyler Chatwood. They also added RHP Brandon Morrow and RHP Steve Cishek to bolster the bullpen and cushion the free-agent departure of RHP Wade Davis. But the noticeable absence of a fertile farm system became more apparent once these moves fell short of expectations. Chatwood walked over 80 batters in the first four months, forcing a deal at the trade deadline for SP Cole Hamels. And to make matters worse, Darvish had control problems and did not pitch after May 20, 2018, due to right elbow surgery.

The quality and depth on the Cubs’ expanded September roster would alleviate the reliance on their starters; however, they failed to bury the Milwaukee Brewers 3-1 in Game 163, a tie-breaker for the NL Central title, and they went on to lose the Wild Card game to the Colorado Rockies in 13 innings.

2019  

Although Maddon took a more active role in his last season with the Cubs, it did little to help get the team back on track. SS Addison Russell, after serving a 40-game suspension for violating MLB’s domestic violence policy, committed mental lapses on the field and regressed at the plate. Russell’s return in early May occurred at around the same time that Zobrist, the 2016 World Series MVP and the team’s best contact hitter, left the club to address a family matter. He did not return until mid-September.

The Cubs’ bullpen continued to suffer with inconsistency and injuries. Morrow was out with elbow surgery while RHP Carl Edwards Jr., who came within one out of earning the save in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, struggled and was dealt at the trade deadline.

Even the addition of OF Nicholas Castellanos at the trade deadline couldn’t save the Cubs from missing the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

2020

Through three weeks of the pandemic-shortened 60-game season, the Cubs were arguably the most entertaining team to watch as a boisterous dugout supported every batter on every pitch, resulting in timely hits and enough run support to help an exceptional rotation.

The power, however, never arrived and the strikeouts piled up.

SS Javier Báez, who missed nearly the final four weeks of 2019 because of a broken left thumb, struck out in 31.9% of his plate appearances and walked only seven times (2%). Kris Bryant never got on track in the leadoff spot and was stymied with an array of injuries for the second time in three seasons.

Despite the warm weather that persisted through mid-September, the Cubs hit a franchise-low .210 at Wrigley Field with only 30 homers in 33 games. They also hit .196 with a .311 slugging percentage against left-handers.

Meanwhile, 2B DJ LeMahieu—who was part of a four-player trade from the Cubs to the Rockies shortly after former-President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein’s arrival in 2011—had an 86.9% contact rate and won the 2020 American League batting title with the New York Yankees.

It is clear that the Cubs are in need of a bounce back season in 2021. But across town in the south side of Chicago, the rival White Sox are poised to take charge of the AL Central and potentially the city of Chicago.

Photo courtesy of Jamie Squire/Getty Images