Commentary: D-backs are the wrong blueprint to follow for Cubs |
The 84-win Arizona Diamondbacks, who earned a wild card in the National League and ran the table to the World Series during the 2023 postseason, was an excellent story for MLB. Powered by pairing some veterans with some elite young talent, the Diamondbacks beat the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Philadelphia Phillies on their way to losing in the World Series to the Texas Rangers.
It was a chance to see a different, small-market team make a run deep into the playoffs — much like the success we’ve witnessed from the Tampa Bay Rays in recent years. The story did not end in a championship, but it did appear to emphasize around the league the importance of being competitive and how crucial it is to get into the playoffs; anything can happen. The run that Arizona went on should prove to the rest of the league how vital it is to make the dance. For a league that has been trying to discourage tanking by increasing competitiveness through implementing a draft lottery and adjusting some other rules, many would find this display from Arizona to be just what the doctor ordered for many teams to want to be competitive. Big market teams, mid-market teams, or small market teams alike should not be content with rebuilding, retooling, or cost-cutting when the 84-win D-Backs proved the importance of making the playoffs. However, the message has not been taken correctly for the Cubs- a big market with a pool of resources. Arizona’s run should show small-market teams why using your resources is crucial and not tank. Instead, it appears the Cubs viewed the Diamondbacks as a blueprint, justifying them for saving their money and refusing to go all-in on a talented class of free agents. The Cubs should be watching the aggression in which the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, and New York Yankees approach their offseason as motivation to use their resources to compete at the highest level. Instead of inspiring the Cubs to craft a championship team, the front office seemed to have utilized the Diamondback's success as a model to piece together a team that is “good enough,” not great — which is concerning. The goal for the Chicago Cubs should not be simply to win a division that has been consistently lousy for over a decade. The goal should not be just to make the playoffs. The goal should not be to squeak into the playoffs and luck into a deep run. The goal should be to build a roster and pair it with a talented farm system built to compete for championships on a year-by-year basis. By passing on a free agent class that included Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Josh Hader, Sonny Gray, Jorge Soler, Jung Hoo Lee, Rhys Hoskins, Lucas Giolito, Jeimer Candelario, Whit Merrifield, among others — the Cubs are not exactly setting the tone of dominance or intentions to win like some of their peers are displaying. The Cubs have a surplus of young talent and missed out on trading for superstars like Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, and Tyler Glasnow. While big-named players like Cody Bellinger, reigning NL Cy Young award winner Blake Snell, Matt Chapman, JD Martinez, and Jordan Montgomery are still on the open market — the Cubs don’t appear to want to act like big spenders. They would much rather hope the Diamondbacks’ fortune falls in their laps. Cubs owner Tom Ricketts said that conversations with Cody Bellinger have not reached the term “negotiations” because their side — Scott Boras — has not budged on their lofty expectations. "We're right there at CBT levels. It's kind of our natural place for us. That should be enough to win our division and be consistent every year,” Ricketts said to Jesse Rogers from ESPN. While Jed Hoyer danced around questions about potential additions to the team as Spring Training opened, he expressed his excitement with the Cubs’ young players instead. “I’m probably more excited for this spring compared to most springs just because we have so much young talent in camp,” Hoyer said. It seems apparent the Cubs brass has zeroed in on the Arizona Diamondbacks’ blueprint as their goal for the 2024 season — however, many Cubs fans would agree that the D-Backs are the wrong blueprint to follow.
