Arizona Diamondbacks manager evaluates Kyle Schwarber better than Chicago Cubs did

The Chicago Cubs missed on their final evaluation of Kyle Schwarber.

Yes, the sky is also blue in other statements that remain obvious in 2023 but it is the reason why the Cubs missed that highlights the mistake that the team's front office made last off-season and is hoping to avoid this off-season.

The Cubs non-tendered Schwarber after a pandemic-shortened 2020 season that saw the left-handed slugger compile a slash line of .188/.308/.393 with 11 home runs. The 2020 season is the only season of Schwarber's career where he registered a wRC+ lower than 100 in a season.

Schwarber, at the time, was one of the biggest left-handed power threats in all of Major League Baseball but for a Cubs team that, at the time, was preaching for a contact-oriented approach, the 2014 first-round pick was an easy first departure of the core that won the World Series in 2016.

Schwarber has 125 home runs in the three season since his exit from the Cubs. Even in a 2023 season where Schwarber had a slash line of .197/.343/.474 in 720 plate appearances, his power, 47 home runs, was a large factor in his wRC+ of 119 on the season.

Schwarber has the type of power that can alter a game and currently has five home runs thus far in the Phillies' post-season run. That was the trait that the Cubs overlooked as they decided to move on from the slugger and is one that Diamondbacks' manager Torey Lovullo recognizes.

Scwharber has been a thorn in the Diamondbacks' side during the National League Championship series and hopefully, the Cubs take note of this important fact: Power, at an elite level, can be a difference maker.

Perhaps, the Cubs are aware of their mistake and that is the reason why Pete Alonso is believed to be a priority target for the team this off-season.

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