Chicago Cubs: Wise following Chicago Bears’ model to success

If the Chicago Cubs want to get back to playing championship-level baseball in 2019, the organization would be wise to take notes on how the Chicago Bears rapidly improved their level of play on the field.

As the Chicago Cubs look to compete for another World Series Championship this season, the organization must do everything in its power to avoid another late-season collapse.

Last season’s disappointment down the stretch was not fun to watch, yet also not very surprising to predict. While the Cubs were already hurt by injuries up and down their roster, the players who were in uniform just didn’t perform well enough to ensure confidently that this team had what it took to navigate its way around any obstacle.

When the Cubs won the World Series in 2016, they were able to navigate around all speed bumps standing in their way. They did so with timely hitting, effective pitching, and veteran leadership that has been largely absent, ever since beloved catcher David Ross retired out on top.

Fast forward to today, and despite having a roster that appears capable of having another World Series run in them, there are still plenty of unknowns surrounding this team.

For instance: will players such as Kris Bryant, Yu Darvish, Kyle Schwarber, Ian Happ, and Willson Contreras bounce back from their struggles a year ago? Will Javier Baez continue to build upon his recent success? Will Joe Maddon change his managerial style now that he’s in the last year of his contract? Which veterans will step up in providing new-found leadership?

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These are just some of many questions waiting to be answered as the Cubs get set to play competitive baseball in a couple of weeks. With that said, if Theo Epstein wants to get the most out of his talented roster in a now “make-or-break” season, he’d be wise to look at how the Chicago Bears organization rapidly improved their team in 2018.

For starters, unlike the Cubs, who hardly made any moves to improve their roster throughout the offseason, the Chicago Bears organization had an extremely aggressive offseason a year ago. General Manager Ryan Pace pulled out all stops to improve his team’s lackluster performance. He added impact players such as wide receivers Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel, and tight end Trey Burton to help breath new life into the Bears’ offense. Furthermore, Pace improved the Bears’ defense by adding edge rusher Aaron Lynch.

Not all of Pace’s offseason additions turned into success stories though. Kicker Cody Parkey ended up overstaying his welcome on the team well before “double-doinking” last-second field-goals.

Still, most of Pace’s additions a year ago paid great dividends to the Bears’ rapid rise as NFC contenders.

Some might point out that the Cubs organization just didn’t have any money to spend in order to go after high-level players this offseason. To those who defend Tom Ricketts’ passive approach this offseason, do not let him off the hook that easy. A Chairman, who truly cares about improving his team’s performance in a “make-or-break” year, ideally wouldn’t appear that hesitant to do whatever it takes in order to create additional cap space to enhance a roster that under-performed last season.

Furthermore, Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer also deserve some criticism as well for the Cubs’ passive offseason. They failed to put together any appealing trade offers to improve the team, both in the short and long-term.

The Cubs’ front office may just be waiting until the trade deadline in July before making any splash trades. But that might not be the best strategy, given that players on the Cubs pose the risk of damaging their perceived trade value if they struggle in the first half of the season.

Additionally, if the Cubs fail to win games consistently early on, the organization risks fracturing the clubhouse’s chemistry, should the Cubs ultimately become sellers instead of buyers. Some players are better equipped than others to block out trade chatter throughout the season.

The Chicago Bears experienced a resurgence because their general manager knew before the season began that making a splash trade for an elite player, regardless of any potential backlash in giving up multiple first-round picks, would make their entire roster better. Even by having Khalil Mack‘s presence around the building and inside the locker room did just that.

In past seasons when the Cubs were aggressively making trades, they had plenty of high-level minor league prospects to offer in exchange. Unfortunately, the Cubs don’t have that luxury in their back pocket to offer teams now, which is also why they should have been more aggressive in pursuing an offseason trade or two, potentially getting in return some young, talented prospects.

One final note the Cubs organization should take from the Bears is how Matt Nagy holds all his players accountable for their mistakes. Nagy was especially hard on Mitch Trubisky throughout his sophomore season. All he wanted was to get the best out of his young team, making sure everyone stayed focused, while not getting too far ahead of themselves.

Joe Maddon certainly wants the best from his players, and he’s a great “players coach.” But his often easy-going managerial style must change in order for the Cubs to play championship baseball again. Like Nagy, Maddon must hold everyone accountable, even his top-tier players. Right now, Maddon is coaching like Marc Trestman did back during his time as the Bears’ head coach.

Don’t be afraid to bench a player if he’s in a slump, even if it’s Kris Bryant or Anthony Rizzo. Furthermore, stop playing someone regularly just because he’s being paid a boatload of money, even though his hitting is a detriment to the team…Jason Heyward immediately comes to mind.

It’s not too late for the Cubs to follow some, if not all of the Bears’ recent blueprint to having success. Hopefully the organization is keeping those smart tactics in mind, rather than risk pushing them off to the side.