Turn back to March, and the picture around the Cubs looked a whole lot brighter. Chicago had already locked in extensions for Pete Crow-Armstrong and Nico Hoerner, and after an offseason that included trades for Edward Cabrera and the signing of Alex Bregman in free agency, World Series talk was everywhere in Wrigleyville.
That version of the story looks a lot different now.
The Cubs finished with 89 wins, blew a late-season edge for the top Wild Card spot, landed 14 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers and then got swept by the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card Series. Jed Hoyer’s season now sits under a much harsher microscope, even if the early returns once seemed to put him in strong shape.
"It feels like we let an opportunity slip away that we won't get back. We have to work really hard to get back to that place.
I think losses like this are really motivating. But in the moment right now, I feel for the fans who supported this team so much because I feel like they deserved a long run this year and we let it slip away."
Chicago’s pitching staff was battered by injuries, and that made the margin for error tiny. The problem for Hoyer was that the moves he made still didn’t hold up the way the club needed them to.
Cabrera’s first season with the Cubs was a flop, and the bullpen money went to arms that ended up giving the team almost nothing for one reason or another. The Hunter Harvey deal - $6 million - stood out as one that never really paid off.
The deadline moves were supposed to give the Cubs a final push. Hoyer went big, bringing in Clay Holmes and Kevin Gausman for the rotation, adding Ryan Zeferjahn as a long-term bullpen piece and landing Tyrone Taylor as a strong platoon fit for Ian Happ in left field.
On paper, those looked like the kind of additions that could swing a season. In reality, the results were uneven, and Holmes never even took the mound in Chicago’s brief playoff stay.
That’s why the grade on Hoyer is such a split decision. The Crow-Armstrong and Hoerner extensions, along with the Bregman signing, gave him a solid foundation.
But his approach to building the bullpen - spreading the money around on arms that were far from sure things - fed directly into the late-season collapse. That’s the part of this winter that needs the sharpest rethink.
To be fair, nobody could have forecast this many pitching injuries. Hoyer did put together enough depth to help the Cubs survive the grind of the season, and that matters. But depth is not the same thing as true impact, and when October arrived, Chicago looked like a team that lacked the kind of high-end pitching it needed.
Crow-Armstrong’s season also looms over the whole evaluation. Without what amounted to arguably the greatest single-season performance in Cubs history, this would all look even worse.
As it stands, Hoyer’s work lands in the middle: some real wins, some expensive misses, and a roster that still needs more top-end stability on the mound. Until he delivers that, the frustration from fans is only going to keep growing.
In Other News...
Cubs May Be Losing Their Biggest Edge Over The Brewers
The Cubs have spent much of this stretch with one clear advantage in the division: financial muscle. Heading toward 2026, their projected payroll still sits well above the rest of the National League Central, a cushion that has helped separate them from teams like Milwaukee when it comes to adding talent and absorbing mistakes. For a club trying to keep pace in a tightening race, that kind of edge has mattered almost as much as what happens on the field.
But the gap may not stay that wide for long. The Brewers are coming off another division title and have built the kind of farm system and organizational depth that can keep producing even as their resources grow, while the Cubs are dealing with a thinner pipeline and a pitching staff that still needs work. If Milwaukees financial flexibility keeps improving, the Cubs could find themselves facing a rival with fewer limitations and a lot less to prove. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Pitching Hope Suddenly Comes With One Worry
The Arizona Fall League has been a useful stage for a few Cubs prospects, and Dominick Reid has been one of the more encouraging arms in the group. The right-hander has put together a solid run there, working to a 3.46 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 13 innings, the kind of showing that keeps him on the radar as Chicago continues to lean on pitching development throughout the system.
Now there is at least one concern attached to that momentum. Reid left a recent game early because of an unspecified injury, and for a Cubs organization that has been watching his progress closely, any health question is hard to ignore. He is part of a broader wave of farm-system pitchers the club is tracking, alongside names like Josiah Hartshorn and Cade Townsend, so the next update on Reid matters well beyond one fall outing. [Read more 🡒]
Former Cubs Prospect Offers A Warning As Kevin Alcantara Decision Looms
Nelson Velzquezs latest move is another reminder of how quickly a once-promising Cubs prospect can get pushed to the margins. The Houston Astros released the outfielder so he could chase an opportunity in Asia after a season split between St. Louis and Houston, where he hit .188/.257/.406 with six homers. For Chicago, its a familiar name and a familiar cautionary tale, because Velzquez once looked like part of the future before the path changed in a hurry.
That matters now because Kevin Alcantara is approaching his own crossroads, and his situation comes with real roster pressure. Alcantara no longer has minor-league options, which complicates the Cubs flexibility and keeps a trade in the conversation as teams weigh whether he can fit on a big-league roster right away. Velzquezs trajectory shows how fast a young power bat can go from prospect buzz to uncertain fit, and it leaves the Cubs with one more decision they cant afford to get wrong. [Read more 🡒]