Credit to the Chicago Cubs for coming together on Sunday afternoon and avoiding a sweep. But the weekend will be remembered for more frustration. President Jed Hoyer watched his club drop three of four to the Cincinnati Reds, falling to 32-34 on the year. The National League Central division is now about as bunched together as you can be. The Cubs are tied with the Reds and the Cardinals for second place. The Pittsburgh Pirates are just a half-game behind them. The Milwaukee Brewers are clear by 6.5 games.
The Cubs have not won a series of three games or more since the first weekend in May. Outside of sweeping the two-game set against the abysmal Chicago White Sox, they have not been able to win multiple games in a set. The biggest problem is that of the last ten series, six have been against division opponents, and the Cubs have lost every one of those.
Understandably, once a top-ten team for a long time in power rankings, the Cubs have free-fallen their way into the depths of mediocrity in the league. It was such a significant stretch to find out how close the Cubs are to contending. With so many games against division foes and inferior opponents, it was a chance to make a statement. But the Cubs single-handily boosted all other clubs in the division with wins. They brought the Cardinals, Pirates, and Reds from probable sellers at the deadline to wild-card contention in a matter of a couple of weeks.
It is understandable to rank the Cubs low; this team is not performing like a contender. But the reasoning behind it speaks volumes. Jed Hoyer received harsh criticism, and it may be true.
“Look, not everyone can be Batman. It’s becoming more and more clear that Jed Hoyer was simply Theo Epstein’s Robin.”
Matt Snyder, CBS Sports in his latest MLB Power Rankings
Jed Hoyer Insulted As Cubs Continue To Plummet
In his latest MLB power rankings, Matt Snyder of CBS Sports has ranked the Cubs 24th out of 30 MLB teams. While almost every other team received a logical reason and summary of what contributed to the ranking, the Cubs’ explanation had everything to do with President Jed Hoyer. Snyder called him former Cubs President Theo Epstein’s “Robin.”
If you read between the lines, Snyder is saying what Cubs fans have been feeling (fearing) happening the last couple of seasons. Hoyer has spoken a big game about the Cubs being contenders and putting together the “next great Cubs team.” However, as this season was supposed to represent strides forward in competing, they are right where they were last season. While Epstein (Batman) was not afraid to take risks and make moves to keep the Cubs in contention, Hoyer (Robin) was just along for the ride as his general manager.
After breaking up the core that brought the North Side their first World Series in over a century, patience was preached. The Cubs needed time to rebuild it and open another window. The waiting was painful, but 2023 proved the pain might have been worth it.
Now, Hoyer has once again talked big about adding. However, his plan is more about promoting belief in and endorsement of the young talent coming through the system. Make no mistake, this is more about the money than anything. Kids from within are way cheaper than proven players in the league.
This Cubs team is anywhere from two to four moves away from contending. The Cubs are linked to multiple big names that could change everything for this team. What Jed Hoyer does on the trade market will tell us exactly his true intentions for the Cubs moving forward.
