Should Chicago Cubs Be Worried About Cold Offense?

It's been a rough stretch for the Chicago Cubs and their offense, raising some concerns that they might not have enough to make the playoffs.

May 21, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell (30) looks on from dugout before a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field. / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Cubs got off to a good start this year as they looked like playoff contenders amid all the injury issues that the roster faced.

Their pitching staff was able to do enough while their offense was one of the hottest across the league. They held a lead in the NL Central race at one point and were comfortably holding a Wild Card spot when they weren't in first place.

However, things have completely changed for the Cubs.

They have now lost four games in a row after dropping their last two at home to the Atlanta Braves and then getting swept in a two-game slate by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Chicago is just one game above .500 after losing seven of their last 10 and have a 5-10 record during the last couple weeks.

The main culprit for this is their lack of offense.

The Cubs have scored the fewest runs in Major League Baseball in the last 15 days, plating just 32 total in their 12 games played. Their futility has been abundant across the rest of standard offensive metrics, ranking last in hits (73), homers (6), and RBI (29), while also having the worst slash line as a team with .190/.267/.283.

It's been brutal.

Perhaps the most concerning part about this is they have done so with the majority of their team healthy.

The expected offensive contributors are in the lineup. They're just not producing.

Things can certainly be downplayed because it's not June yet and Chicago is still second place in their division and sit with a Wild Card spot, but it would be hard not to feel a bit concerned.

Entering into the season, there was some thought the front office didn't do enough to upgrade their offensive profile even after re-signing Cody Bellinger and trading for Michael Busch.

It's hard not to say that assessment has been right so far.

There's still time for the bats to figure things out and get back to being the offense who was crushing baseballs earlier in the year, but if this continues, the front office has to be aggressive around the trade deadline if they want to make a push for the playoffs.