There was no telling how the Cubs’ front office would handle what was thought to be a “year of transition”. Following Theo Epstein’s departure, Jed Hoyer’s promotion to team president and the team’s superstars entering the regular season with no contract extensions, it appeared as if things were going to be drastically different in 2021.
Many were resigned to what was thought to be the fate of the team, blowing up what remained of their core and starting a rebuild. But what was going to happen at or near the July trade deadline was always going to be up to the team’s play on the field and being somewhere in the middle wasn’t going to make the decisions any easier.