Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta. Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
CHICAGO — It was a maddeningly familiar finish for the Chicago Cubs in 2014 — fifth place in the National League Central for the fifth consecutive year.
But the Cubs’ tenure as NL bottom-dwellers may be coming to an end as a promised turnaround under general manager Jed Hoyer and club president Theo Epstein appears to be finally picking up speed.
Despite an overall 73-89 final record, the Cubs avoided a fourth consecutive 90-loss season and had a winning mark (28-27) over the season’s final two months with series wins over the Dodgers, Orioles and Cardinals — all playoff qualifiers.
Top minor league prospects got a taste of the majors late this season and there’s more in the pipeline. Some reliable starting pitching emerged — notably performances from righty Jake Arrieta and right-handed reliever Hector Rondon — while veteran stars 1B Anthony Rizzo and SS Starlin Castro each had comeback years.
And genial first-year manager Rick Renteria eased his team through rough stretches into late-season promise with his upbeat and encouraging manner.
“I think that all those guys know we want to step it up,” Renteria said after Sunday’s season finale in Milwaukee. “We need to come out, go into spring training really prepared to be a better club (and) with the expectations of us again improving and making ourselves hopefully the topic of conversation throughout the season.”
The Cubs could finally stop being sellers — shedding top pitchers at the trading deadline for prospects — and make a plunge into the free-agent market to build on the foundation.
Oakland lefty Jon Lester (16-11 with a 2.46 ERA with two clubs this season) is rumored to be a top free-agent target.
Lester would help a team that could use more starting pitching, and also needs more stability in the bullpen, timely hitting and — as one Cubs executive suggested — more clubhouse and on-field leadership to supplement emerging leaders Rizzo and Castro.
It will be a different Wrigley Field the Cubs will return to next April with a giant video board and additional signage, the first visible portions of a $600 million-plus rehabilitation of the ballpark, which turns 101 years old next season and hasn’t hosted a World Series since 1945.
