CHICAGO — It’s no secret the Chicago Cubs aren’t hitting enough. The fans see it, Craig Counsell is well aware and the players talk about it after each frustrating loss. Team president Jed Hoyer hasn’t hidden from the question either.
But is there anything they can actually do about it? Fans want the trade action to start immediately. Hoyer admitted he’s regularly on the phone trying to get a feel on whether he could make a move. But in the middle of June, it’s just not realistic unless Hoyer decides he wants to overpay significantly.
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“There’s a point at which in the season where you look outside for answers,” Hoyer said, speaking before Monday’s 7-6 loss. “But if you think a six-win player is worth a win a month, the collective is worth so much more than that. Collectively this group has failed to produce for the last 46 games. We had a really good offense last year. We had a really good offense in April. Since then, we have not hit. Period. No one player is going to change that. This collective group has to figure this out.”
On Tuesday, the offense struggled for seven innings but showed up in the eighth to put up three runs and help the Cubs top the San Francisco Giants 5-2. With 11 hits and a 4-for-11 night with runners in scoring position, it felt like a windfall of runs rather than just a solid night at the ballpark. But that’s where this offense is at the moment.
Cody Bellinger gives the Cubs the lead in the 8th! pic.twitter.com/Tg3RDMyG4z
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) June 19, 2024
When Hoyer talks about the last 46 games, he’s referencing a general demarcation point of where the offense suddenly fell off a cliff. Since putting up seven runs to win their fourth game in a row and move to a season-high eight games over .500 on April 26th, the offense has disappeared. From that point entering play on Monday, they were last in baseball in wRC+ (84) and batting average (.212) and 27th in ISO (.125).
Don’t even look at their numbers with runners in scoring position. You’ll have nightmares. Or maybe it’ll keep you up at night like Hoyer says it does for him.
At what point does looking at the fact that last year’s team scored the sixth-most runs in the game become pointless? It’s a new year, after all.
“It’s a great question, it’s fair,” Hoyer said. “At some point, you are what your numbers say you are. When I look at last season, it’s a very similar group. When I look at April, we have a very similar group. When I look at our projections, all those things tell us this group should hit better.”
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But Hoyer believes an outside addition can’t be the panacea to an offense that hardly resembles the potent one from a year ago.
“That doesn’t mean there won’t be additions,” Hoyer said. “But the answers have to come from within. There’s no reason to believe this group suddenly forgot how to hit. But it certainly has been a longer downspell than expected. I think everyone goes through ups and downs during seasons. But this is a much longer trough than we ever expected. We have to get out of it. You can’t keep digging this hole.”
Tuesday’s win gets the Cubs back to four games under .500. In an NL filled with mediocrity, that’s good for last place in the NL Central, but only 1 1/2 games out of a wild card spot.
Those who have followed this team know what’s missing. Hoyer has avoided going big in recent years and has tried to find value when making trades or signing free agents. He’s accumulated some solid players like Seiya Suzuki and Michael Busch, but what’s eluded him is that superstar. He hasn’t been bold and spent to get the likes of Shohei Ohtani or traded for Juan Soto.
It’s not easy to acquire such players, but in theory, the Cubs have the money to “overspend” or the prospect capital to be aggressive should the opportunity arise. Waiting until free agency could make sense. Soto, Alex Bregman and Pete Alonso could all be hitting the open market. But Hoyer’s reluctance to go deep into bidding wars on big-name players makes it hard to know whether free agency is the most likely route. Besides, there’s a season happening now with a clear need to improve.
Adding insurance! pic.twitter.com/OMS9criuzY
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 19, 2024
It’s not as if the Cubs lineup is devoid of talent. Even with all their struggles, some players have performed well overall. Busch (130), Suzuki (125), Ian Happ (115) and Cody Bellinger (112) are all everyday players who have given above-average offensive performances by wRC+ so far this season. It’s not been enough.
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But could one extremely impactful bat change the entire dynamic and be the elixir the Cubs desperately need?
“I think theoretically,” Hoyer said. “There’s no question that guy impacts hitters above and below. But the trade market’s not really open at this point in the summer. At this point, certainly the answers have to come from within. (Is) the question in the theoretical or the actual? We’re not going to be able to add that bat on June 17.”
But a month from now, would seeking out that type of impactful offensive talent make sense?
“I think I would say we need to start hitting a lot better,” Hoyer said. “It has been 46 games. We need to start hitting as a group. The focus on the trade market, I understand it. But I think the answers have to be on the field for us to get where we need to go.”
That’s not Hoyer ruling the idea out. He’s choosing patience for now because it’s really the only route he can take. What they need just isn’t on the market at the moment. But these types of extended team-wide struggles on offense make it all the more imperative to find a consistent producer to help balance things out and may even take a little focus from the opposition and general pressure off others.
The reality is that this is a question the Cubs have faced since they traded away Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Báez at the 2021 trade deadline. Those moves were the correct ones to make. They helped build up a farm system that was in bad shape three years ago and each of those players had their best years in Cubs uniforms. But the search to replace those once-impactful bats continues.
Ideally, Hoyer would see one of Suzuki or Busch or even prospects like Owen Caissie, Matt Shaw or Moises Ballesteros turn into that elite offensive performer. But that doesn’t seem imminent. At some point, patience has to be replaced with action. The target isn’t obvious, not yet at least. But Hoyer has been cautious for nearly his entire tenure heading Cubs baseball operations. The time to be bold has arrived.
(Photo of Dansby Swanson hitting a home run Tuesday: David Banks / USA Today)