Commentary

Can Cubs be counted on in 2018?

When a team with as much young talent as the Cubs have goes down hard in the postseason, it's easy to promote the idea they will be back next year.

Even if the Cubs decide to part ways with free agents Jake Arrieta, Wade Davis and, please, John Lackey, they will bring back their starting catcher, all four infielders, a four-man outfield rotation and three of their prime-time starters.

Just add a couple of quality starters, a new closer and a couple more bullpen arms and you're right back in October battling for another World Series championship.

But it's ludicrous to think it's a gimme, especially after watching the collapse of the young Mets' rotation of 2015, or the end of the Royals' extended run this season.

"You can't just expect us to roll out next year and make it to the [National League Championship Series] again," Anthony Rizzo said Thursday night after the Dodgers eliminated the Cubs. "You don't know how long these good times will last, and obviously we're in the heart of good times now, to be a Chicago Cub. But it definitely stings."

Even with all the youth and postseason experience, the Cubs still had to fight all the way down the stretch with the Brewers, a team with the lowest-payroll in baseball. And to get into the NLCS they had to win a surreal Game 5 in Washington that took more out of them than anyone imagined.

They had a decent shot at making the World Series until Manager Joe Maddon called on Lackey instead of Davis in the ninth inning of Game 2 of the NLCS, trusting a pitcher who wasn't even used in the first round and probably shouldn't have been on the playoff roster in an unfamiliar role.

Justin Turner's home run off Lackey was the back-breaker, and even Maddon's ardent backers were left scratching their heads at the move.

The Cubs appear to be satisfied with the season as a whole, which is fine. They made it back to the NLCS, no small accomplishment.

Still, the way it ended should leave a sour taste in everyone's mouths, from Maddon down to Tommy La Stella. Getting to the postseason and getting waylaid like that should not be acceptable, whether they won it all last year or not.

Honesty is always the best policy, so the Cubs need to be honest and admit Maddon has a stubborn streak when it comes to plotting out his moves in advance and refusing to audible when necessary.

"Usually when you look at it, when you win the players get the credit, when you lose the manager gets the blame," Kris Bryant said. "I'm sure if you ask him that, it's nothing new to him. He has been doing it for a while.

"I'm not a manager. I have no clue how to do any of that stuff during games. He has all of our best interests in mind."

Maddon's best asset is his ability to communicate. Last month in St. Louis I asked him if he ever considered going into TV when he was through managing. His sense of humor and conversational approach to news conferences made him seem like a natural analyst.

Ironically, now everyone is hyper-critical of Maddon's methods, and that figures to continue in 2018 unless Epstein gives him a revamped bullpen that includes a lockdown closer.

Specifically the question was on whether Jason Heyward should be a full-time player based on his two-year average in Chicago of nine home runs, 54 RBIs and a .669 OPS. But it also could apply to 2016 World Series MVP Ben Zobrist, who turns 37 next year and whose numbers dived considerably in 2017.

Heyward and Zobrist are two leaders in the clubhouse and are always accountable. But their offensive numbers can't be dismissed. Ditto Kyle Schwarber, who is way too talented to turn into an Adam Dunn type of all-or-nothing power hitter.

Perhaps a new hitting coach would bring a fresh set of eyes to the clubhouse. Or maybe there's nothing that can be done from a coaching standpoint and it's up to the players.

"We still feel like we're capable of World Series championships," Zobrist said. "We know we're champions in this clubhouse and we're going to keep working like that and come back and have a better start to next year."

Sports on 10/23/2017

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