At this point in the year, the Chicago Cubs have really had a tale of two seasons.
During the early portion, they were looked at in a purely positive light, having battled injury issues and still competing at the top of their division. Then, things completely turned as their production crumbled and they wracked up loss after loss.
It's safe to say Cubs fans are frustrated.
President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and chairman Tom Ricketts both stated at the beginning of the offseason that their goal was to build a contending team who would get back into the playoffs this year.
While that was good to hear, it didn't feel like the front office did enough to put a truly competitive roster together for their new manager Craig Counsell.
Entering Thursday's game, Chicago has 33-35 record, further signaling that might have been the case.
Despite the negative sentiment surrounding this franchise at the moment, they're still just a half-game out of the third Wild Card spot, meaning there is a chance this team will be playing fall baseball.
However, one local columnist doesn't think that's the case, and went so far as to say the Cubs "are doomed."
"The Cubs and White Sox are so bad and frankly so boring that Chicago sports talk (in person, online and in media) is this close to being all Bears all the time ... If 'blah' were a team it would be the 2024 Cubs ... Without a dramatic series of additions in July — which I don't foresee — I can’t picture this Cubs team being relevant after the Bears put their pads on. Another lost season will be on Hoyer and the players he's actually paid," Jon Greenberg wrote for The Athletic.
That is quite the scathing assessment of where this team is.
There's a lot to unpack from what Greenberg said, and there's plenty more that he dove into, but the main sentiment for his overarching reasoning seems to be lack of trust.
He's lacking faith in this front office who has been all talk and no action. He's lacking faith in the hitters being able to turn things around, and the bullpen becoming a solid unit.
And he lacks faith that Hoyer and company will do anything to fix this situation.
Maybe Greenberg is proven wrong before July 30 hits. Chicago has been linked to some impact players who could become available around the deadline, but it will be up to the front office to actually get a deal done, something he clearly doesn't expect will happen.
But the thing is, the Cubs are only less than a game out of making the playoffs with plenty of contests remaining on their schedule.
Has it been a frustrating stretch?
Yes.
But again, it feels way too soon to automatically proclaim this season is over.
