Cubs finally passed a pathetic milestone in Jed Hoyer's sixth season at the helm

When the Chicago Cubs beat the Tampa Bay Rays on Sept. 12, they did something they haven't for the first time since 2019: They won more than 83 games in a season.

Yes, in this current decade, the North Siders had never surpassed 83 wins, a mark they had reached twice since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season (2023, 2024).

Most Cubs fans also remember 2020 as the first season in which Jed Hoyer took over for Theo Epstein as the top dog in the front office. Though the Cubs won the NL Central in that pandemic-shortened campaign with a .567 winning percentage, they only won 34 games in a 60-game season.

After some lean rebuilding years in 2021 and 2022, the Cubs were semi-competitive in the seasons that followed, barely eclipsing a .500 record while finishing outside the postseason picture.

Now, at long last, Hoyer has put together a legitimate playoff contender. Though they'll likely fall short of the Milwaukee Brewers in the race for the division crown, the Cubs currently have the fourth-best record in baseball.

Chicago Cubs on pace for 92 wins for first time since 2018

In fairness to Hoyer, the Cubs weren't expected to be all that competitive in his first few seasons at the helm. Epstein left prior to the conclusion of his contract precisely because of the long-term ramifications of the trades Hoyer had to make at the 2021 trade deadline, putting the former general manager in a difficult spot right out of the gates.

Still, it's tough to say Hoyer's tenure has been anything but ugly. From 2015-19, the Cubs won an average of 94.2 games per season. From 2021-24, the team won an average of just 77.75 contests.

• 2021: 71-91
• 2022: 74-88
• 2023: 83-79
• 2024: 83-79
• 2025: 86-64

The Cubs' current record this season comes out to a .573 winning percentage, which would be good for 92 to 93 wins over a full campaign. If the Cubs can get there, it would be the first time since 2018 (95-68) that they've eclipsed 90 wins in a single season.

Obviously, it's a bit premature to celebrate anything. The 84-win mark is hardly a threshold worth popping champagne over, and the expectations for this team have been set a lot higher than some arbitrary regular season number.

Nevertheless, it's reassuring to see this edition of the Cubs blow past Hoyer's previous ceiling with so much time left in the season. There may still be time yet for public perception to change on Chicago's president of baseball operations.