Cubs make lack of World Series expectations brutally obvious to fans

The Chicago Cubs have a potential conflict of interest with Game 7 of the World Series. Is that a message to the fanbase?

Chicago made several high-profile moves this offseason — namely signing Dansby Swanson and Jameson Taillon, among others — but is it fair to expect a World Series appearance in 2023?

If you ask the Cubs brass, perhaps not. Chicago’s farm system, which was ranked tenth by Keith Law in his recent article for The Athletic, is finally starting to graduate a few key contributors to the majors. Look no further than Pete Crow-Armstrong and Brennen Davis, both of whom could make their debuts next season.

However, the Cubs front office has plans for Wrigley Field on the day which is scheduled to be Game 7 of the 2023 World Series — and they do not involve the home baseball team.

Well, that’s awkward. Now, of course, there’s likely a clause in that contract which would allow the Cubs an out if they were to actually need the stadium on that day. It’s still amusing that such a decision was made in the first place, and it speaks to what the organization expects out of this season.

Does Cubs front office think this team can reach World Series?

The Cubs and Jed Hoyer are building a team they think can reach the World Series, just perhaps not this season. That’s okay to admit, as only two teams — one from each league — reach that goal. The scheduling error is a pretty brutal oversight, and one fans will cling onto — but it should not overshadow the fact that Hoyer and Carter Hawkins have done an excellent job rebuilding this club from scratch in just a few seasons.

Hawkins, for one, has had a critical role in building up the farm system. Just a few years ago, Chicago had one of the worst top-to-bottom systems in baseball. Their player development staff wasn’t delivering top-level talent to the MLB level.

However, trades of Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and more delivered a fresh influx of talent that the Cubs desperately needed, despite those moves not being received well at the time.