PHILADELPHIA — President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer chatted with manager Craig Counsell a little ways up the third-base line Monday as batting practice came to an end before the Cubs’ 6-2 loss to the Phillies in the opener of a three-game series.
It was far from their first conversation of the day. They had sat together in meetings in the afternoon. But the two have a lot to talk about at this time of year. With the Cubs eliminated from playoff contention, they’re both wrapping up the season, evaluating the team from top to bottom, conducting exit interviews and charting their path forward.
In addition to their ongoing conversations about team-building, Hoyer saw Counsell’s comments last week about the large gap between the National League Central champion Brewers and the rest of the division and the need for the Cubs to aim to build teams that can win at least 90 games.
‘‘That is the goal,’’ Hoyer said. ‘‘And we talk about a gap, I think that we’ve come a long way. I feel really good about the position we’re in, but there’s still a gap. That last stretch, that’s what we have to make up.’’
But don’t expect the kind of all-in offseason in which the Cubs land a bunch of stars on huge contracts and trade away a bunch of prospects. That would fly in the face of the approach Hoyer has taken so far.
‘‘All of us — from me on down — have to look at, ‘OK, what do we need to do this offseason and going forward to get to that place consistently?’ ’’ Hoyer said. ‘‘It’s not about doing it once; it’s about getting to a place where you feel like we can do it consistently.’’
That has been Hoyer’s mantra from the teardown at the trade deadline in 2021 to a rebuilding season in 2022 to a season that revived playoff hopes in 2023 to a disappointing performance in 2024. The ultimate goal always has been sustained success.
The Brewers running away with the division title and a contentious NL wild-card race have put a number to the concept. The NL playoff threshold looks as though it’s going to be in the 90-victory-plus range.
‘‘The goal has to be, ‘How do we get to that range?’ ’’ Hoyer said.
That question will be front of mind this offseason, even though Hoyer stopped short of promising 90 victories in 2025. And the answer for Hoyer and the Cubs likely will be less flashy than fans yearning for a star-laden team might hope.
The Cubs are expected to be active this offseason, especially when it comes to pitching. Though starting pitching has been a strength of the team, with Shota Imanaga exceeding expectations, Justin Steele backing up his breakout 2023, Jameson Taillon being consistent all season and Javier Assad earning a regular spot in the rotation, injuries limited their young pitching.
Jordan Wicks, Hayden Wesneski and Ben Brown had combined to throw only 164 innings entering play Monday. And top pitching prospect Cade Horton was on track to make his major-league debut this season before getting hurt. So the health of their young pitchers, plus identifying reinforcements, will be a priority for the Cubs.
Not to mention that the same ballpark factors that apparently dampened the Cubs’ offensive production likely helped their pitchers. Wrigley Field has played as the second-most pitcher-friendly home park in the majors this season, behind only the Mariners’ T-Mobile Park, according to Statcast. It was a dramatic swing from last season, and it’s unclear under what conditions the Cubs will play next season.
On the offensive side, the Cubs have most positions covered by players under team control for multiple years, although they are expected to look to add depth and to try to strengthen themselves at catcher.
That kind of stability means that, for the rest of the roster, the Cubs can seize opportunities to upgrade as they arise instead of targeting specific positions.
‘‘It’s not only what holes in the roster we need to fill, it’s also what’s available,’’ Hoyer said. ‘‘And then how do you make that happen? Every offseason, the tapestry is complex, trying to figure out what’s available, what’s not.’’
Counsell, who thinks of himself as more of consultant when it comes to his relationship with the front office, will remain involved.
‘‘He’s an incredible baseball mind, thinks the game all the time,’’ Hoyer said of Counsell. ‘‘And he’s obviously seen an excellent organization [the Brewers] up close. He’s seen the things we can do. And a big part of bringing in a different perspective, a person from a different organization, is those things.’’
After all, Counsell contributed to the Brewers’ rise to the top of the division as their longtime manager.
‘‘We’ve changed so much in the last three or four years in terms of how we run different departments, how we’re doing things differently,’’ Hoyer said. ‘‘But there’s room to grow, and we would be crazy not to listen to the things [Counsell] says and wants and believes because you want every single good idea and every single angle and every single perspective, and he can provide that.’’