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Where will the Cubs be in 2032?

At least we know the Cubs are thinking ahead, making sure their fans will be excited about the team's 2032 stretch run, which presumably will be led by manager Pat Murphy after future Cubs President Carter Hawkins steals him from the Milwaukee Brewers in 2030 to replace the retiring Craig Counsell.

Hawkins, of course, is the current Cubs general manager who made the unfortunate decision to defend the team's trade-deadline strategy in an interview with ESPN. The Cubs didn't get any frontline starting pitchers and missed out on the top high-leverage relievers such as Mason Miller and Jhoan Duran.

"Teams are trying to find that guy that can lock down the eighth or ninth inning, but that also costs a lot, " Hawkins said. "That costs a lot of future wins. We have a responsibility to the 2025 Cubs but also the 2032 Cubs. That's not always popular in the moment, but it's decisions we have to make."

A 7-0 loss to the Brewers on Monday left the Cubs nine games back in the National League Central after spending nearly four months in first place. Hawkins' quote went viral, which is hard to do when you're as intentionally vanilla as Carter Hawkins, writes Paul Sullivan.

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