2009 Chicago Cubs carry a disheartening historical significance

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(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

A mostly forgettable season for the Chicago Cubs spelled the beginning of the end for many things

After the Chicago Cubs won 97 games and getting swept in the NLDS in 2008, the team returned the following year looking to avenge the historically awful postseason performance that killed their dreams of a World Series. Instead of going to the postseason for the third-straight year like many predicted, the 2009 Cubs ended up going 83-78 and missing the playoffs.

The offense took a massive dip in productivity (855 runs in ’08 vs. 707 in ’09), and they lost a lot of aggravatingly close games. The starting pitching was still excellent, but the back end of the bullpen struggled, and they blew several games late as well. Few big positives included Derrek Lee having his best year since 2005 and Ted Lilly being the lone All-Star for the squad.

Yet there is so much more to the story than meets the eye. 2009 was the last season for a while; the team would at least be competitive. They were not good, but they were just above .500, so about a step or two above mediocre. What happened before, during, and after this season steered the direction of the team in the coming years.

Jim Hendry (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images) /

Chicago Cubs: Moves made before 2009 helped set the table for the downfall of the Hendry era

The Cubs in the late-2000s were in full “win now” mode under former GM Jim Hendry. While still having the core of Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano, Geovany Soto, Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster going into 2009, Hendry decided to make some bold changes.

Most significant moves were trading away Mark DeRosa and Kerry Wood to the Indians while signing controversial outfielder Milton Bradley and traded with the Marlins to get Kevin Gregg. DeRosa was a big part of the lineup, and Wood had transformed himself into an All-Star closer. Bradley’s one year with the Cubs in 2009 was a disaster, and Gregg struggled mightily as the closer. Was the failure of the 2009 team all on these moves? No, but they were a big factor.

As mentioned earlier, 2009 was the last year they were competitive for a while. The final years Hendry served as GM in 2010 and 2011 resulted in losing records while having an enormous payroll and little on the farm. 2009 showed that the team that won back-to-back division titles in 2007 and 2008 was starting to decline. “Major” changes he made in his final few years mainly included trading away some veterans for very little and patch-working some of the holes on the MLB roster.

I think it is fair to say Hendry really cared and tried hard to win. He was pressured by the Chicago Tribune to spend a lot to increase franchise value. In the final few years, he was stuck with an old expensive car that could not run well, and he had little he could use to fix it. 2009 was that turning point from competing to being stuck with a mess.

Chicago Cubs: An era came to an end after the 2009 season concluded

From 1981 through 2009, the Cubs were owned by the Chicago Tribune company. It was announced during the 2009 season that the Tribune would be selling the team to the Ricketts family, a process that took longer than hoped. The original intention was to sell the team after the 2007 season, but the economic troubles that came in 2008 put a small damper on that plan.

On October 27, 2009, the Ricketts officially became the majority owners of the Cubs, Wrigley Field, and CSN. When the Tribune bought the Cubs in 1981, the goal was to get the franchise back to winning after decades of futility. While coming close a few times, the Cubs did not understand that elusive World Series under the Tribune, and 2009 was a fitting end to their ownership. A brief flash of hope, but nothing doing.

Under the Tribune, the Cubs won five division titles, went to the postseason six times, had 11 winnings seasons (above .500) and no pennants or World Series. The last Cub to bat under Tribune ownership was Geovany Soto, who struck out to end the season on October 4, 2009.

Derrek Lee (Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images) /

Chicago Cubs: Fans were treated to an outstanding year by the longtime hero

Derrek Lee played his final game as a Chicago Cub in 2010 before being traded away to the Atlanta Braves for a bucket of balls and expired Subway coupons. Lee struggled in 2010, and the team was never competing, but in 2009 he put on one last big show for Cubs fans. This felt like his last hurrah.

Lee’s 2009 season was incredibly underrated, and he put up a season that was on-par with some of Anthony Rizzo’s best seasons. His 35 homers in 2009 were the second-best by a Cubs first baseman in decades (Lee’s 46 in 2005 was the best). He hit .306/.393/.579 with a 150 wRC+, .972 OPS and 5.2 fWAR. Outside of 2005, this was a career year for Lee and his last full one as a Chicago Cub.

For a guy who gave so much, it was sad that 2009 ended up being the last year we would see of his prime. He would be out of the big leagues after 2011. In addition to Lee, Lou Piniella, Ryan Theriot and Ted Lilly would see 2009 be their final full-seasons as Cubs before being traded away or retiring during the 2010 season.

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There are some other fun things to note about 2009. It ended up being the year that the Cubs brought in 18-year old Willson Contreras to the organization. We saw how that turned out. It also saw the Cubs defeating the Cleveland Indians at Wrigley Field on June 19 by a final score of 8-7 in 10 innings.

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