The Chicago Cubs have been slowly, but surely bottoming out this season after trading most of their stars at the deadline.
They flipped most of their expiring contracts to get something in return for them before they reach free agency.
There were some stars among the players they traded, most notably Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Craig Kimbrel, and Javier Baez.
As a result, they restocked masterfully for the future, adding interesting prospects such as Alexander Canario, Kevin Alcantara, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Alexander Vizcaino, Nick Madrigal, and others.
However, their chances of making the playoffs in 2021 vanished when they decided to be sellers at the deadline.
They led the National League Central division at some point deep in the first half, but started to collapse near July and made the decision to trade selected players that wouldn’t help in the future.
Their Roster Is In Shambles
It ultimately was the right decision, but the 2021 Cubs roster was left in shambles after the calendar turned to August.
Here is a peek at their lineup: Rafael Ortega (center field), Frank Schwindel (first base), Ian Happ (left fielder), Matt Duffy (third base), David Bote (second base), Michael Hermosillo (right fielder), Robinson Chirinos (catcher), and Sergio Alcantara (shortstop).
Here is today's #Cubs starting lineup. pic.twitter.com/ttEgg7VQRi
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 18, 2021
Those are not exactly the 1927 New York Yankees, or even the 2016 Cubs.
That’s a collection of prospects, minor league veterans, and journeymen.
Of course, they traded most of their MLB talent, and they were left picking up the remaining pieces of their player pool and building a deeply flawed lineup, with a mediocre pitching staff.
There is a chance the Cubs finish the 2021 season with at least 100 losses.
Is that really possible at this point?
Right now, the Cubs are 53-69, the second-worst team in the division.
They have an even worse record than the Colorado Rockies, which is really saying something.
Since depleting their major league roster at the deadline, the Cubs are 4-14, a horrendous record that included a 12-game losing streak that extended from August 5 to the 16th.
Can They Lose 100 Games?
To finish the season with 100 losses, they would need to go 9-31 or worse in what’s left of the campaign.
There is always a chance, but as bad as this version of the Cubs is, it seems highly unlikely that they will lose roughly 77 percent of their remaining games.
The Cubs have won 10 of their last 46 games. Going 10-31 in their last 41 games will put them at 100 losses for the year.
Will the Cubs lose 100 games this year?
— Codify, Inc. (@CodifyBaseball) August 17, 2021
Only pitcher Kyle Hendricks and catcher Willson Contreras offer some combination of talent and stability to the major league roster.
Happ has been a bitter disappointment given his considerable power, but his notorious inability to make consistent contact (.186/.291/.341).
However, there is no denying that Ortega (.325/.383/.500) has been a bright spot for the 2021 Cubs, and Patrick Wisdom and his .532 slugging percentage has also contributed a lot.
Perhaps those two, plus Contreras and Hendricks, can bring some respectability for the Cubs in what is left of the 2021 season.
We have seen how bad they are since the deadline, but reaching 100 losses would require some monumentally bad baseball in the second half of August and September.
We would say reaching that number is highly unlikely, but 90 or 95 remain possible outcomes.
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