The Chicago Cubs went from being a contender to a quitter in just a month’s span. At least, that’s what the Cubs’ front office wants the public to believe. Their unforgettable 11-game losing streak made their playoff hopes sink faster than the titanic. Core players: Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, and Javier Baez no longer played with the inspiration and enthusiasm that made them beloved by Cubs fans everywhere.
The self-destruction and self-deflating state of the Cubs falls entirely upon ownership. The Ricketts family basically gave up on the team before this season even began by refusing to bring back players like Kyle Schwarber and Yu Darvish who could have no doubt helped prevent an 11-game demise.
Instead, they went cheap as usual by signing washed-up and struggling veterans like Jake Arrieta, Trevor Williams, and Zach Davies to marginal deals. No one looking to win would bank on three players who should all be starting in the minors to anchor an undermanned rotation.
Through nearly the end of June though, the Cubs surprised many onlookers by playing winning baseball. The players were blocking out all the outside noise of contract talks, trade deadline rumors, etc. that were amplified by ownership’s stubbornness and self-inflicted blunders over the years.
The Chicago Cubs organization gave up on their team during the 2021 season.
Once the Cubs started their west coast trip against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the wheels came off. They cooled off mightily on offense, overtaxed a once-dominant bullpen, and once the offense finally came to life, Jake Arrieta on cue made their offensive explosion look irrelevant with a couple of disaster performances.
General Manager Jed Hoyer acknowledged the harsh reality that the Cubs went from being buyers to sellers at the trade deadline, following 11 straight losses. In reality, though, the Cubs were already sellers before the losses piled up. They were quitters almost by default as they were content with losing for the next couple of years at minimum, at least in the eyes of ownership.
The players did an admirable job for nearly three months refusing to believe the organization had punted away the 2021 season. But deep down, the breadcrumbs originating from starting over from scratch left too much of a trail for the players to not avoid stumbling across on any given off-night.
The message had become loud and clear. Time’s up. Ownership and the front office can spin it any way they like, but the reality is that contending was never seriously considered in 2021. Hitting the “reset” button, rather than the “continue” button was more enticing. To everyone else though, the fans, and especially to both current and former players that gave it their all, it sure feels like the organization pressed “quit” as if no other option existed.
