Chicago Cubs President Jed Hoyer Addresses September Collapse and Pitching Deficiencies
Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said the team’s late-season fade and postseason exit felt like a missed opportunity after a summer unlike any he has experienced. Ultimately, as we sit here today, it feels like we let something slip away,
Hoyer said Friday during his postseason media availability. That’s the hardest thing. I think these fans deserve home playoff games and we let it slip away in September, especially the last week.
Speaking during his postseason media availability, Hoyer pointed to pitching deficiencies and injuries as primary drivers behind the team’s inability to secure home playoff games.
August Position Versus September Fade
The Cubs held the first wild-card position and sat within three games of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central on August 12. The team closed out the regular season with an 18-23 stretch, which included a 2-5 record against the Brewers and a 2-4 finish that cost them home-field advantage. That late slide ultimately preceded a two-game postseason sweep at the hands of the San Diego Padres.
Manager Craig Counsell noted the difficulty of keeping pace with Milwaukee. Go ask the rest of Major League Baseball. That’s hard to keep up with,
Counsell said ahead of the first of the seven late-season games against the Brewers. They’re having a fabulous season. Disappointed isn’t the right word. They’re a good team. I’m not surprised by that. I’m not surprised at all. We’re a good team. I mean, we’re not a 100-win team. We’re not going to be a hundred-win team this year.
The Brewers finished ahead of the Cubs despite Chicago’s $248 million payroll, which ranks as the eighth largest in Major League Baseball and nearly doubles Milwaukee’s spending.
Roster Performance and Pitching Struggles
While the Cubs led Major League Baseball with 850 runs scored during the regular season, pitching performance lagged behind the offense. Projected rotation starters Kade Horton and Justin Steele missed the entire season due to injuries, while Edward Cabrera and Matthew Boyd also spent time on the injured list. Cabrera struggled through the worst season of his career when healthy, and mid-season acquisitions Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes failed to stabilize the staff after arriving at the trade deadline.
The team surrendered 231 home runs, giving up more long balls than any other franchise except the Oakland Athletics. Hoyer acknowledged that the organization has done a better job developing hitters and position players than pitchers, leaving the roster unbalanced. From a pitching standpoint this year, we sort of struggled from the get-go,
Hoyer said. Some of it was some poor acquisitions. I think that’s something we need to look at.
Hoyer Focuses on Improving Pitching Staff
Hoyer stated that the front office will focus heavily on improving the pitching staff during the upcoming offseason. The roster faces potential turnover with 10 potential free agents, including outfielders Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ. We have to work really hard to get back to that place,
Hoyer said. Obviously I think losses like this are really motivating, but in the moment, right now, I feel for the fans who supported this team so much because I feel like they deserved a long run this year.
Individual Successes Fail to Prevent Late Fade
The late fade accompanied a wild campaign featuring two 10-win streaks and a 10-game losing skid on the way to 89 wins, representing the second-highest victory total for the franchise since 2018. The team secured the first ever 40-40 season from presumptive MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong, while Alex Bregman surged down the stretch after a slow start, hitting 18 home runs following July 27 to finish with 28 on the year. Despite those performances, the offense produced just one run on eight hits across the two losses against San Diego.
Hoyer noted that while the Cubs hold a financial advantage over the Brewers within the NL Central, that edge does not necessarily extend across the entire National League. Meanwhile, the club faces decisions regarding 12 arbitration-eligible players. Regarding the broader player market, Evan Altman of Cubs Insider observed that the threat of a lockout could make players and agents more amenable to early deals for security, though it might also prompt teams to attempt even deeper low-ball offers than usual.