Jed Hoyer just backtracked on a problem he blamed last offseason

In his end-of-season press conference last fall, Jed Hoyer directly attributed the Chicago Cubs' offensive struggles on the conditions at Wrigley Field. This time around, though, he did a complete-180, changing his tune in dramatic fashio.

“The idea that Wrigley Field is a hitter’s nightmare — the idea that free agents aren’t going to come here is… I can’t imagine a better place to play. That’s something I reject outright.”

OK, let's be clear. Wrigley Field is a tremendous place to play. Just ask anybody who experienced the incredible environment during last week's NLDS Game 4 against Milwaukee that had everyone from Craig Counsell to players and fans in awe of the atmosphere. That can be true - and it can be a tough place for hitters to put up big numbers.

Cubs' Wrigley Field was, once again, unkind to hitters this year

According to Baseball Savant's Park Factor metric, only the Seattle Mariners' T-Mobile Park was less accomodating to hitters than Wrigley Field. Its park factor rating was the same as in 2024 (97) - when Hoyer was quick to blame those conditions for his team underperforming at the plate. One player who can undoubtedly speak firsthand to those conditions is former Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger who, after getting traded to the Yankees last winter, turned in a monster year playing in the Bronx.

In 2023, en route to NL Comeback Player of the Year honors, Bellinger put up big numbers at Wrigley, which rated solidly above-average in terms of park factor that year (101). But in 2024, he took a step back - and he really struggled at home, with a nearly 100-point swing in his home/road OPS and a sub-.400 slugging percentage.

Playing half of his games at Yankee Stadium this season, Bellinger erupted for a 125 OPS+ with 29 home runs and 98 RBI - both high-water marks dating back to his 2019 MVP season with the Dodgers. All this to say: weather conditions definitely impact players' production - and, for the last two years, that's been to the detriment of hitters.

I wouldn't say that how Wrigley has played the last two years will stop players from coming here, especially on long-term deals. But if you're a player looking for a bounceback performance on a one or two-year deal, then where you play and how your numbers will be impacted is absolutely a factor in that decision. And, unfortunately, it's those types of free agents the Cubs' front office loves to target as opposed to high-dollar, star-caliber players.