Recap: How the front office rating works
This is one in a series of assessments of the performances of front offices for the 2024 season. Each front office is given a score based on the total Wins Above Average of the players they either traded for, signed via free agency or extension, or promoted from their farm system, since the conclusion of the 2023 postseason.
A front office’s score also includes the total Wins Above Average of players traded away or lost to free agency since the end of the 2023 postseason. The front offices are being presented in order of their total value from No. 30 (worst) all the way to No. 1 (best).
These ratings do not necessarily reflect the final standings. Front offices are measured based only on the talent they acquired or lost during the past 12 months. Players on multi-year contracts, or already under team control, don’t count toward this rating.
2. Chicago Cubs, Jed Hoyer, president of baseball operations, Carter Hawkins, general manager, +13.6
Right about now, Cubs fans around the world are probably wondering how the maligned suits running their favorite team could have had the second-most productive season of any front office in 2024 when the team barely surpassed .500.
Two factors explain the Hoyer-Hawkins rating. First, while the Cubs certainly played so-so ball, the biggest production failures took place among players already under contract when the 2024 preseason began. Twenty players, 10 of them pitchers, played on holdover contracts and the net impact of those 20 amounted to -3.3 games.
Looking at the 10 holdover pitchers is especially instructive. Those 10 worked 60 percent of the team’s innings, but while a couple – Jameson Taillon and Justin Steele – delivered satisfactory results, the net impact of the 10 totaled -3.1 WAA.
In short, Hoyer and Hawkins began with a poor core.
The second factor is an odd one. The Cubs, almost more than any other team, presented to opponents an attractive retinue of available players who almost universally worked to sabotage their new teams. Mike Royko used to call it the ex-Cub factor, and in 2024, it was a real thing.
Around the majors, a full dozen teams took a chance on a total of 22 players who had been under contract to the Cubs since the end of the 2023 postseason. Only one of those 22 — Mark Leiter Jr. with the Yankees — saw as much as a minute of postseason playing time.
The cumulative impact of those players on their new teams? It was -7.3 games, which translates to +7.3 for Hoyer and Hawkins' bottom line. The major league average impact of players lost to other teams was less than one-third that amount.
Five most impactful Hoyer-Hawkins moves in 2024
Transaction | Net Impact (Wins Above Average) |
|---|---|
Lost Jeimer Candelario to free agency | +2.1 |
Extended Ian Happ through 2026 | +1.8 |
Signed free agent pitcher Shota Imanaga | +1.6 |
Extended Nico Hoerner through 2026 | +1.6 |
Traded Christopher Morel to Tampa Bay | +1.5 |
Because the Cubs were a 2024 disappointment, it’s easy to overlook the front office’s positive moves. The signing of Japanese pitcher Shota Imanaga stood out, but it’s also worth keeping in mind that the front office extended regulars Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner, landed Michael Busch in a trade, promoted Pete Crow-Armstong, and re-signed Cody Bellinger.
Cumulatively those six players delivered +7.5 games of value to the 2024 Cubs.
Overall, moves made by the Cubs front office impacted 54 major league players, and 30 of those moves were positive for the North Side. Only 18 were negative; the final six were neutral.
Blame the Cubs front office for 2024 if you must. But focus your criticism on the set-in-stone, long-term moves. Focusing solely on what Hoyer and Hawkins did in 2024, they had a heck of a year.
Looking ahead towards 2025, it's clear the tandem sees a window of opportunity to strike in a weak division. Trading for a pair of former Astros stars (Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly) highlights an impressive haul that also saw the team get much deeper in its starting rotation.
Previous Rankings
5. Baltimore Orioles, Mike Elias, executive vice president and general manager, +5.3
4. Kansas City Royals, J.J. Picollo, executive vice president and general manager, +5.8
3. Atlanta Braves, Alex Anthopoulos, president of baseball operations and general manager, +7.6
2. Chicago Cubs, Jed Hoyer, president of baseball operations, Carter Hawkins, general manager, +13.6
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