AP Photo/Gregory Bull

The Rundown: Winter Comes Early for Cubs Fans, Roster Rebuild Awaits, White Sox and Yankees Also Advance

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterOctober 1, 2026

“What did you think I would say at this moment, when I’m faced with the knowledge that you just don’t love me?” – At This Moment by Billy Vera and the Beaters

I referenced an article by former MLB commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti on the morning of the first Wild Card game and a passage from that essay feels very appropriate today:

“It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops. Today, [a day] of rain and broken branches and leaf-clogged drains and slick streets, it stopped, and summer was gone.” – The Green Fields of the Mind

The end of this baseball season feels different than any other year, at least from my chair. The Cubs disappointed us, but some alarming statistics forewarned us of that possibility. Then there is the looming work stoppage, something that seems inevitable based on the terse rhetoric of negotiations so far. Finally, there is the future of this site, one that may mean doom as early as December 1, and my personal path, which may find me in Tampa Bay before the next time Pete Crow-Armstrong steps up to the plate in a regular season game.

With that in mind, today’s steady rain feels a little heavier and a little colder. I’ve got several decades of end-of-season hibernations under my belt, but this one hits a little too close to home. I’m not getting any younger, Cubs Insider has been a big part of my life for over a decade, and the business of the sport may push me toward other summer interests once daily baseball and its never-ending news cycle is taken away from me. There’s no looking forward to free agency, trade rumors, or Opening Day because all of that is about to be put on indefinite hold.

As far as the daily Rundown, I just don’t see myself writing about negotiations and stalemates until both sides find an amenable middle ground. Perhaps one commissioner, 30 unbudging owners, and a resolute union can play nice, but that doesn’t seem to be the case, especially with the willingness of either side to forfeit everything that’s at stake.

Today, it’s not just that the Cubs were eliminated by the Padres. I’ve lived through those types of winters all of my life except in 2016-17, and my love for Chicago’s North Side Baseballers remained steadfast. It is everything else that is challenging my fervent allegiance to the game. I don’t know if I want to give professional baseball another chance if those that control it are so willing to take it all from me.

Who knows? Perhaps baseball and I will eventually have our “When Harry Met Sally” reunion. That seems unfathomable, at least at this moment.

Cubs/Padres News & Notes

  • The series was an absolute mismatch from the beginning. The Padres outscored the Cubs 12-1 and out-hit them 21-8.
  • Crow-Armstrong admitted he “failed to show up” in the series.
  • We are looking at a potentially long wait to see how Jed Hoyer addresses the team’s shortcomings and replaces a handful of free agents.
  • Hoyer must ask himself some tough questions ($) after Chicago’s untimely end. Specifically, why can’t the Cubs compete with the Brewers? The team’s top executive also has to rebuild his rotation and bullpen, and needs to replace two outfielders.
  • The bullpen represents a yearly debate under Hoyer, who doesn’t like to spend on closers. The Cubs have paid for that decision at times — though in other moments they’ve developed some good relievers.
  • This season was a fun ride, though ultimately disappointing.
  • This year’s high-floor, low-ceiling roster never felt like a World Series contender.
  • Most Cubs players are mulling what could have been after an abrupt end to the season.
  • While topping the majors in several position-player stats, the Cubs had the worst pitcher WAR in baseball. Yes, even worse than the Rockies and A’s. There were plenty of injuries, but also a ton of underperformance. That’s magnified in a short series. It’s also why Chicago once again failed to make an extended postseason run.
  • San Diego avenged the Cubs for last year’s playoff loss and a 1-5 regular season record.
  • Everything seems to be coming together for the Padres right now.

Ball Four

Until we meet again…

Playoff News & Notes

The Phillies and Braves are the only teams playing today. The Padres, White Sox, and Yankees all clinched.

The White Sox swept the Astros for their first playoff series win since 2005.

Jose Altuve hit his 28th career playoff home run on Wednesday, one shy of the major league record held by Manny Ramírez.

The Yankees swept the Red Sox, though Sonny Gray was unhappy because he was lifted after 70 pitches. “I think I’m the best pitcher in the American League going through the order a third time,” Gray said. “I would have liked to have been trusted in that moment.”

Willson Contreras spoke candidly about the use of analytics after the loss.

Cody Bellinger had a huge night after watching his father throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Gray was caught by cameras with what appeared to be judicious amounts of pine tar on the back of his neck.

The Brewers are swinging faster this year, which could give them an edge in the playoffs.

The White Sox have the Pope and a former president rooting for them.

How About That!

Owners want a $245.3 million salary cap, a $171.2 million floor, and a broad overhaul of revenue sharing as the collective bargaining agreement expires December 1.

These are the topics dominating the negotiating table, in case you’ve been tuning it all out.

Three from the Bill Chuck Files

  1. The two best home records in the majors this season belonged to the Rays and the Brewers, who both finished 55-26 (.679).
  2. On the final day of the season, in a game that very few cared about, the Mariners beat the Angels, 7-3. But as a result, the Angels finished the season with a record of 62-100, the first 100-loss season in franchise history. They were the only franchise to avoid that fate previously.
  3. On September 28, 1941, Ted Williams went 6-for-8 in a doubleheader against the Philadelphia A’s to finish the season with a .406 average. No player has batted .400 since.

Apropos of Nothing

I’ll be taking the weekend off, as I always do. I will also be rooting for the White Sox and the Brewers, but for different reasons, of course. The 2005 playoffs were incredibly fun and I loved it when the South Siders swept the Astros to win the World Series. I went to a game in Houston, got a jersey autographed by Roger Clemens, and lost it four weeks later when my house in Naperville burned down. I lost an autographed Kerry Wood jersey in that fire too, and I’ve yet to replace either.

I’ve lived in Milwaukee since 2007 after spending two years couch surfing after that fire, and I have a lot of friends up here who are die-hard Brewers fans. If the White Sox don’t win it all, I’d love for my Cream City friends to feel what I felt in 2016. Additionally, I was brought up to root for the National League World Series representative unless it’s the Mets or Cardinals.

Fun fact: The Brewers were always my second-favorite team when they played in the American League. I loved watching Phil Garner manage the pants off of Terry Bevington. This year, however, I’d choose Chicago over Milwaukee if that is the World Series matchup. Sorry, Dad, not sorry.

Son of Apropos

Hoyer will be busy once baseball resumes. He has to replace Shōta Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki. Kevin Gausman and Tyrone Taylor were rentals, and Clay Holmes will likely decline his option. Speaking of options, Kevin Alcántara is out of them. Michael Conforto will parlay his comeback season into a nice payday, though Caleb Thielbar might not find any takers. Hoyer could decline to offer Justin Steele a contract, making him a free agent in the final year of his arbitration eligibility. Carson Kelly is one free agent I’d like to see Hoyer bring back. Matt Shaw could be traded for pitching. Daniel Palencia might be dangled as well. Whatever happened to Hunter Harvey? He isn’t coming back, that’s for sure.

Holmes and Taylor cost the Cubs Jefferson Rojas. That trade no longer seems worth it. Holmes didn’t pitch in either of the two playoff games, while Rojas is the Mets’ No. 1 prospect.

Oh, I left one player off that list…

Extra Innings

I doubt Ian Happ will be back. The Cubs view the switch-hitting outfielder as a platoon split, so his return seems unlikely, even with an alleged hometown discount. The glove is worth keeping and the leadership is unparalleled, but not in a part-time role. He’s going to be missed, however.

Sliding Into Home

It was mentioned to me last night by a Brewers blogger I know that Craig Counsell might resign. It has more to do with the labor issues than Hoyer or anything organizational. Keep an eye on that. I’d say it’s not likely, and the source said it is only his assumption, but it tracks if you think about it, especially since Counsell is a players’ manager.

For what it’s worth, he has interviewed Counsell previously, but hasn’t spoken to him since the Cubs were in Milwaukee last month.

They Said It

  • “We were challenged this year. This team showed a lot of heart and a lot of fight through all the challenges. But I would say, to start: I show up. I show up when it matters in these games. That would help us immediately. But that’s all I got right now. You can look at the scoreboard, you can look at the stat sheet, wherever you get your numbers from, and it is clear to see that I didn’t contribute [in this series]. None of it feels good,” – Crow-Armstrong
  • “I look at it as failure. We [needed] to win.” – Alex Bregman
  • “I know [Pete] feels the same way I do. Doesn’t matter what kind of year we had, we want to win. Both of us are pissed off. We need to play better and figure out a way to get better in every way.” – Bregman
  • “I mean, whatever — you can list off this stat and this stat and this stat. It’s always going to feel like a missed opportunity when you get to the playoffs because it’s hard to get here. Every team is going to have strengths and things they’re really good at. We were good at some things. We weren’t good enough at some [others]. Then you get down to the playoffs, and it doesn’t — what does that mean? You’ve just got to go play well and win games. In the end, we’re walking away unfulfilled and disappointed.” – Counsell

Thursday Walk-Up Song

Appropriate melancholy ditty for some imminent wistfulness.

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterOctober 1, 2026
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