After losing to the Cincinnati Reds at home on Sunday afternoon, the Chicago Cubs have lost six consecutive series and are now further out of the playoff picture. During this stretch, the Cubs lost a series to each one of their division rivals. They now sit in third place in the NL Central division, 7.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers.
Yet the story is the same for Manager Craig Counsell, General Manager Carter Hawkins, and President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer. They believe this team is good but haven’t turned the corner yet. What is turning is the calendar, and the Cubs are running out of time.
It’s dangerous for the Cubs to count on the team that has them sitting with a 29-31 record to win a division, let alone make the playoffs. But that is exactly what the Cubs front office tells us they believe in.
Most of the bright spots from 2024 have come from the starting pitchers. Shota Imanaga has been sensational in his rookie year. Ben Brown is proving to live up to the hype he generated in the minor leagues. Javier Assad continues to succeed, making him a staple in the rotation.
Beyond that, calling this a “struggle” or “disappointment” feels understated. The Counsell move to the Cubs felt like the beginning of a title window opening. Instead, the Cubs are sitting in neutral, banking on the kids in the minors to know how to take them to wherever they’re going.
It’s obvious something needs to change, whether it’s the players on the field finding their strides or moves to bring more talent in via a trade. The Cubs should look at this Twitter thread and then take a look in the mirror.
Even If The Cubs Figure It Out, They’re Not Even Close
Brendan Miller of CHGO broke some numbers down on Twitter Monday afternoon. He proves that even if the Cubs find an intense improvement in their power generators for the rest of 2024, they are still projected to finish the year under .500. The thread goes on to say Shota Imanaga needs to keep on his remarkable pace to keep the Cubs afloat. Justin Steele would need to replicate his Cy Young caliber 2023 season.
Miller goes on to say the Cubs need flawless defense, which it’s not. They need perfect baserunning, which they barely do to start with. Seiya Suzuki needs to be the team’s best hitter, and he’s not.
In short, it’s time for the Chicago Cubs and their front office to wake up and face reality. What they provided Craig Counsell for the 2024 campaign is clearly not close to calling them a contender. 2-8 against the division in the last ten games is what bottom-feeding teams do, not division favorites.
The Cubs will either have to decide to use their deep prospect pool to trade for the big holes in this roster or kick the can down the road to 2025 by trading their own short-contract guys. The Chicago White Sox come to Wrigley Field for two games starting Tuesday. Then, the Cubs go to Cincinnati for four more against the Reds. If they come out of these six games with anything less than four wins, 2024 may really be over.
