Juan Soto's heroics are another reminder Jed Hoyer's Cubs' approach is wrong

There have been multiple occasions during the 2024 Major League Baseball postseason where Jed Hoyer's approach to constructing the Chicago Cubs' roster has proven to be wrong.

One of the first examples of that was Pete Alonso's three-run home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of the National League Wild Card series. The latest example was Juan Soto's heroics in Game 5 of the American League Championship series between the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians.

Soto stepped to the plate in the 10th inning of a game tied at 2 with 2 runners on, the rest as they say, is history.

Juan Soto's home run proves the risk of aggressive moves are worth it.

There is a sense of irony that it was Soto who provided the heroics. Irony in the sense that the Cubs had the prospect capital to acquire Soto from the San Diego Padres last offseason but weren't willing to top the Yankees' offer. A Yankees' team, which at the time, was in a similar spot of contention with their fanbase that the Cubs have been in over the past year.

When it comes to players like Soto, the reward almost always outweigh the risk.

It's a fitting reminder as the Cubs enter an offseason where it seems that the front office may be more inclined to open runways for their top positional prospects as opposed to being aggressive and targeting a player like Soto. Hoyer and the Cubs' front office better be right. The sting of Owen Caissie striking out in September as the Cubs' 2025 season ends with no postseason would hit differently than a player like Soto not coming through in a postseason series. But, as Soto proved on Saturday night, the odds are often on the side of the player with premium talent.