%20%20--%3E%0A%3Csvg%20version%3D%221.1%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20xmlns%3Axlink%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F1999%2Fxlink%22%20x%3D%220px%22%20y%3D%220px%22%0A%09%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201092.7%20200%22%20style%3D%22enable-background%3Anew%200%200%201092.7%20200%3B%22%20xml%3Aspace%3D%22preserve%22%3E%0A%3Cstyle%20type%3D%22text%2Fcss%22%3E%0A%09.st0%7Bfill%3A%23231F20%3B%7D%0A%09.st1%7Bfill%3A%23293576%3B%7D%0A%09.st2%7Bfill%3A%23C82C2D%3B%7D%0A%09.st3%7Bfill%3A%23FFFFFF%3B%7D%0A%3C%2Fstyle%3E%0A%3Cg%20id%3D%22Template%22%3E%0A%3C%2Fg%3E%0A%3Cg%20id%3D%22Layer_2%22%3E%0A%09%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22st3%22%20points%3D%2256.8%2C78.5%2073.1%2C78.5%2085.5%2C78.5%2085.5%2C36.3%2085.5%2C0%2068.8%2C0%2064.9%2C6.2%2063.3%2C8.7%2052%2C0%2025.5%2C0%2021.8%2C3.8%20%0A%09%092%2C23.8%202%2C176.2%2025%2C200%2061.5%2C200%2085.5%2C176.2%2085.5%2C121.5%2056.8%2C121.5%2056.8%2C176.2%2039.5%2C176.2%2039.5%2C32.4%2039.5%2C23.8%2056.8%2C23.8%2056.8%2C57.2%20%0A%09%09%09%22%2F%3E%0A%09%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22st3%22%20points%3D%22143.9%2C104.2%20143.9%2C48.1%20143.9%2C24.2%20152.1%2C24.2%20153.2%2C24.2%20153.2%2C0%20152.1%2C0%20106.8%2C0%2093.9%2C0%2093.9%2C24.2%20%0A%09%09106.7%2C24.2%20106.7%2C63.4%20106.7%2C116.9%20106.7%2C175.8%20130.4%2C200%20169.2%2C200%20183%2C184.8%20191.2%2C175.8%20191.2%2C146.2%20191.2%2C96.1%20191.2%2C24.2%20%0A%09%09201.4%2C24.2%20201.4%2C0%20163.7%2C0%20158.7%2C0%20158.7%2C24.2%20163.7%2C24.2%20169.2%2C24.2%20169.2%2C75.2%20169.2%2C127.8%20169.2%2C174.1%20169.2%2C175.8%20%0A%09%09143.9%2C175.8%20143.9%2C152.9%20%09%22%2F%3E%0A%09%3Cpath%20class%3D%22st3%22%20d%3D%22M220.3%2C168v8.3h-10.5V200h62.1h12.7l28.5-23.8v-66l-5.2-5.1l-7.8-7.6l7.8-7.8l2.5-2.5V60V25.7%0A%09%09c0%2C0.7-8.6-7.9-25.7-25.7h-43H230h-20.2v23.8h10.5v96.7V168z%20M257.5%2C23.8h22.2v60.5h-22.2V23.8z%20M257.5%2C110.3h22.2v50.2v15.8h-22.2%0A%09%09v-29.4V110.3z%22%2F%3E%0A%09%3Cpath%20class%3D%22st3%22%20d%3D%22M331.9%2C176.2h-10.5v6V200h42.8h21.4h10.5l1-0.9l27.4-22.9v-56.9v-9.1l-13-12.8l10.3-10.2V25.7%0A%09%09c0%2C0.7-8.6-7.9-25.7-25.7h-74.8v23.8h10.5V45V176.2z%20M391.4%2C176.2h-5.8h-16.5v-66h22.2v17.9V176.2z%20M369.2%2C23.8h22.2v60.5H376h-6.9%0A%09%09v-5.6V23.8z%22%2F%3E%0A%09%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22st3%22%20points%3D%22443.3%2C175.8%20433%2C175.8%20433%2C200%20463.5%2C200%20475%2C200%20489.5%2C200%20489.5%2C175.8%20480%2C175.8%20480%2C147.6%20%0A%09%09480%2C25.5%20489.5%2C25.5%20489.5%2C0%20433%2C0%20433%2C25.5%20443.3%2C25.5%20443.3%2C130.4%20%09%22%2F%3E%0A%09%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22st3%22%20points%3D%22505.6%2C175.8%20497.9%2C175.8%20497.9%2C200%20541.3%2C200%20552.9%2C200%20583.6%2C200%20595.1%2C187.7%20595.1%2C153.9%20%0A%09%09595.1%2C140.7%20566.9%2C140.7%20566.9%2C159.5%20566.9%2C175.8%20542.6%2C175.8%20542.6%2C160.5%20542.6%2C115.8%20556.6%2C115.8%20556.6%2C133%20580.1%2C133%20%0A%09%09580.1%2C67.7%20556.6%2C67.7%20556.6%2C85%20542.6%2C85%20542.6%2C25.5%20566.9%2C25.5%20566.9%2C60.8%20595.1%2C60.8%20595.1%2C0%20497.9%2C0%20497.9%2C25.5%20505.6%2C25.5%20%0A%09%09505.6%2C155.6%20%09%22%2F%3E%0A%09%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22st3%22%20points%3D%22682.8%2C73.5%20682.8%2C0%20669.5%2C0%20659%2C5.5%20652.7%2C0%20627.3%2C0%20603.5%2C24.2%20603.5%2C91.7%20628.1%2C116.2%20654.3%2C116.2%20%0A%09%09654.3%2C128.5%20654.3%2C176.2%20630.8%2C176.2%20630.8%2C140.6%20630.8%2C128.7%20604.5%2C128.7%20604.5%2C151%20604.5%2C200%20619.1%2C200%20625%2C200%20629.8%2C195.2%20%0A%09%09630.7%2C195.9%20637%2C200%20666.3%2C200%20687.5%2C176.2%20687.5%2C107.3%20687.5%2C106.8%20667%2C83%20635.5%2C83%20635.5%2C24.2%20656.8%2C24.2%20656.8%2C73.5%20%09%22%2F%3E%0A%09%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22st2%22%20points%3D%22774%2C78.5%20774.8%2C78.5%20786.4%2C78.5%20802.8%2C78.5%20802.8%2C0.7%20802.8%2C0%20786%2C0%20780.5%2C8.7%20769.3%2C0%20742.8%2C0%20%0A%09%09719.3%2C23.8%20719.3%2C83.3%20719.3%2C176.2%20739%2C196.6%20742.3%2C200%20778.8%2C200%20802.8%2C176.2%20802.8%2C167%20802.8%2C121.5%20786.4%2C121.5%20774.8%2C121.5%20%0A%09%09774%2C121.5%20774%2C176.2%20756.8%2C176.2%20756.8%2C50.3%20756.8%2C23.8%20774%2C23.8%20774%2C33.1%20%09%22%2F%3E%0A%09%3Cpath%20class%3D%22st2%22%20d%3D%22M821.4%2C176.2h-10.2V200h11.2h45.8v-23.8h-6.5h-3v-65h5.5h11.7v7.6v47.7v9.7l14.7%2C23.3l0.3%2C0.4h25.2v-19v-4.8%0A%09%09h-5.5V140v-25.6l-13.3-13.3l-0.2-0.2l2.2-1.5l11.3-7.8v-2.5V24.2L882.4%2C0h-18.2h-11.6h-41.5v24.2h10.2v132.1V176.2z%20M858.7%2C24.2%0A%09%09h5.5h12.5V87h-12.5h-5.5V24.2z%22%2F%3E%0A%09%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22st2%22%20points%3D%22934.8%2C166.2%20934.8%2C175.8%20924.5%2C175.8%20924.5%2C200%20981%2C200%20981%2C175.8%20971.5%2C175.8%20971.5%2C133.1%20%0A%09%09971.5%2C81.9%20971.5%2C25.5%20981%2C25.5%20981%2C9.1%20981%2C0%20942%2C0%20930.5%2C0%20924.5%2C0%20924.5%2C25.5%20930.5%2C25.5%20934.8%2C25.5%20934.8%2C119%20%09%22%2F%3E%0A%09%3Cpath%20class%3D%22st2%22%20d%3D%22M1089.9%2C87.2V25.7c0%2C0.6-6.4-5.8-19.3-19c-2-2.1-4.2-4.3-6.5-6.7h-31h-43.7v23.8h10.5v24.2v55.5v72.8h-10.5%0A%09%09V200h74.8l28.5-23.8v-66l-13-12.8L1089.9%2C87.2z%20M1059.4%2C176.2h-22.2v-66h22.2V176.2z%20M1059.4%2C84.2h-22.2V57.5V23.8h22.2V25V84.2z%22%0A%09%09%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fg%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A)
Cubs: 3 ways the season has gone wrong and 2 ways it's gone right
The only reason the Chicago Cubs remain 'in the hunt' in the National League postseason picture is because of the ridiculous weakness of their division. Somehow, despite being eight games under .500, the Cubs are just 5 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot and 6 1/2 out of first in the NL Central.
To say the season's been a disappointment is certainly fair. After all, Chicago was one of the biggest spenders in free agency last offseason and the fanbase expected a return to contention in 2023 - not a third-straight sell-off at the trade deadline, something that is very much in the cards.
So here are 3 ways things have gone wrong for the Cubs during the first two months of the season - and also a pair of ways thing went according to plan. Either way, looking up not only at the Brewers in the standings, but also the Reds and Pirates, come June certainly wasn't what we had in mind back on Opening Day.
Cubs: 3 ways the season has gone wrong - #3: Cody Bellinger started hot, but a knee injury has cost him a good chunk of the season
It looked like Cody Bellinger - the one that set the league ablaze early in his career - was back and ready to set himself up for a massive free agency payday at year's end. He still might be able to cash in, too, but he hasn't played in a game since May 15 when he collided with the outfield wall, hyperextending his knee and also suffering a bone bruise.
To that point, though, the former Rookie of the Year and MVP boasted an .830 OPS and a 124 OPS+ and was playing an elite center field that marked a dramatic year-over-year improvement for the team defensively. He'll soon head out for a rehab assignment, meaning we likely won't see him back with the big league team till mid-month at the earliest.
While much of the trade deadline speculation has centered around NL Cy Young candidate Marcus Stroman, don't sleep on Bellinger being moved. If he comes back from the injury and picks up where he left off, there are more than a few contenders who will have interest in adding a seemingly resurgent Bellinger to the mix.
Cubs: 3 ways the season has gone wrong - #2: Hayden Wesneski has struggled after seizing a starting job during spring training
Cubs fans have dreamed of a homegrown pitching pipeline for decades now - and it's probably closer now than at any point this century, really. Seeing young right-hander Hayden Wesneski win the final spot in the rotation this spring offered hope that the team's crop of young arms might impact the big league roster sooner than expected.
However, the first two months haven't exactly gone to plan for Wesneski. After a disastrous outing against the Twins in mid-May, the 25-year-old hurler was optioned to Iowa. He's since returned from Triple-A and has been more effective, but still has a 5.65 FIP on the year and has hardly been the rotation staple envisioned, at least so far.
Thankfully, Kyle Hendricks' return lined up perfectly with Wesneski's demotion and although he's since had to step in for the injured Justin Steele, there's very little pressure on the rookie at this point. The hope is that he can find his footing in the bullpen and get back to being the guy who caught our eye in 2022.
Instead of immediately proving himself as a long-term rotation solution, Wesneski is facing questions about whether or not he's cut out to be a starter at the major league level. There's a lot of time left in the season to rewrite that narrative, but these first few chapters in 2023 haven't been what we'd hoped for.
Cubs: 3 ways the season has gone wrong - #1: This bullpen has been a failure in just about every measurable sense of the word
The Cubs have been masterful at snatching veterans off the scrap heap and turning them into valuable bullpen pieces in recent years - but Jed Hoyer's latest attempt hasn't yielded anywhere near the same results.
Chicago's two veteran offseason relief pick-ups, Michael Fulmer and Brad Boxberger, have been both injured and ineffective - only adding the stress on the familiar faces returning in 2023. Their struggles, combined with shortcomings from the likes of Brandon Hughes, Keegan Thompson, Jeremiah Estrada and Javier Assad, have left manager David Ross in a less than ideal scenario on a nightly basis.
Without at least a few reliable arms in his arsenal, Ross has been forced to rely on guys who, simply, haven't had it this season. That's not to say he hasn't made his fair share of questionable decisions when it comes to bullpen usage, but he doesn't exactly possess an arsenal of late-inning weapons, either.
The Cubs already have 15 blown leads on the year, are 5-11 in one-run games and no lead has really felt safe. The results speak for themselves. Chicago enters Wednesday in fourth place in one of the weakest and most winnable divisions in baseball and one can't help but think it could be a very different story had the bullpen performed as expected.
Cubs: 2 ways the season has gone right: #2 - Marcus Stroman and Justin Steele have emerged as a legitimate one-two punch atop the rotation
We all hoped Justin Steele would follow up his breakout second half from last season with a strong start to the 2023 campaign, but he's taken things to another level altogether.
In a dozen starts, the left-hander has a 2.65 ERA and 2.84 FIP - proving himself as a long-term piece of the Cubs' starting rotation plans. It seems he avoided a worst-case scenario with his latest injury scare, which has been diagnosed as a left forearm strain, but if Chicago wants to keep its fleeting postseason hopes alive, they'll need him back healthy and effective soon.
The bigger story, perhaps, has been the work of Marcus Stroman - the reigning National League Player of the Week. The veteran right-hander, who has expressed a desire to stay with the Cubs long-term, could also be one of the most valuable arms available via trade at the deadline and a key free agent next winter.
The problem here is that, after Steele and Stroman, with the exception of Drew Smyly, Cubs starters have been wildly inconsistent. Jameson Taillon's latest start offered maybe a slight glimmer of hope after a disastrous start to the year and having Hendricks back is nice, but Chicago will need far more from the back of the rotation if it hopes to turn the season around.
Cubs: 2 ways the season has gone right: #1 - Dansby Swanson has far outperformed the rest of last winter's loaded free agent shortstop class
Don't you love it when a plan comes together? The Chicago Cubs really had no alternative but to land one of the four big-name free agent shortstops last offseason and, in the end, they came away with the guy many labeled as the 'worst' of the group in Dansby Swanson.
But not only has Swanson outperformed the likes of Xander Bogaerts, Carlos Correa and Trea Turner numbers-wise, but he's already cemented his place as the face of the franchise and the unquestioned leader of the Cubs clubhouse.
Everywhere he's played, Swanson has been about winning and accountability. While the former hasn't followed him to the North Side just yet, the early returns on the second-largest contract in franchise history have certainly been promising. The former Vanderbilt standout is staying focused on the task at-hand: taking things day-by-day and doing what he can to help the team win.
Next. Scott Boras Clients. 2 Scott Boras clients who thrived with the Cubs and 1 who didn't. dark
The fact he's stayed focused and hasn't let early trade rumors involving the team he's going to spend the majority of the next decade with says a lot about his character and what he brings to the table. Now, it's on the supporting cast to up their game and help Swanson bring winning baseball back to the Friendly Confines.