It has not been an ideal start for a Cubs squad that was so hyped up at the beginning of the season. This organization had such a great off-season, spending around 488 million in total additions. Adding Bregman and Cabrera were huge and definitely worth the buzz that surrounded this team going into the season. The start of the season has been an absolute disaster, and it’s not just the on-field performance. Injuries have already started to dampen the mood, only 16 games into the season. As Cubs fans, should we have been prepared for this once Suzuki went down in the WBC before the season even started? Maybe this was the sign from the baseball Gods that things were only going to get worse.
Cade Horton’s second start on April 3rd was a thing of nightmares when it comes to pitching. After throwing only his 17th pitch of the game, he immediately grabbed his arm in tears and called out to the trainers to come grab him. I hate to be the guy of no optimism, but usually that means a pitcher is done for this season. It’s a tough break for Cade after his rib injury towards the end of the season last year, and now this is his second UCL of his career. His first one came right before his freshman year at Oklahoma, which caused him to redshirt in college. Three days after Horton’s surgery announcement, Mathew Boyd was placed on the 15-day IL for bicep soreness. This is just a brutal way to start the season, having both of your top arms dealing with injuries. This has forced the Cubs to go bullpen-heavy early, and the bullpen has not been great.
The offense has struggled to get anything going so far this season, which has been shocking given how well this lineup is constructed. The approach at the plate has been very head-scratching aside from Nico Hoerner. The team as a whole has been trying to lift the baseball in the cold and windy early-season conditions of Wrigley. If there are runners in scoring position, well, you can go ahead and count on an inning-ending double play. OPS has been a concern with the lineup so far as well, with most of the lineup being under 700. The good news is that it can only go up from here. I expect OPS to go up for many key players in this lineup, and the runs will follow.
The most shocking part has been the underwhelming start from the core players. Bregman, Busch, PCA, and Swanson have all had extremely slow starts than expected. All four have an OPS under 700 and are hitting under the 200 mark, which has been both frustrating and disappointing. Craig Counsell is already facing pressure from the fan base due to this rough start and questionable in-game decisions. Late May or early June cannot come soon enough, and it is the expected return of Justin Steele to the starting rotation. There is reasonable concern for this team right now, but if the Cubs can keep things afloat until Steele’s return, I think they will be just fine.