The 2017 baseball season is over. A post season I can only call milquetoast is over. The most talented team didn’t win but the band of brothers. I didn’t have the Astros in the World Series. The most compelling series the division series including the Cubs and Nationals. How many managers were fired after losing series? The Cubs weren’t built for success in 2017. Certainly not for a World Series Run. That they got to the League Championship says the Head Man deserves Manager of the year. However questions can be asked count your blessings Chicago. Should there not be the success these years I would pick up torches with you. There are huge holes the Cubs have to fill and tripping over yourselves to figure out who is going to be coaching first base doesn’t tell us what they’re going to be doing about Jason Heyward.

The Dodgers became a beast after watching the Cubs celebrate their ring ceremony. Then losing two out of three in Chicago early in the season. Getting dust kicked in your face by the team that took the pennant from you the previous season.

The Cubs did what a decent team with a good manager does. I think Joe Maddon took losing pretty hard as well. He was the last to finally admit/accept the limits of his team but was able to win with what he had. Had he lost in the division series would he be like the other managers who lost their job? The National League has more teams that are ready to runaway with their division than the American League but the post season is what counts. What stuck out in this year’s playoffs is how little players hit. The Cubs changed their hitting coach because of lack of hitting against the Dodgers when the last two World Series was about pitching. Everyone could see that the Cubs were an all or nothing team. This helped them to score more runs than any other team in the second half.

The Cubs have a lot of work to do. They have an over abundance of position players they can trade that Maddon can put out the same line up every day and players who deserve to play every day can do just that. We can throw a few names out there like Ian Happ, Addison Russel and as much as it pains me, Kyle Schwarber since they aren’t going to put him back behind the plate. But you cannot let Jake Arrieta walk.

Once again a lot of good men lost their jobs or changed teams. Men who were once managers are now looking at coaching jobs and men who were once coaches like Davey Martinez leaving the Cubs and taking the Washington job. Is it easier for a man with a readymade team with win now aspirations or taking over a team with no chance to win for a few years? This is a league where you tip your cap to his people but accuse him of tipping his pitches.

Chicago is not a city starve for post season success. But they are prickly about their baseball teams. Pay Arrieta what he’s worth and bench Heyward for Almora. Trade for pitching off the big league club if we have to but enough with questioning Joe Maddon and give him what he wants.