This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.
Borrowing that lines seems like a cliche, but if it’s really meant to be a reference to Guy Fawkes’s being caught, tortured and executed, then I can’t think of anything more accurate. The Mets didn’t beat the Cubs, they cut of their head. This was a four game sweep where not a single game felt close at the end, where it barely felt competitive most of the way. People are going to point the finger at specific individuals – that’s probably Jason Hammel’s last appearance in a Cubs uniform – but they weren’t one player away. The Mets had better hitting, better baserunning, better pitching, and better fielding. The Cubs didn’t get many breaks, hit the ball very hard right at people, but were the own biggest obstacle. This was not close.
So what now? The last three months felt like maybe the Cubs could sneak out a surprise win and just needed to add a piece or two to be favorites. Now, the distance between them and a 2016 championship seems bigger than it was even when the season started. Does the front office react more to the last week, or the season which came before?
This was probably the last time Starlin Castro is a Cub. Something is going to give with him and Baez this offseason, and they may need a new second baseman when it’s all done. Fowler is going to get a lot of money somewhere else (and that’s the right move), but Austin Jackson as every day CF doesn’t seem like a great idea. David Price or some other starter is probably coming in – all the moves shouldn’t be budget reducing (and they should have room to expand over this year.)
Maybe the best move is having 4 months off to forget about the last 4 games.