Cubs' scapegoat for 2026 failures will deflect blame from Craig Counsell and Jed Hoyer

Chicago Cubs fans hoping that Craig Counsell or Jed Hoyer will are the respective fall guys for the team's disappointing 2026 season will need to reset their expectations. Hoyer was just extended last summer, and Counsell isn't to blame for what has gone wrong for the Cubs this season.

As an organization, it seems that there is change needed for the Cubs. Sure, the Cubs reached the NLDS in 2025 but ultimately lost to the Milwaukee Brewers. While injuries certainly haven't helped matters for the Cubs this season, the Brewers are once again proving to be the class of the National League Central.

Even if the Cubs do find their back to the playoffs this season, it's become clear that this team isn't a true World Series contender. But it begs question, if Hoyer and Counsell are safe, who would be the scapegoat for the 2026 season?

Carter Hawkins' time with the Cubs should come to an end

If the Cubs' skuffle continues during the season, it feels inevitable that there will be a change with the hitting coaches. It's hard to put all the blame on Dustin Kelly and Co., but the Cubs would eventually need to make a change for the mere purpose of getting a different voice in the room.

But using that same philosophy should be what opens the door to a larger change for the Cubs this offseason. As was the case when Hoyer was under Theo Epstein, it's hard to tell where Hoyer's ideas end, and where Carter Hawkins' ideas begin. Having said that, it's been long enough to suggest that Hoyer and Hawkins have pretty similar mindsets. The idea that the team may prefer smaller moves that have a higher return on investment.

Where that becomes problematic is that when the team does strike big, they can't miss. In other words, the Cubs can't have what is currently happening with Alex Bregman, Edward Cabrera, Phil Maton, and Dansby Swanson.

While those moves would be reason for the Cubs to move on Hoyer, he's not going to fire himself. In other words, the easiest path forward for the Cubs would be to move on from Hawkins this offseason. Out of respect, they don't have to phrase it as a firing. If Hoyer and the Cubs wanted to do Hawkins a solid, they can frame as a mutual parting of aways that allows Hawkins to seek a job where he is the top baseball voice in an organization.

Hawkins leaving the Cubs' organization may be the only path that allows for the Cubs to change how they think. Because what's become clear is that their current strategy is not going to work as a path to sustained success.

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