Chicago Cubs: The offseason has finally caught up to this team

It seems as if all of the Chicago Cubs “budget-friendly” offseason moves have resulted in a worst-case scenario. With these moves finally exposed, the pressure is on the front office with the trade deadline looming

Harping on the lack of big offseason moves is like beating a dead horse, but as the Chicago Cubs are in the most crucial stretch of the year, the failed experiments they did sign continue to bite the team from behind.

I believe the offense has been just as exposed as the bullpen. And it all centers around the lack of depth this team has. The core of this team will always help the Cubs stay competitive, but for this team to take the next step, Theo Epstein and his guys need to do some damage control.

When you look at the list of offseason acquisitions, it is so disheartening to realize that not a single addition has panned out. Here is a list of the winter signings and along with their contributions so far (proceed with caution):

Daniel Descalso: .181 batting average with a -1.1 WAR

Tony Barnette: 1 1/3 innings through two appearances

Xavier Cedeno: Two innings through five appearances

Brad Brach: 6.00 ERA

Nothing short of terrible, and it makes things worse when you add this list of disappointments to a group that includes a dysfunctional Pedro Strop, absent Ben Zobrist, and absent-minded Addison Russell. It’s so easy to blame Joe Maddon, heading into the season already with an undeserved target on his back, but when you’re a creative master-mind and have this as your depth, success will come at a premium.

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Hearing the stat that the Cubs have led in EVERY GAME since the All-Star break, only to come out with a record of 9-6, is tough to stomach. That’s why Epstein and Jed Hoyer have one of the biggest weeks of their careers ahead of them.

All eyes shift to the front office when a team is built to contend. Seemingly every move made to “bolster” the group is doing the opposite.

After a painful series in Milwaukee that ended on a high note, Cubs fans should do their best to stay positive. The front office is hard at work, and we’ve already started to see some good things happen to this roster.

Ian Happ joining the team, Descalso heading to the IL, Russell going to Iowa, along with the minor addition of Derek Holland, shows us that little by little this roster is going to shape out how it needs to. Adding word of a potential Zobrist return doesn’t hurt either.

With the ongoing debate on whether the Cubs need help in the bullpen or on offense, the answer is clear. Both. Giving this group a bat that can hit lefties, along with a stronghold in the bullpen, will help shore things up on this roster, and should ultimately help this team perform consistently at a high level.

Epstein is always one to downplay anything that might happen at the deadline, telling us not to expect anything big. We know he and Hoyer are working to do just that, but with a market that is seemingly very expensive this year, it’s never good to get any hopes up.

Sure, some of the previous moves have not panned out and raised many eyebrows, but it’s never too late to right the ship and make a season-saving trade. Use these failures as lessons and put the past in the past.

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Although it seems like the season is a crap-shoot at times, the Cubs still are in the thick of the playoff race, and have an opportunity to win the division and make a playoff run if they can clean up the roster by the trade deadline. Appreciate this era of Cubs baseball, and put trust in the group that has given us four straight post-season appearances.

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