Chicago Cubs: It was a good run, but it’s time for the Cubs to scrap it and start over

It was a glorious and historic run for the Chicago Cubs, but the clock has struck midnight for this Cinderella team. Time to give it up and retool.

After winning the World Series for the first time in 108 years last season, the Chicago Cubs have spent the first part of the 2017 season hovering around .500. They’ve been swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates and have lost two games to the Milwaukee Brewers already this year. You cannot sink any lower than that.

The Cubs’ play thus far has been so atrocious to this point, it’s rather repulsing. Like wearing week-old, dirty underwear and a stained, intramural volleyball t-shirt to a job interview.

Tear it down and build it back up again

The organization can’t run from the truth. It’s over. This Chicago Cubs squad just isn’t going to cut it anymore. Anthony Rizzo? Washed up. Kris Bryant? Bust. The same applies to everyone else on this Cubs team. Trade them now while they still have an inkling of value. Who knows, maybe the Cubs could score some Powerade or some new locker room towels. Jon Lester has to be worth at least a bucket of gum. Maybe not Big League Chew-quality gum, but I’m sure Juicy Fruit would suffice.

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Is it time to hit the panic-mode button? The Cubs are way beyond that. Find a new team until Chicago gets things figured out. Like Rose in the ‘Titanic’ movie, you should hop off this sinking ship and save yourself.

Simply put, the Cubs look like they’re wandering aimlessly through each game. They’ve been playing sloppier than the school chili we all had in sixth grade.

The bottom-feeder Cubs are back

One thing has become abundantly clear: The Cincinnati Reds are going to run away with the NL Central. “Well, the Cubs could still make the NL Wild Card game,” you say? No, because the Brewers are very clearly going to finish in second place, followed by the Pirates in third place.

The Cubs are back to being a perpetual last-place team. The kids just don’t have what it takes. The way they’ve been playing, it’s hard to imagine the Cubs keeping anyone on their current roster. Those who aren’t traded should be sent down to Triple-A. Albert Almora? He’s not bad, but he’ll never have the defensive prowess of Alfonso Soriano, the undisputed greatest player in Cubs history.

Let’s face it, Kris Bryant is not who he once was. Sure, he’s a two-time All-Star, NL Rookie of the Year, NL MVP and World Series champion all in his first two years, but it’s pretty obvious it was just a fluke. We all get lucky sometimes.

Who cares that Anthony Rizzo is a three-time All-Star with a Gold Glove award and a World Series ring? At 27 years of age, how much could he possibly have left in the tank? The bloom is off the rose. Time to move on.

Kyle Hendricks is 1-1 with a 5.73 ERA in his first two games. Never mind that he led all of baseball with a 2.13 ERA last season. That party is over.

Time to face reality

This season is a wash. If the Cubs really want to get back to the World Series, they need to start tanking and trading for prospects. The Cubs are currently on pace to go 81-81. And that looks like the best-case scenario at this point.

It’s hard to see them improving in the near future, too. The Cubs should start duplicating the Reds’ process. After all, they are in first place. If they scrap it and start over, then maybe they can be ready to squeak back into the playoffs by the year 2030.

Next: Anthony Rizzo tells his story

Or we could all just calm down and remember it’s early in the season. This is by and large the same team that won the World Series last season. And one could argue that they’re actually set up better defensively this time around. To quote Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers, “R-E-L-A-X.” It’s not even close to being panic time.