Cubs Have No Choice But to Fire Joe Maddon After Pitiful End to 2019 Season

Is it all Joe Maddon's fault? Probably not.

He can't help that the starting rotation failed miserably to live up to its billing. He can't help the fact the front office can't give him a reliable back-end reliever. He can't really help the team's inability to make good contact with the baseball when runners are in scoring position.

But someone needs to be held accountable, and the Chicago Cubs' end to the 2019 season is a direct reflection of the guy calling the shots in the dugout.

You know who was managing the Cubs in 2012? DALE SVEUM!

The Cubbies were officially eliminated from the postseason with Wednesday night's loss to the Pirates and the Brewers' win over the Reds. No matter what the Cubs' problems were over the last week or so, it's completely unacceptable to drop eight straight games EXCLUSIVELY to divisional opponents at this juncture.

Getting swept by the Cardinals at Wrigley Field in four games was brutal enough, but you're really going to drop another four to the Reds and dysfunctional Pirates?

Yes, the team had untimely injuries with Javy Baez going down, Anthony Rizzo being hobbled, and Craig Kimbrel unable to get in a groove with his late start and trips to the IL. But they've gotten consistent play from all over the roster.

Kyle Schwarber had a career year. Kris Bryant returned to form. Nico Hoerner was a revelation. Ben Zobrist came back in time to make an impact. Jason Heyward had a resurgent campaign. Willson Contreras is probably the best hitting catcher in the MLB. Nicholas Castellanos was arguably the best trade deadline acquisition. The rotation consists of Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Yu Darvish, Jose Quintana and Cole Hamels.

Losing eight straight games with those guys available is unacceptable. Look at what the Yankees have done with countless injuries and a largely bad rotation. Look what the Brewers have done without Christian Yelich and a nonexistent rotation for the most part.

Every team faces obstacles, but this September output from the Cubs was nauseating and should have never happened. And it's going to cost someone their job, so don't be surprised at all if it's Maddon.