After disappointing '24, Cubs know there's 'work to do'

CHICAGO – Following the final out of the final game of the season on Sunday afternoon, the Cubs’ players and staff exited the dugout to wave to the fans inside Wrigley Field. The old ballpark was consistently packed this season, even after the North Siders slipped out of contention.

The issue at hand is that the place will now sit dormant for another October, making for a long winter after the Cubs expected to be hosting playoff baseball games here this fall. After a season-ending 3-0 loss to the Reds in 10 innings, Chicago closed the book on its 2024 campaign with 83 wins -- the same total as a year ago.

“Seasons are sacred. You don’t take them for granted,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “I told the team this: ‘We’re fortunate and blessed to get chances, to get to wear the uniform.’ So, when you don’t accomplish all your goals, there’s a bitter taste in your mouth, absolutely.”

There is no getting around the fact that this season was a disappointing campaign for the Cubs. Veteran shortstop Dansby Swanson did not want to describe the year as a “failure,” as he believes that word is associated with quitting. By all accounts, the daily focus and preparation and effort was consistent. The results just did not follow.

When the Cubs stunned the baseball world by hiring Counsell away from the Brewers last offseason, though, the idea was to squeeze more out of this Chicago roster. In terms of a raw win-loss total, the end result was identical, and the distance from a playoff berth was actually wider than in ‘23.

The goal now, as Counsell phrased it and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer echoed, is to build a team that can consistently hit the 90-win threshold and reach the postseason.

“We didn’t do it this year,” Counsell said. “That means we’ve got work to do.”

An offensive drought across May and June -- sinking the Cubs to a 21-34 showing in those two months -- simply proved too much for Chicago to overcome. The division-winning Brewers separated themselves from the pack and the Cubs were unable to catch the Wild Card field, even with a 36-28 showing in the second half.

“It was frustrating,” Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger said. “It wasn’t a lack of talent. It wasn’t a lack of effort. It was just this thing we couldn’t get over. I still believe in everyone in this clubhouse and believe in [Counsell]. He’s a very smart man and he’s going to take this organization places.”

Swanson said there were “small victories” throughout the season. The shortstop pointed to the second-half development of Pete Crow-Armstrong and catcher Miguel Amaya, the steadiness of the starting rotation, and an overhauled bullpen that found its footing with the performances of Porter Hodge, Nate Pearson and Co. down the stretch.

“It doesn’t take away from the fact that we didn’t get to where we wanted to get to,” Swanson said. “But there are certain stepping stones. You can appreciate the growth of the young players, because we’ve all been there at one point. There’s a lot of bright things ahead once that confidence is created.”

Like Swanson, Cubs starter Jameson Taillon is now approaching his third season with the franchise. The big right-hander recently expressed some candid comments on his vision for the ballclub, citing how it felt as an opposing player coming to play at Wrigley Field during the peak of the last playoff-tested core.

Taillon said there was an intimidation factor when teams saw the Cubs coming up on the schedule. That is something he wants the current group to create again, beginning with the ‘25 season.

“The standard for us players,” Taillon said, “needs to be to show up next year and expect to win and to be competing for this division. And I think the best way to start that is to say it out loud. It's not something we can shy away from. We need to get better.”

Swanson agreed with Taillon’s comments, too.

“Wrigley and this fanbase are incredible. It’s a lot of fun,” Swanson said. “The environment is always fun. But I don’t want things just to be fun. Instead of being the ‘Cubbies,’ I want it where it’s like, ‘We’re the freaking Chicago Cubs. We’re not here to just win. We’re here to dominate each and every day.’

“That’s the vision and the mentality that is slowly but surely starting to get created. We’re not just here to show up and have fun. I don’t have fun when I lose. And I think that’s what we want to get to, the expectation that every day you show up to the field and step between the white lines, you leave with that ‘W’ flag flying.”