MLB Postseason: Is this the last run with Cubs current core of players?

The Chicago Cubs are in the postseason again for the fourth time in five years, but could this be on their final runs as currently constructed?

There hasn’t been much change for the Cubs since 2015. The most obvious change was hiring first-year manager David Ross, who came in to replace the future hall of fame manager Joe Maddon.

Despite Maddon being the skipper that ended the Cubs 108-year World Series drought, president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and the Cubs front office decided it was time to move in a different direction.

Beyond that, not much has changed for the Cubs on their roster since winning it all just four seasons ago. A few players have departed, some of retired (then joined the team again like Ross), but the core of those Cubs teams has remained the same.

Players like Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Kyle Schwarber, and Willson Contreras all played major roles in 2016 and have remained crucial over the last half-decade of Cubs baseball. And while expectations were high for the Cubs, who were seen as the next baseball dynasty, the team hasn’t quite been the same dominating group they were in 2016.

That being said, this is still a team that has won their division three out of the last five seasons, has gone to the playoffs five out of the last six seasons, and played in the National League Championship Series three years in a row from 2015 to 2017. Cubs lose sight of this sometimes with many watching the 2016 group and assuming this team was going to win multiple World Series titles.

That hasn’t happened yet, but this has still been the Golden Age of Cubs baseball. And I think the moment this Cubs team went from a fun team with lots of talent to a true contender can be traced back to a late July series in 2015 against the Rockies.

The Cubs had Hendricks on the mound, who at the time was not considered the elite starter he is now, who allowed four runs in five innings of work. The Cubs had been losing early on in the game, had stormed back in the 4th inning to score 6 runs and take the lead at 6-4. The game would stay that way until the top of the ninth, with the Cubs leading 7-4 reliever Rafael Soriano blew the game and allowed the Rockies to take an 8-7 lead heading into the bottom of the 9th inning.

With two outs, a runner on first and Kris Bryant up at the plate, the future 2015 Rookie of the Year stepped up and on a 1-0 count smashed an 87 mph cutter into deep right-center field for a walk-off win.

Cubs’ TV broadcast Len Kasper’s call is perfect.

The Cubs would go on to finish the season with 97 wins, going 52-20 following that walk-off win over the Rockies. It was that moment that turned these Cubs from a good team with talented players to the perennial playoff contenders they’ve been since 2015.

Chicago Cubs: 2020 might be the last chance to win with this core

The Cubs are currently the only team in baseball without a player testing positive for COVID-19, they have two excellent starters in Kyle Hendricks and Yu Darvish to start any postseason series, and their offense includes All-Stars like Rizzo, Baez, Contreras, and Bryant. On paper, this team should be one of the top teams in baseball.

But their offense, particularly the four players I just mentioned haven’t factored into the equation much on offense this year. The Cubs offensive leaders in WAR this year are Ian Happ (1.9 fWAR) and Jason Heyward (1.8 fWAR), while a player like Baez has a 0.0 WAR this year. Bryant has been hurt multiple times this season and has just three home runs, two of which came in the final two games fo the season.

And while most teams are taking 2020 stat lines with a grain of salt, for the Cubs it’s hard not to let these results factor into future decisions. Especially when Baez, Rizzo, Bryant, and Schwarber are all set to become free agents after next season, with Contreras eligible in 2022. And with rumors already swirling this offseason about moving a player like Bryant or Contreras before the impact of COVID-19 was felt, it’s clear this Cubs team isn’t going to be able to keep many of their core players.

And the players are bracing for the break up as well, with Anthony Rizzo speaking candidly to Chicago Tribune reporter Mark Gonzalez back in August.

"“I’m not going to shy away from this,” Rizzo said Thursday of his rare blend of having fun and taking each game seriously. “This could be (our) last year together. We all know that, especially with the state of the game and who knows what’s going to happen.“This could be our last run with all our guys. This could be my last year. Who knows?”"

With the Cubs preparing for what could be their final postseason with this current core, it’s hard not to look back on that late July night back in 2015. Kris Bryant, who had been seen as the Cubs savior is now an NL MVP winner, Anthony Rizzo has won a Gold Glove at 1st base and multiple Silver Slugger awards, Javier Baez was the NL MVP runner-up back in 2018, and Willson Contreras might be the best all-around catcher.

This team has grown up and completely flipped the Cubs’ narrative of loveable losers to winners. And while many fans may feel there should have been more than one title during this six-year window, remember what the Cubs were before this group arrived at Wrigley Field. Compare the Opening Day lineup in 2013 to their lineup today, the Cubs have come a long way and are still in a great position to make more history in 2020.

Enjoy it while it lasts, because the end of this era of Cubs baseball is coming – possibly sooner than many expect.