3 Cubs players fans can’t keep making excuses for anymore

For better or worse, Jed Hoyer has built a Chicago Cubs roster that is littered with players with high floors. They may not have a true superstar play at the moment, but the expectation is that the Cubs won't bottom out as they have in previous years.

The Cubs have had stretches this season where they've looked like the best team in baseball, but between them, they've looked like a roster plagued with several questions. It doesn't help that injuries have erased the pitching depth assembled during the offseason, but that won't be used as an excuse if the Cubs don't live up to expectations this season.

Defending these players has become a chore for Cubs fans

In the simplest sense, the Cubs need the veterans on their roster to play up to their career averages. If they do, this should be a team capable of having an extended run in October. That being said, there are a few players who have become a burden to defend.

Dansby Swanson

Yes, because of his defense, Dansby Swanson is going to always have positive value for the Cubs. But Cubs fans may not have noticed that his defensive metrics have dipped quite a bit over the last two years. In Swanson's first year in Chicago, he had 20 outs above average. In 2024, he had 17. Swanson had just two last year, and only has two so far this season. He's still a good defender at shortstop, but the rest of the elite shortstops in the National League have caught up to him.

Complicating matters for Swanson is that his offensive metrics have dipped each season. This year, he's on pace for his worst offensive season since joining the Cubs. If each of those trends continue, using defense as a way to defend Swanson's role with the Cubs is going to become an outdated act.

Phil Maton

It's very easy to see why the Cubs identified Phil Maton as an early target during the offseason. His Baseball Savant page is dripping red for his 2025 season with the Texas Rangers, and he's been one of the most dependable high-leverage arms in any bullpen over the last few years.

All that is true, and it's also been true that his arrival in Chicago has been a massive disappointment. His early struggles could be talked away due to an injury, but now, that excuse is running thin. His 9.49 ERA is unacceptable. If he's pitching hurt, then he needs to go on the IL. He's not throwing competitive pitches for the Cubs, and as long as that is the case, there's no excuse for Craig Counsell to use him in any inning of consequence.

Edward Cabrera

The Cubs need more from Edward Cabrera. He's been a pitcher that the organization has been fascinated with for years, largely because of the belief they could transform him into a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher. That belief is still there for the Cubs, and Owen Caissie's struggles with the Miami Marlins should have the Cubs second-guessing the deal, but they need Cabrera to be better. He had an ERA of 4.06 through his first nine starts this season, but his swing-and-miss metrics have regressed.

Yes, trading for Cabrera made sense, considering he's under control through the 2028 season, but it was also a win-now move. That expectation hasn't exactly been met yet.

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