That’s just as exciting as a playoff berth, right?!?! POP THE CHAMPAGNE BABY!!!
Although it would’ve been more fun if the clincher had come by virtue of a Twins win simultaneous to the Cubs drubbing the Cardinals or something, no dice, as the Twins couldn’t beat the Royals and the Cubs got walked off on by the Cardinals. It’s fine, though. Same outcome: Cubs clinch the number seven overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft.
For the Cubs, that means not only the seventh pick, it also means the sizable bonus pool that comes along with it, and a totally different draft approach than when you’re picking in the 18 to 30 range. Play your cards right, and you can really do some serious damage in a single draft when you’re in the top seven. (Note: Although the CBA expires in December and the draft structure could be dramatically changed, it is not expected to be done so for 2022.)
That seventh pick will be the Cubs’ highest first rounder in eight years (Kyle Schwarber, 4th overall in 2014), and should afford them the opportunity to really impact the developing farm system. It’s never your GOAL for a given season, but if you’re not going to win anyway, then you might as well finish up the year having added a lot of prospects in trade (check) and having lost enough games to draft pretty high (check).
To that end, if you’d asked me back in early July how low I thought the Cubs could possibly sink, even after a sell-off, I’m not sure I would’ve gone much higher than 10th. Back then, I didn’t think passing the Rockies or Royals would be possible, I didn’t see the Tigers getting quite as hot as they have, and I also thought the Twins were really gonna bottom out. Clearly, I didn’t have enough faith in the Cubs’ ability to put together multiple double-digit losing streaks, and for that, I am ashamed.