Cubs core may be gone, but won't be forgotten

Jul. 31—Any Cubs fan who had been paying attention knew what was coming at the trade deadline Friday, so the complete fire sale of the core wasn't a complete surprise.

But that didn't make watching it all unfold any less weird.

In the span of 24 hours, Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez and Kris Bryant, the three key core members of their 2016 World Series championship team, were sent to teams across the country for a handful of prospects.

Other key members of this year's team — Craig Kimbrel, Ryan Tepara, Andrew Chafin, Joc Pederson — were also traded away officially ending what had been one of the most successful stretches in the near 150-year existence of the franchise.

The moves made it to where only four of 25 players of that World Series roster remained with the club — Kyle Hendricks, Jason Heyward, Willson Contreras and Jake Arrieta.

It was a quick and abrupt end to the roster that provided some of the biggest highs in the history of the franchise.

Since 2015 (when Bryant, Baez and the previously departed Kyle Schwarber and Addison Russell arrived), the Cubs won 505 games, an average of 94.5 for a 162-game season. Even this year, before an epic collapse during an 11-game losing streak in June, they were playing above .500 baseball and were 50-54 on the season before Friday's deadline.

It was the best-stretch of Cubs baseball since World War II, and of the 17 winning seasons since 1972, six came in the stretch.

The group made five post-season appearances, matching the previous 29 seasons outputs. They won six playoff series — while the previous 115 years had yielded three series wins.

There will be a people who say this generation of Cubs players didn't live up to their potential.

In some ways that is fair. In the first three years on the field together, the team won the World Series and made it to the League Championship Series in the other two years.

The word dynasty was being thrown around, but although they had winning records in each of the next three seasons and made the playoffs twice — the never came close to another championship.

But in all reality — baseball is a hard game to win and the best team doesn't always win.

In the last seven years, there have been seven different champions. In fact, since 2000 — only four teams have multiple World Series titles, while 14 of the 30 teams in the MLB have claimed one championship.

During the years with the core, the Cubs put themselves into the conversation nearly every year — and that's really all you could hope for.

Would I have liked to see them win another championship or two — sure, who wouldn't. But I also won't forget that they were able to do something that hadn't been done in 108 years — bring a championship to the Northside of Chicago.

The team was embraced by the city, and turned the "Lovable Losers" into a championship squad.

Last weekend, knowing that it was likely going to be the last weekend at Wrigley the team would be together, I made the trek up to Wrigley Field to see the core one last time in the Cubs pinstripes.

I went with my grandmother, a Cubs fan who follows every game, but hadn't been to Wrigley Field since the mid-1980s to see the group that ended the long drought one last time.

It a way, Sunday's victory against the Diamondbacks was a perfect swan song for them.

In the first inning, Bryant and Rizzo hit back-to-back home runs, just as they had six other times over the past six seasons.

Baez made a nifty sliding catch to help keep the lead in the ninth, sending a large crowd into a frenzy as he had so many times over the past six seasons.

After the game, as the sun shined brightly of the federal landmark, the "W" flag flew high and fans were singing "Go Cubs Go," just as they had about 500 times before with this group, the players were soaking in the moment, taking in the atmosphere.

In a way, it was like a high school graduation party. It was a chance to reminisce about the past several years, and all the good memories that you shared together.

But when it was over, it was time to go your separate ways — and explore a new adventures.

Years from now, there will be reunions and get togethers. There will be ceremonial first pitches, seventh-inning stretches, statues and more.

Baez, Bryant, Rizzo and the rest of this era of Cubs baseball will be talked about the same way Cubs fans talk about Ernie Banks, Ron Santo and Billy Williams from the 1960s.

Because although they are no longer going to be representing the Cubs, they have made a lasting impact on the franchise.

Will Willems is the Sports Editor of the Lebanon Reporter. Follow him on Twitter @Will_Willems.