Cubs GM Jed Hoyer Says Team's Core is Running Out of Time to Maximize Potential

The concept of a team possessing promising potential can be extremely frustrating despite the optimism it generally comes with. While having a lot of it is generally a good thing, failing to reach it is beyond disappointing.

Chicago Cubs executive vice-president and general manager Jed Hoyer claims that his team's core is running out of time to capitalize on their potential.

The Cubs aren't exactly short on talent -- they had three All-Stars this year in Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Willson Contreras. Former All-Stars Anthony Rizzo, Jon Lester and 2016 World Series MVP Ben Zobrist are all still on the roster, but injuries and off-the-field issues have played a major role this year.

Chicago is second in the NL Central -- three games behind the Cardinals -- and while their 74-63 record isn't anything to be ashamed of, the failure to reach their offensive potential is what Hoyer emphasized in regards to the team's shortcomings.

Reaching the pinnacle of baseball has escaped Chicago since the 2016 World Series win, and after last year's embarrassing home loss in the NL Wild Card Game, the team needs to respond in a big way this year or else there could be trouble in the Windy City.