No matter the Cubs’ push to reclaim a winning record this year, nor their late resurgence on offense, nor all the young players who put together impressive seasons for them, 2024 was still defined by a two-month rut.
“Believe me, we’ve spent way too much time trying to think about that question,” Jed Hoyer, president of baseball operations, said Tuesday at his end-of-season news conference when asked what went wrong. “Ultimately, we collectively fell into a slump in May and June that we couldn’t get out of.
“In baseball, you’re going to have ups and downs. That’s part of the game. But that went on way too long, and we just dug ourselves a hole that was much, much too big. And we did it collectively.”
That diagnosis is helpful to an extent after the Cubs finished six games back of the last National League wild-card spot and 10 games behind the division-champion Brewers. But by the time the playoffs wrap up, the Cubs will have shifted from evaluating the past to having a plan for the offseason. After two straight 83-79 seasons, how are they going to make this team a playoff contender?
“Any time you set a goal for yourself and you fall short of that goal, there’s disappointment,” Hoyer said. “From top down this year, the expectation was to play in the playoffs, and we didn’t get there. And we have to be better to move beyond 83-79 two consecutive years. . . . But I’m really excited about next year. I think we’re building from a really great foundation going forward, and we need to get back to the postseason for these fans. I think that’s what the fans deserve, and we’ll get there.”
Fans are rightfully getting restless. Hoyer’s contract only runs through 2025. A lot is riding on this offseason — and Hoyer covered a lot of ground when he took the podium Tuesday. Here are some of the highlights:
Coaching staff changes
It was November when the Cubs hired manager Craig Counsell last year, so he largely inherited predecessor David Ross’ staff, only hiring for three positions: bench coach, bullpen coach and field coordinator/catching coach.
“Part of hiring a manager like him is giving him the ability to build his staff,” Hoyer said. “It would have been almost unusual if, at the end of [this] year, he chose to keep everyone together.”
Thus, the Cubs are parting ways with first-base coach Mike Napoli, bullpen coach Darren Holmes, assistant hitting coach Jim Adduci and strength and conditioning coaches Keegan Knoll and Ryan Clausen, the Sun-Times confirmed.
“As far as the strength guys . . . those guys worked hard,” Hoyer said. “They did a really good job. Ultimately, for us, it was about just making sure that we have the right alignment from the top down in the organization, and we felt like that was a place we wanted to go in a different direction. But [it’s] certainly not a knock on those guys at all.”
Hoyer said he preferred to let Counsell comment on the other staff changes. But, barring any coaches leaving for other opportunities, the rest of the group is set for now.
Bellinger’s opt-out
When it comes to the Cubs’ offense, the first matter to be settled is Cody Bellinger’s opt-out decision on 2025, which is due five days after the World Series.
“When we signed that deal in late February, we knew that if he had a good year, he would have a lot of options,” Hoyer said. “And he had a good year, and so I think he’ll have options.”
Bellinger didn’t replicate his 2023 season, but he came back from fractures to his ribs and finger and posted a .797 OPS away from offense-oppressing Wrigley Field.
“Obviously, it will impact team-building, just figuring out what positions we’re filling,” Hoyer said. “And [Bellinger] is versatile, but it’ll have an impact.”
Offense tough to figure
Beyond having to potentially fill Bellinger’s spot, the Cubs have to figure out how to elevate their offense overall — and where they’ll rank that among offseason priorities.
“Pretty unusual season to evaluate the offense,” Hoyer said. “We hit really well both as an offense and situationally in April, really struggled in those areas in May and June and then hit really well after that. So a lot of the guys got back to the expected numbers that they had going into the year.”
After those drastic swings, the Cubs ended up around the middle of the pack: 12th in runs and tied for 13th in wRC+ (101).
“It’s also really difficult to assess [the offense] when you think about the way Wrigley Field played this year,” Hoyer said. “It just seemed like when we were on the road, the wind would be blowing out. And when the team would come home, the wind would be blowing in. And it’s reflected in the numbers.”
Wrigley was the second-hardest ballpark for hitting, according to Statcast’s park factor, behind only the Mariners’ T-Mobile Park. It’s virtually impossible to predict how Wrigley will play next season.
“Building good, solid teams that are well-rounded is the best bet,” Hoyer said, “because our ballpark is unique in the sense that there’s no one way it’s going to play year-to-year, or even day-to-day.”
Building up the bullpen
Along with the offense, a struggling bullpen was a major factor in the May-June slog. Contributing to the problem were a series of injuries to high-leverage relievers, including Adbert Alzolay, Julian Merryweather, Yency Almonte and Mark Leiter Jr. That forced young relievers such as Porter Hodge into big situations.
By the end of the year, Hodge had developed into the Cubs’ most trusted arm at the back end of the bullpen. They also traded for Tyson Miller and Nate Pearson and signed Jorge Lopez to steady the ship.
For the last three months of the season, the Cubs’ bullpen had a top-six ERA (3.24). But in the first half, it was a bumpy ride (4.32).
“Being self-critical, I feel like that’s something that I didn’t do a good job of last offseason,” Hoyer said. “When I look at our bullpen, I’m really proud of the work our whole staff did during the season. . . . But when Adbert struggled early, when [Hector] Neris struggled early, when Julian got hurt, we didn’t have the depth at that point that we needed. And that’s something that we’ll certainly look to improve going forward, because I feel like that hurt us early.”
Contract status
When Hoyer took over as team president after the 2020 season, he signed a five-year extension. Asked if he wanted clarity on his contractual situation before the 2025 season, or if he expected the Cubs’ performance to dictate his future, he didn’t answer directly.
“I look at it as an opportunity,” Hoyer said. “I’m excited about next year. I think we’re in a great position.”