104

There aren’t many things that last 104 years in this world. Most people don’t. Cars don’t. Some building don’t. There are very few walking this earth still who were alive when the Cubs last won a World Series. Much will be written about the Cubs, their failures, their near misses, and their future. I’m here to tell you the 103 year drought will become 104 years after next season.

Don’t get me wrong, the Chicago Northsiders are on the right track. Nothing is guaranteed, but hiring the front office Chicago did is about as close as you can get to a sure thing. Unfortunately for the Wrigley faithful, the Cubs organization was in such shambles when Epstein was hired, it will take time to rebuild. Even with Epstein and Hoyer’s intellect. Even with Jason McLeod’s eye for talent. Even with a new manager and a couple offseason transactions, it will take the Cubs a couple of years to dig out of the impossibly deep and embarrassing hole they’ve put themselves in.

And in the process we get to see Theo Epstein do something we’ve never seen before. Operate on a smaller budget. Given the contracts of Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Zambrano, and Aramis Ramirez, Epstein will surely be playing with far less money than he’s used to. Based on the state of the Cubs farm system, this could be the greatest thing for them. Epstein, Hoyer, and McLeod need to focus first on rebuilding the farm, then they can rebuild the big club.

And therein lies the reason why the Cubs will not be sniffing anywhere near a World Series next season. They will be hard-pressed to finish over .500.

In the long run though, Cubs fans should appreciate the building process that is about to occur. Re-shaping a losing franchise doesn’t take place overnight, and winning a World Series isn’t as easy as it sounds. The Cubs will need sustained success to increase their odds of breaking the 103, soon to be 104, year drought.