(670 The Score) While they aren’t yet mathematically eliminated from the playoff race yet, the Cubs are mere days away from missing the postseason for the fourth straight year.
That’s a disappointment, considering the team had higher hopes and hit with the addition of All-Star left-hander Shota Imanaga in free agency. One of their big problems has been at third base, where the Cubs have received poor production.
Before being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays, Christopher Morel made 73 starts at third base for the Cubs. He hit .199 with a .675 OPS with Chicago this season and recorded a -0.2 WAR, per Fangraphs. Isaac Paredes, whom the Cubs acquired in exchange for Morel, hasn’t shined since his arrival to Chicago. He’s hitting .221 with a .647 OPS while playing 43 games for the Cubs, all at third base. He has compiled a 0.3 WAR.
The Cubs’ lesser-used third basemen also struggled mightily. Miles Mastrobuoni made 12 starts at third base and has a -0.2 WAR in 2024, while Nick Madrigal made 11 starts there and has a -0.7 WAR, according to Fangraphs.
With that as context, 670 The Score host Dan Bernstein pointed out on his show Wednesday that the Cubs were one star player away from earning a wild-card berth. As an example, he used third baseman Matt Chapman, who signed a three-year, $54-million deal with the Giants in early March after lingering on the free-agent market for months.
Chapman has a 5.0 WAR in 2024, which ranks 17th in MLB. On paper, he could’ve made a five- or even six-win difference for the Cubs, who were six games back of the final National League wild-card spot entering play Wednesday.
“My point is they’re going to finish, one way or another, a star player of value out (of the playoffs),” Bernstein said.
“That’s what you pay for. Having this person instead of a replacement-level player over the course of an entire season over the course of an entire season means you win five more games … You pay for it, you pay for it.
“The Cubs are going to finish a star player out of the playoffs. Matt Chapman was right there.”
Listen to the full segment below.