Chicago Cubs: Accountability is the only solution to team’s failings

The Chicago Cubs had a wildly disappointing end to their 2026 season after, at times, looking like a team of destiny.

It’s true that they worked through an unprecedented run of injuries that decimate their pitching staff as a whole and forced them to rely on minor league contract players and castoffs from other teams. It’s also true that they performed significantly better than one would anticipate from a team missing several of its top starters as well as its closer and other bullpen assets.

But still, they finished with three fewer wins than last season and, unlike last season, they didn’t make it out of the opening Wild Card series. To make it sting a little more, Chicago had a 6.5 game lead atop the Wild Card standings in mid-August and just let home field advantage slip away, playing sub-.500 ball the rest of the way. For some Cubs, there’s no grabbing at the comfort of a moral victory.

“Horrible,” Bregman said of his team’s 0-2 run in the best-of-three series against the San Diego Padres. “The goal is to win, and we didn’t play well enough to do that, so it’s time to look in the mirror and get better. I know myself and a lot of these guys will be thinking about it every day of the offseason and let it fuel us.”

“It starts now for everybody in this organization,” the three-time All-Star added. “Assess the year and come back and be better next year. Because it wasn’t good enough.”

Jul 3, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer speaks before a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Guardians at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

“Accountability” has been a word tossed around by media in recent days, pertaining to the Cubs’ late-season collapse. And frankly, that’s something the organization needs a lot more than emotional “what it means to be a Cub” statements at the end of a painfully short postseason run.

Chief among those who should be facing a heaping dose of accountability is Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer. And, apparently, he’s willing to swallow the bitter pills.

“I did a poor job on the bullpen this year. Full stop,” Hoyer told reporters. “The guys we acquired this winter didn’t produce nearly as well as a year ago.”

Hoyer’s need for accountability should extend beyond the offseason bullpen acquisitions, though. The Cubs’ inability to develop a pitching infrastructure and unwillingness to pay top dollar for free agent arms has turned into a franchise-wide perpetual liability.

Aug 21, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Matthew Boyd (16) during the sixth inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Bargain hunting for reclamation projects is a worthwhile endeavor—if you’re talking about one or two spots on a pitching staff. But if you’re counting on it to provide the bulk of your pitching, that’s a little like counting on lottery scratch-offs to pay your monthly bills. You may get lucky here and there, but a fall is always imminent.

So, while Bregman and his teammates go back to the drawing board ahead of 2027, Hoyer needs to revisit his attitude when it comes to rolling the dice on big-ticket pitchers. There’s no way around it—if the Cubs are serious about winning in this window they currently have, they need to spend big to get the arms they need.

With so much money coming off the books at the end of this season, the money will definitely be there.

This article first appeared on ChiCitySports and was syndicated with permission.