Well, the Cubs' 83-79 finish was frustrating but not unexpected, considering that they largely put the 83-79 lineup from 2023 back on the field. Craig Counsell, brought on board to squeeze a few more wins out of that roster, didn't. But, two new additions to that roster were bright spots:
Shota Imanaga: 15-3, 2.91 ERA, 174/28 K/BB, 173.1 IP, and
Michael Busch: 21 HR and a .775 OPS in 152 games.
But ... obviously, that wasn't enough. Despite a strong start – the North Siders were in first place on May 8 – they had dropped to last place by June 14, largely due to the bullpen.
"Heart Attack" Hector Neris blew five saves by June 17. Jose Cuas was an absolute disaster. By June 25, the bullpen's collective ERA was 4.55, third-worst in the NL. (By comparison, Cubs starters' 3.59 ERA was 4th best in the NL.) Injuries to Adbert Alzolay and Julian Merryweather didn't help, and by July 3rd, the last place Cubs were 13 games out of first.
Isaac Paredes, acquired from Tampa in a trade for fan favorite Chris Morel, really struggled (.633 OPS, 82 OPS+). Cody Bellinger's OPS dropped 70 points from 2023. Mark Leiter's performance also fell off. Lackluster offensive production from the catcher position continued. And inexplicably, Miles Mastrobuoni and his .470 OPS and 35 OPS+ (!) continued to get at-bats throughout the season.
It took the front office far too long to right the ship, but, by August, Cuas (7.43 ERA), Richard Lovelady (7.94), Colten Brewer (5.66), Nick Madrigal (54 OPS+), Yan Gomes (18 OPS+), Leiter, and Neris were gone. The Cubs went 18-8 in August, climbing to 2nd place, but the damage was done. They went 13-13 in September, finished ten games back of the Brewers, and didn't make the playoffs.
As of this writing, the 2025 Cubs have added outfielder Kyle Tucker, catcher Carson Kelly, and reliever Eli Morgan while losing Cody Bellinger, Patrick Wisdom, Hayden Wesneski, Mike Tauchman, and Kyle Hendricks. Promising rookie Matt Shaw has a clear path to the starting third base job. Seiya Suzuki, the Cubs' best hitter in 2024, continues to shine. But while Tucker and Morgan are definite upgrades, the North Siders still have a crowded outfield, question marks at SP4 and SP5, a lack of production at catcher, and a bullpen in flux.
Jed Hoyer's ongoing (and obviously ineffective) commitment to "intelligent
spending" has precluded them from going after top-tier free agents. The Cubs' refusal to seriously pursue top talent is understandably angering fans and even raising the eyebrows of prominent baseball journalists.
The Cubs should be under serious pressure from fans to put together a winner in 2025. Tucker will be a free agent at
season's end. They haven't made the playoffs since 2020 and haven't won a postseason game since 2017 – despite annual assurances from Tom Ricketts about "championship caliber baseball." Other big market teams like the Yankees and Dodgers don't rebuild, they retool. And they consistently win their divisions.
It's past time for Ricketts to put his (some would say OUR) money where his mouth is and put together a roster that can do the same in 2025.
Go Cubs go!
