All Good Things Come To An End
By: Anthony Shiffra
Tags: Chicago Cubs, Trade Deadline, Baseball, MLB, Cubs

All Good Things Come To An End

Sitting here on July 6th, the Cubs have lost 10 straight games dropping below .500, and are 8.5 games back of the first place Brewers (who they are 3–9 against). Despite a terrific May that had many fans believing, this team has been flawed since they showed up in Mesa. The lack of offense we have seen in recent years has continued, and the rotation has taken a significant step back, with Kyle Hendricks and Adbert Alzolay being the only two starters you feel even remotely good about going into a start. The Jake Arrieta reunion started well, but has been nothing short of disaster. Two 2020 Cubs the team decided to move on from will be in Denver for the 2021 All Star Game- Yu Darvish and Kyle Schwarber. Choosing to move on from those two, should be widely criticized. With the trade deadline right around the corner- it’s time to face the facts, this team is not a good baseball team, and nothing Jed Hoyer could add in July would catapult them towards that goal. His best path forward is to trade current assets like Craig Kimbrel, Ryan Tepera, Dan Winkler, Andrew Chafin, Joc Pederson, and Zach Davies for whatever return he can receive. Those guys were never going to be a part of the next great Cubs team, so maximize their value. After that we move onto the big three core guys- Rizzo, Bryant, and Baez, and what to do with them. Both Rizzo and Baez have struggled for much of the season, while Bryant has mostly regained his MVP form. Bryant would command the most return, but is there a scenario where Hoyer would rather extend KB than move him? Would a trade end any hope of a reunion? I would suspect Bryant is in the final weeks of his Cubs tenure, and Baez may be getting closer to that as well. Both of those guys are Cubs legends, and should be remembered forever for their positive impact, both on and off the diamond forever. I still find it hard to believe Rizzo is traded, and or let walk in free agency. He is the face of the franchise, and is the type of leader who can help guide the next great Cubs core. But even him returning is far from a sure thing. This team is broken, and running out the same core next year is no longer an option. Change is coming, and as Cubs fans, we must accept that this era of Cubs baseball is coming to a close.

While accepting that, it is important to remember the good times, the postseason births in 15, 16, 17, 18, and 20. The three NLCS trips, and most importantly the 2016 team that broke the curse, and will be remembered forever. So many Cubs legends- Epstein, Maddon, Rizzo, Lester, Bryant, Arrieta, Zobrist, Ross, Fowler, Hendricks, Contreras, Baez, Schwarber, etc were born during this ERA. This was the most exciting time of my life, when losing no longer felt inevitable, and became frustrating. When “we are good” became a reality, and the plan was working before our eyes. Joe Maddon’s quotes became real advice I would use in my everyday life. I’ll always remember the joyous moments, the happy tears I cried at Wrigley Field during this magical run. The incredible moments I had a chance to witness, and the elation and optimism every year during the annual Cubs Convention. The moments I got to share with my wife at Wrigley, and on our annual trips with the Cubs to Boston, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, St. Louis, New York, and Seattle are special memories we will never forget. This team gave me the chance to share that with her. While the era is coming to an end, and not the end any of us had hope for, it is important to appreciate, and be grateful for this time. I will always remember these past seven seasons of Cubs baseball, the time when watching my favorite sport and my favorite team brought more smiles than frowns, the time when I could soak in the sun at Wrigley Field expecting to pull my W Flag from my backpack later that night. All things come to an end, and in sports the end is rarely pretty, but this was a magical run, and while I, like many others are frustrated, I am not crying because it’s over, I am smiling because it happened. I will never forget this group of Cubs, and they cemented my love of baseball, forever. Wherever Jed Hoyer decides to go from here, thank you to this group of Cubs, from the bottom of my heart. #CubTogether