Cubs left high and dry thanks to confluence of perfect storms

Chicago Cubs: What are the chances these guys are Cubs in September?

Sure, the Cubs might still be competitive in the NL Central in ’21 given the fact that it’s terrible right now, but they’re going nowhere fast even if they do miraculously make it to the postseason. Chances are, they’ll advertise the blue light specials come July and real contending teams willing to spend money and win ball games will no doubt be coming after Willson Contreras, Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, and maybe even Kyle Hendricks.

And, just so you know, the offers won’t be mind-blowing. If this offseason is any indicator, Jed Hoyer will probably be looking for more scratch-offs, salary relief, and maybe a few dozen Rawlings.

How did this come to pass? How could it be this bad? Well, you have heard of that somewhat famous ship called the Titanic, right? Even the biggest, coolest, and newest ship sometimes meets its match in an otherwise innocuous piece of frozen water just floating around in the middle of the ocean. Sometimes, bad luck rears its ugly head in the midst of some other bad decisions. Then again, it’s awfully hard to see what’s coming without the gift of foresight.

Take Schwarber, for instance. As much as it pains me to say it, the Cubs probably should have traded Schwarber after the 2016 World Series at the height of his potential trade value. Cubs fans might have led full-scale riots on Wrigley Field and Theo Epstein’s office, but from where we’re standing right now, it would have been the right move in hindsight and may have landed them a young arm for the rotation. What was the line from that Kenny Rogers’ song?