The Chicago Cubs have declared themselves “all in” when it comes to making the playoffs for the first time since the abbreviated 2020 season.
There’s even been a mantra of sorts that’s been passed around by a few of the team’s ‘higher ups’ this early spring training, in reference to the acquisition of free agent-eligible stars Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly. It goes something like this: “You don’t trade for high-end talent in the last year of their contract if you’re not serious about winning now.”
There’s some double-talk in that mantra, though. It could easily be countered with a: “Yeah, but you also don’t whiff on two major free agent deals over deferred money or pass on a handful of other top free agents if you’re serious about winning now.”
Chicago Cubs Pressure To Win
Bargain hunting and calculated half-measures have become Cubs standard operating procedure at this point. It would’ve been an extreme shock to see Chicago “all in” in this “all in” postseason push of theirs.
That doesn’t mean, however, that there isn’t some real pressure on the team, its ownership, and its front office.
The Cubs DID make a lot of moves this offseason and, because of that, they are expected to win in a NL Central division that has, comparatively, done relatively little.
Second-Most Under-Pressure Franchise?
Jayson Stark of The Athletic recently compiled a piece about that pressure, culled from the collective opinions of “32 baseball executives, former executives, coaches and scouts” who took part in The Athletic’s annual spring training preview survey.
The results showed that only the Toronto Blue Jays were believed to be under more pressure to win this season than the Cubs.
Per Starks:
“Their curse-busting World Series was (gasp) nine years ago. Their last postseason win was (what?) eight years ago. And the Cubs are now entering their fifth season since Theo Epstein headed off to figure out the inner secrets of the pitch clock. So one voter said this as clearly as it can be said: ‘The Cubs have to win.’
You should know that our voters like this roster. It feels as though Hoyer, the club’s president of baseball operations, has pushed many of the right buttons. And there’s a reason Counsell is the highest-paid manager in the game. But when you’re the one team spending big money in the NL Central Thrift Shop, you need something tangible to show for it. Will this be their time?
‘The Cubs,’ said one rival exec, ‘feel like they’re under heavy pressure.’”
Hoyer, Ricketts Feel The Heat
Jed Hoyer, the Cubs’ president of baseball operations, has to be feeling the most pressure this offseason, as he’s in the last year of his contract with the team and is facing an uncertain future after 2025.
The veteran executive has played a big part in rebuilding the Cubs farm system and also played a major role, under Theo Epstein, in assembling the team that broke Chicago’s 108-year World Series drought in 2016. As the top man in the organization, though, he has yet to see a team of his make the playoffs.
For what it’s worth, Hoyer insists that none of his moves this offseason have anything to do with his contract status.
“It’s not going to change any decisions we make,” Hoyer told the Chicago Sun-Times. “That’s what people always ask. ‘You’re in the last year, are you guys going to do things differently?’ It’s like, of course not. That’s not my job.
“This is about the fans. This is about Chicago. This is about the Cubs. These things are so much bigger than me. I’m not going to make decisions that impact a city or a fan base based on my self interest.”
The internal pressure to win has to be felt across the board.
The owners, the Ricketts, especially, would like to make a playoff run for the sake of their pay-walled Marquee Network and the future of keeping Wrigley Field (and Wrigleyville) full and thriving for years to come.
The question is whether the Cubs did enough to get to where they claim they want to be.
Chicago Cubs officially sign two time all star infielder
Read MoreFor More Great Chicago Sports Content
Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE
