Cubs’ playoff collapse met with a classic Jed Hoyer deflection

These annual end-of-season pressers from Jed Hoyer rarely, if ever, offer anything truly insightful. The Chicago Cubs' president of baseball operations has been at this long enough, he knows how to answer questions eloquently without saying much of substance - and, on the heels of the team's disappointing NLDS loss to the rival Milwaukee Brewers - that was once again the case on Wednesday.

"We won 92 games in pretty convincing fashion. We were fifth in baseball in runs scored and seventh in runs allowed. I think if we can continue to do that, we'll be in a good shape to move forward ... Like I said, the margins are really close in the postseason and we just have to continue to strengthen our roster in different areas to withstand that."

Jed Hoyer's comments fall flat given the Cubs' playoff failures

Sure, the Cubs won 92 games. But this is a club that went 57-39 leading up to the All-Star break, only to limp their way to the playoffs, watching the Brewers claim the NL Central crown once again with a 35-31 mark in the second half. The offense, which looked like a juggernaut early in the year, fell flat down the stretch with its two biggest stars, Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong, both struggling.

"That's the biggest takeaway for me. For the marathon part of the season, I thought we were a really good team in a really good position. Obviously, there at the end, with some injuries and just the nature of the series we played, I think there was probably some depth we could have used on the pitching staff and that's an area we'll always continue to try and focus on."

Oh, the depth the Cubs needed? They needed that in July, when the team's 'big' trade deadline acquisition was veteran Michael Soroka, who'd shown a noted drop in velocity in the weeks leading up to the deal and immediately hit the shelf, leaving his first start with Chicago after just two innings. Hoyer made no other pitching additions in July - and the Cubs' lack of quality depth, especially after losing Cade Horton late in the year, was laid bare in October.

With Tucker headed for free agency and the Cubs viewed as long-shots to retain him given ownership's recent spending habits and the front office's risk-averse mindset, Hoyer is tasked with restocking a team that punched its ticket to the playoffs, only to run out of gas when it mattered most. He'll have to do more than give his usual talking points this winter - because this is a team with clear needs heading into the winter.