Sometimes, things just come to an end.
For the Cubs’ core that helped transform the franchise from the 101-loss team in 2012 to ultimately winning a World Series in 2016 and becoming one of MLB’s powerhouses, their end has come rather abruptly.
Following Friday’s elimination in the NL wild-card round by the Miami Marlins, the same core were reflective, mature and gave thoughtful answers, showing that the kids that came into the Cubs clubhouse over the last eight years had grown up.
But they also sounded as if they knew things might never be the same.
They’re correct, because it won’t.
“I’ve never been in another [organization], but I feel like everybody that comes through here, they don’t want to leave,” shortstop Javy Baez said. “Just the way they handle it. The way that the front office handles this and the way they let us be us. ... I hope I never leave this city in my whole career, but you know, anything can happen...”
“Nobody knows their future. Nobody knows what’s gonna happen,” third baseman Kris Bryant said. “I don’t know my future, so I’m just really just being grateful for what I have right now in this moment.”
Baez, Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Willson Contreras and Kyle Schwarber were the Cubs’ homegrown core and were supplemented by free agents like Jon Lester and Jason Heyward. Inheriting Baez and Contreras and trading for Rizzo, each became a significant part of what the front office hoped would become a team of talented, homegrown position players. And that’s exactly what they got.
Those homegrown players have done pretty well with one NL MVP Award, one NL Rookie of the Year Award, four perennial All-Stars, one Gold Glove Award winner and five productive everyday players. Not to mention, a World Series title, three trips to the NL championship series and postseason appearances in five of the last six seasons.
Despite the accolades and accomplishments, the question that will always remain long after this era of Cubs baseball comes to a close – did the Cubs underachieve?
The simple answer is no. The Cubs’ core was able to accomplish in four years, something that hadn’t been done in over one hundred years.
The more complex answer is likely yes. The Cubs accomplished the goal of sustained success, but after winning it all and so many of their core players being so young, to come away with one World Series title almost feels like a letdown.
“Sometimes you get so close to a team and expectations get so high that you end up swimming in the natural frustrations and every group has that,” president Theo Epstein said last week. “But it’s important to take a step back and recognize what this group has accomplished and what they’ve meant to the franchise.
“We were trying to build something that could have sustained success and define that by becoming regular participants in October, every year or just about every year and this group of core players has gone out and made it to October five years out of six.”
With Baez, Bryant, Schwarber all set to hit free agency following the 2021 season and Rizzo having one more club option for next season, there will likely be some tough conversations this offseason on the direction of the franchise.
“I’m not worried about that stuff,” Rizzo said. “This life will take care of itself. Everything will take care of itself the way it’s supposed to.”
Almost eight years ago, there was a plan and that plan required this core to accomplish one goal and they did.
While it hasn’t finished the way anyone expected, sometimes things just end.
And that’s ok.
