Cubs Place in History

With another quick playoff exit on the precipice of drastic team changes it could be all she wrote for the core of the World Series winning team Theo Epstein put together. With such a young team capturing the 2016 World Series after making it to the NLCS the year before fans had visions of multiple championships, but it didn’t come to fruition. Is this team’s place in history a disappointment?

Chicago fans endured a long rebuild as Theo Epstein came aboard in the fall of 2011 and tore it down to the studs. The Cubs lost 101 games in 2012, 96 games in 2013 and 87 games in 2014. In 2015 things began to change. Jon Lester and David Ross was signed, Miguel Montero was traded for and rookies Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Addison Russell joined the squad. The team won 97 games, third in the NL Central but made it all the way to NLCS before being swept by the New York Mets. The future was bright. Chicago won the World Series in 2016 but couldn’t repeat. They got to the NLCS against the Dodgers and lost 4-1 in 2017. While it was disappointing, with this core all fans believed Epstein would have the Cubs on the door step with Joe Maddon managing the team. However, in 2018 Chicago didn’t make the playoffs. In 2019 they choked lead in division and had to play the dreaded game 163 with the Brewers. The Cubs lost and then lost the Wild Card despite having one of the best records.

Reports came out of locker room issues. Maddon was a lame duck going in to the 2019 season but no major changes were made to the team and the rough finish was the final nail in the coffin. The team couldn’t score in the playoffs and Maddon was let go despite the strong regular season. For 2020 David Ross was brought back to manage and the Cubs finished as the third team in the NL only to get swept out by the Marlins.

The Cubs had three strong seasons from 2015-2017 with a World Series win but quickly fell off despite a strong young core on offense. Epstein’s inability to develop pitching depleted the farm system and Chicago never seemed able to replenish it like they did leading to that strong three year stretch. The trade for Jose Quintana was a big job start to the rival White Sox rebuild and big money spent on Yu Darvish and Jason Heyward locked up payroll. Now Chicago is facing some big decisions after another disappointing playoff exit.

Despite breaking the Billy Goat curse and breaking through after 100 plus years is this team a disappointment? My dad has been a lifelong Cubs fan and never thought he’d see a World Series and most fans feel the same way. However, with such a young core it’s safe to say most were expecting more than three years of being close.

Since 2010 the San Francisco Giants have won three times and Boston Red Sox have won twice. The Astros and Royals split a pair of appearances and the Rangers and Dodgers have lost two trips. Gone are the days of a modern dynasty and sustained success is even more difficult to maintain. There are five years between Red Sox titles with two different managers, only the Giants managed to pull of that miraculous three in five years. Other teams have gotten to multiples but fallen short so at least the Cubs got one, but who would have thought the window would have been so soon. Will the Dodgers break through? Is Houston’s window closing?

In the historical perspective this Cubs core broke the curse and sandwiched that with two trips to the NLCS. It is possible for a title winner to exist in the friendly confines. That historic title carries a lot of weight so maybe it’s not a disappointment but another ‘What if…?’ for Cubs fans. The title window opened and shut quickly and who knows when it will open again.