After Cubs miss playoffs again, Jed Hoyer says team needs to outperform expectations

CHICAGO (CBS) –The Cubs missed the postseason for the fourth time this year, and President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer is assessing the what-if’s and could-be’s.
The North Siders finished with a record of 83-79—an identical win-loss record to last year.
“Heading from the top down this year, the expectation was to play in the playoffs, and we didn’t get there—and we have to be better. The last two years haven’t ended in the postseason—obviously, I have to take accountability for that—and consecutive 83-win teams, we have to push beyond that,” Hoyer said. “But in terms of positioning this organization for success next year and success in the future, I feel great about where we are as an organization. I think the fans should feel good about it too.”
The Cubs’ record this year put the Cubs 10 games behind the National League Central division champion Milwaukee Brewers. It seems that writing a big check to poach Brewers Manager Craig Counsell did not do the trick.
But Hoyer believes Counsell’s five-year, $40 million contract is money well-spent nonetheless.
“We signed him to a five-year deal, not a one-year deal, for a reason. I think that, you know, the impact that he’s going to have on the organization will be tremendous, and I think it’ll be felt year after year over year over year,” Hoyer said. “I think being able to come in, establish a culture, you know, help us make it better with the processes and things like that.”
It is uncertain if the Cubs’ front office will pony up for a big free agent signing this offseason.
But instead of adding talent, Hoyer suggested the current roster needs to outperform expectations to return to postseason play.
“Take the postseason teams this year—only three teams were projected to win 90 games. The rest of the teams outperformed their expectations,” Hoyer said. “That’s our job to figure out, how do we beat that? How do we put our players in position to outperform—and that’s the goal is not a one-year thing and pushing all in for a year, it’s about how do we build it up to sustain that.”
Cody Bellinger could opt out of his three-year contract this offseason, but it seems unlikely.