Kyle Schwarber keeps shining while the rest of the 2016 Cubs fade into obscurity

It’s said that all good things must come to an end. Unfortunately, some endings come quicker than we’d like to see. This was the case for much of the core of the 2016 World Series-winning Chicago Cubs. However, while much of that core has faded into obscurity, one former Cub has kept shining brighter with each passing season.

Kyle Schwarber has played some of his best baseball since he departed the Cubs following the 2020 COVID-shortened season. Just last week, the Philadelphia Phillies slugger overcame an 0-for-20 slump by hitting four home runs in a game against the Atlanta Braves - just your casual 9-RBI slump buster.

This has been the trend with Schwarber, who has become a complete statistical anomoly in baseball. What do I mean? Take the 2022 season for example. Schwarber led the majors with 200 strikeouts while also leading the National League in home runs with 46.

But he isn’t a home run-or-bust hitter. Schwarber has averaged 106 walks per season over the last three seasons. He’s walked and homered so much that he’s often hit from the leadoff spot at different points in his career.

Schwarber has hit 212 of his career 333 home runs after leaving the Cubs. This season, he has already set new career highs with 49 home runs and 119 RBI, with 24 games still to be played. Schwarber has truly stood alone as the only member of the 2016 Cubs core to thrive after departing from Chicago.

While Schwarber was the first major piece of that 2016 World Series team to leave, the dominoes really fell the following season in 2021. This is when the Cubs traded off Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, and Javier Baez in a two-day span. This really left Cubs fans reeling, but time would tell that parting with these three legends was the right move.

The Cubs traded Rizzo, Bryant, and Baez at the right time

Anthony Rizzo had one productive season in 2022 with the New York Yankees, hitting 32 homers and driving in 75 runs. After that, Rizzo played in a combined 191 games over the next two seasons, hitting just 20 total home runs. After the 2024 season, the Yankees declined Rizzo’s $17 million option for the 2025 season and paid a $6 million buyout. Rizzo has not played a game since.

After a half-season with the San Francisco Giants in 2021, Kris Bryant signed a massive seven-year, $182 million contract with the Colorado Rockies. We are now nearly four full seasons into that contract, and Bryant has played a total of 170 games, which is just over the equivalent of one full season. Bryant has just 17 home runs in the time he has been on the field. Injuries have destroyed Bryant’s post-Cubs career.

Speaking of massive contracts, Javier Baez got his own payday with the Detroit Tigers before the 2022 season, signing a six-year, $140 million deal. His performance has been underwhelming at best, up until a small resurgence this season. Javy is hitting .261 in 2025, which is higher than any batting average he has finished a season with in Detroit. He has just 11 home runs and his OPS sits at .692, which would be a four-year high if the season ended today.

While much of the Cubs legendary 2016 core has struggled due to injury or regression, the bright spot has been Kyle Schwarber. Yes, all good things must come to an end. However, nobody seems to have told Kyle Schwarber that. As for Cubs fans, we love to see his success, even if it’s in a different uniform. That’s the “code” of sorts when you help end a 108-year World Series drought - once a Cub, always a Cub.