Kyle Schwarber's recent power surge makes Jed Hoyer and the Cubs look terrible

The decision to non-tender Kyle Schwarber following a disappointing 2020 season in a blatant cost-cutting measure in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, to this day, remains a sore spot with Chicago Cubs fans.

Since leaving Wrigleyville, Schwarber has established himself as a premier power presence in the league, clubbing 156 home runs dating back to the start of the 2021 campaign. If you're doing math at home, that works out to just under 40 long-balls a year. Paired with a .350 on-base percentage during that stretch, he's been a little over 30 percent better than a league average hitter.

During that same stretch, the Cubs have desperately needed an injection of power in the middle of the lineup - and Schwarber's latest barrage is just the latest reminder of what might have been had ownership and the front office not pushed him out the door four-plus years ago.

Schwarber followed up Tuesday's three-homer game with a leadoff blast to open Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays, giving him an .853 OPS, 32 home runs and 89 RBI on the year to go with his league-best 94 walks. He's become one of the undisputed leaders in the Phillies clubhouse and has his eyes set on bringing a title to Philadelphia.

Meanwhile, the Cubs will head into the winter once again searching for a big bat without any legitimate desire to spend real money to check that item off the shopping list. It won't be easy to find a spot on the diamond to insert such a player, but one spot they could (at least in theory) plug in a bat would be at DH - which, coincidentally, is where Schwarber calls home on a nightly basis.

There's no guarantee the Cubs would have retained him in free agency when that day came. But cutting him loose for nothing and then chasing the very need he would have perfectly addressed for three years is a bad look for Jed Hoyer, whose team is once again on the outside looking in with October looming.