The current Cubs' most similar comps are a depressing lot
A sobering semi-scientific look at the quality of the 2026 Cubs
The Cubs have been rained out two games in a row, which is basically Mother Nature's way of letting us all know that we're not alone in needing a few days off from watching that shit.
The Cubs have won six of their last ten, which isn't anything exceptional, but given their long stretch of awful play, it's at least a respite.
We clearly had an inflated sense of their quality when they rode two ten game winning streaks to a 2o-3 stretch, and then they looked worse than they really are when they went in the tank when they went 7-21.
It's hard to judge the real quality of a team you watch every day. You develop biases, both positive and negative. But what if you could look at the quality of your team without those attachments?
Let's give it a shot.
What if the Cubs' roster was...
1b - Renato Núñez
2b - Kaz Matsui
ss - Alex S. Gonzalez
3b - Anthony Rendon
rf - Craig A. Wilson
cf - Lawrence Butler
lf - Michael Conforto
dh - Ian Happ
c - Derek Norris
SP - Harry Moran (seriously)
SP - Triston McKenzie
SP - David Festa
SP - Ronel Blanco
SP - Tommy Greene
SP - Luis Severino
SP - Andrew Heaney
RP - Luis Avilan
RP - Dominic Leone
RP - Tim Mayza
RP - Al Alburquerque
Is this anything? It doesn't seem like much.
OK, how did we get there?
