Can a season still be disappointing when you exceed expectations? The answer is yes. This is the story of the 2023 Chicago Cubs. I know there were people who thought we’d be competitive; there are always people who think this. Most of the time, I am part of this population. I always think my teams are going to do good; maybe this is why I’m disappointed more than some. This year though, for the Cubs, I was unhappy with the offseason; I didn’t think they’d be much better than 2022. I was wrong; sometimes I’m happy that I’m wrong. The Cubs did a whole lot better than I thought; this was the fun part. As the 2nd half of the season went on, and the Cubs stayed hot, the playoffs were a real possibility. With a couple weeks to go, the Cubs were in the driver seat for a Wild Card spot. Today, on the 2nd to last day of the season, they have been eliminated from postseason contention; it was fun while it lasted.
Many times when the Cubs don’t make the playoffs, I get mad. Many times, this anger is slowly released throughout the season. I didn’t really have a lot of anger this year. Now, that they officially finished short, I’m still not too angry. I can certainly find reasons to be angry… we can always do that, pretty much in any situation. I can be pissed about the offseason, where management didn’t do enough to give this team a real shot. I can be pissed at David Ross, who makes some questionable decisions. I can be made at some of the players, whether it’s Seiya for dropping that fly ball this week, or Dansby for limping towards the finish line, or Happ, just because. With these three options presented, my choice would be easy: the front office. They didn’t expect the Cubs to compete this year, which is why we didn’t go “all in” this offseason. To their credit, when the Cubs WERE competing, we did turn from sellers to buyers. Even then, the best case scenario for the Cubs was to make the postseason; realistically, there wouldn’t be much more than that. Sure, I gave us a shot to win the first round, but it would be a short stay. The Braves and Dodgers, and even Phillies, are clearly better than us. It turns out that the Brewers, Diamondbacks, and Marlins are also better than us.
Honestly, I’m not that angry though. I wonder about what’s next, for some of the current players on our roster, and the next big signings; there better be more big signings. I think we’ve seen enough this year to realize this team isn’t that bad; actually, for a while, they were pretty damn good. We didn’t have enough horses though. Whether we were talking about the bullpen or starting pitching, we didn’t have enough pitching. Looking at the offense, there is certainly a need for another star or two, and a serious need for some depth. The Cubs front office has some work to do. Although I can be mad at them, the Cubs are ahead of schedule AND our farm system is pretty good. A combination of some free agent signings and some help from the farm should put the Cubs in position to contend for a NL Central title next year. We’ll talk about these details much more over the months ahead.
For now though, we’re going to celebrate finishing short? It’s kind of weird. Yeah, it’s disappointing, no doubt. The Cubs “choked” again? They did falter down the stretch, but was it really a choke job? That’s debatable. When you weren’t expected to be there to begin with… choking usually includes finishing short of expectations; the Cubs certainly did NOT do that. Thank you for a better than expected season; thanks for bringing some fun back. The end of a season can be viewed like it is… the end, or… it can be viewed as the start of something. Looking forward to what’s next. Go Cubs!
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