When Dansby Swanson signed his seven-year, $177 million take care of the Chicago Cubs in December, he got here to the group anticipating a dedication to profitable.
Year 1 fell wanting the playoffs, and the way the Cubs stumbled down the stretch with poor play ended the season on a bitter be aware. As the group dissects the underlying problems with what went incorrect over the ultimate three weeks, they gained’t dismiss the positives that got here out of a profitable season.
“With how we finished people are going to think it’s further off than it actually is,” Swanson stated after their closing recreation. “There’s a whole lot of actually, actually gifted gamers not solely right here however clearly within the decrease ranges that may contribute after which offseason free company, there’s loads of strikes that may be finished there as nicely that would actually get us over the hump and rolling in the proper course. But undoubtedly an excellent step this 12 months, undoubtedly assured with issues transferring ahead.
“We proved a lot for probably what most people consider not worthy and we were just about a game, game and a half or two or whatever short, so there’s plenty of optimism and I think a lot of guys are wired the right way to come back and be ready to roll next season.”
The Cubs, although, can’t afford to take a step again from including expertise within the offseason. To get into the postseason in 2024 and proceed constructing a legit World Series contender, buying one other energy hitter must be a precedence, even when they do re-sign Cody Bellinger. Addressing their nook infield positions must be a part of that equation, and pitching depth have to be improved.
“I was hoping to have less of October to do offseason planning, but certainly we’ll get right to work,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer stated Tuesday, “and spend a whole lot of time now that we’re not within the battle, get an opportunity to interrupt down precisely the issues that we have to enhance.
“The shell of a really good team is there. Obviously we have to make additions and we have to find ways to improve, but I feel really good given where we were a year ago.”
The Cubs scored the third-most runs within the National League behind the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers whereas that includes among the many greatest in run prevention, sitting within the high seven within the majors for Outs Above Average (OAA) and Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), led by Swanson and Nico Hoerner up the center. But each of these areas faltered within the closing three weeks, and a banged-up bullpen wasn’t capable of maintain up.
The Cubs have a core to construct round that creates positional and value certainty. With Swanson within the fold for six extra years and Hoerner, Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki’s contracts going by means of the 2026 season, the Cubs function an important basis to construct on. Adding to that on the pitching facet: Justin Steele, who gained’t attain free company till after 2027 to provide them a workers ace as one of many group’s most vital developments, and Jameson Taillon, who posted a 3.38 ERA in his final 16 video games, supplies expertise and rotation stability with three extra years on his contract.
“We’ve got to find the pieces to put with them and hopefully some of those pieces come internally,” Chairman Tom Ricketts stated on the ultimate day of the season. “I mean, we’ve got a lot of good young players and hopefully some will be ready to go next year so that we can bring homegrown talent to supplement the guys that we have out there. That’s the ultimate way you maintain consistency and try to stay in the playoff hunt for years to come.”
The Cubs had been the primary workforce in franchise historical past to go from 10 video games beneath .500 to 10 video games over in the identical season. That distinction created combined emotions inside the clubhouse on how you can view the season.
For Taillon, falling simply wanting making the playoffs “hurts probably more” due to the run they made, including, “I really feel like we could have been that team for a full year, which makes it hurt.”
Although he was on the Cubs’ 2020 postseason roster, Hoerner nonetheless is ready to play in his first playoff recreation after not showing in both of their losses to the Miami Marlins. He was not but in a reflective area after the Cubs’ elimination from place competition about their ups and downs over the 162-game season. But he stated of the sting from lacking out and the way they rallied to even be in postseason competition: “Both things can be true where I do see the direction that we’re headed and I’m really excited and optimistic but what I feel in the moment is definitely stronger.”
The Cubs notably featured 5 World Series champions, however past that group, a lot of the roster had by no means performed in a postseason recreation. After lacking out this 12 months, they have to discover worth in getting a glimpse of the stakes which might be solely additional elevated within the playoffs and use their September expertise to take the subsequent step in 2024.
“The fact that we played very meaningful games in September could be a lesson for guys,” Taillon stated after the Cubs had been eradicated in Milwaukee. “Like, the season’s lengthy and it appears even longer when each recreation issues, each pitch issues. You noticed the final two weeks, it got here right down to little performs. It got here down to at least one play right here, making one pitch right here, one swing there. When you’re out of it in September, there’s much less stress.
“It’s probably a lesson throughout the entire roster, condition as well as you can and stay locked in for every single game, but it’s also going to be a good building block for young guys being up here.”
Added Kyle Hendricks: “We kind of ran out of some steam it seemed like here at the end, so it’s just mentally having that preparation knowing we’re going all the way to the end of October, into November if needed. It’s such a mental grind through the whole year that that’s where it really affects you more. We learned a lot of what it means being in this many meaningful ballgames, how much of a toll it takes on you throughout the course of the year.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com